The People in the Shadows

 Author: Tess Westafer

Shadow people are a relatively new phenomena that appear to have come about in the early 2000s however similar stories have existed for far longer. Shadow people are often described as shadowy humanoids who appear during sleep paralysis. Accounts vary on the nature of these beings as some just stand there in the corner of your vision and others act more aggressive getting up in a person’s face. There have been some scientific explanations offered up for why people encounter these beings but there is no definitive reason.

One popular tale of shadow people that is seen online is The Hat Man. The Hat Man is a shadow person who appears as a shadowy man wearing a hat. This man causes people to be paralyzed in fear and feel breathless (https://qz.com/quartzy/1444843/what-is-sleep-paralysis). The accounts surrounding The Hat Man almost all have a fair degree of consistency according to the The Rolling Stone (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hat-man-benadryl-tiktok-monster-1234620397/). Almost all of these accounts mention a tall man wearing a brimmed hat who appears when a person is experiencing sleep paralysis. Another common detail in these stories is that the person seeing The Hat Man has taken a large amount of Benadryl resulting in them hallucinating. People online are rather split when it comes to the existence of The Hat Man. Some think he’s just a joke that’s been spread online and others think he’s a real shadow person intent on hurting people.

An explanation that has been offered for why people see shadow people is that they are hallucinating. During sleep paralysis it isn’t uncommon for people to see things that aren’t really there. I myself have gone through sleep paralysis as a child and can say I saw some pretty weird things that weren’t there. The most vivid memory I have of this happening is when I was about seven maybe eight, and I was sleeping in my mom’s bed. I was nice and sound asleep when I suddenly opened my eyes and realized that my eyes were the only thing I could move. I moved my eyes across the room when I suddenly saw a shadowy man that appeared to be a doctor holding a needle that he was about to stab me with. At the time I was terrified but looking back I most likely saw what I saw because I had a fear of getting shots. 

Works Cited:

Quartz (https://qz.com/quartzy/1444843/what-is-sleep-paralysis)

The Rolling Stone (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hat-man-benadryl-tiktok-monster-1234620397/)