Shadow People Explained: Are They Real?

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Are shadow people spirits or just hallucinations?

Co-authored by Raven Minyard, BA Reviewed by Jason Zuk

Last Updated: March 27, 2025 Fact Checked

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What are shadow people?

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Paranormal Explanations

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Scientific Explanations

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History of Shadow People

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What is the Hat Man?

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Shadow People in Pop Culture

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It’s happened to all of us—you think you see a shadow figure out of the corner of your eye, but when you turn to look, it’s gone. Many people refer to these experiences as shadow people, but are they actual paranormal beings or is there a scientific explanation? In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about shadow people, including what they are, paranormal and scientific explanations, and their history. Plus, learn what the Hat Man is and how shadow people are included in pop culture.

Are shadow people real?

People all over the world have reported seeing shadow people, but there is much debate about whether shadow people are paranormal entities or if there is a scientific explanation. Some believe shadow people are ghosts, djinn, or even interdimensional beings, while others believe they’re simply hallucinations.

Section 1 of 6:

What are shadow people?

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Shadow people are paranormal entities that resemble humanoid shadows. A shadow person, sometimes known as a shadow figure or black mass, is a term used to describe someone’s perception of a shadow-like, humanoid figure, typically seen out of the corner of their eye. Many people believe shadow people are spirits or paranormal entities, while others believe they are a visual hallucination with a scientific explanation.^{[1]
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- Shadow people are typically described as dark, indistinct figures with no defining facial features. Witnesses often report feeling frightened by the experience, but this isn’t always the case.
- Shadow people frequently appear at night, especially to those who suffer from sleep paralysis. They may also appear at times of heightened emotion, like when someone is already feeling fearful.

Section 2 of 6:

Paranormal Explanations of Shadow People

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Many people believe shadow people are ghosts or spirits. One of the simplest and most common paranormal explanations for shadow people is that they are a type of ghost or spirit. Many paranormal investigators have reported seeing shadow people, which they interpret as being spirits that reside in the place they’re investigating. Because many people report feeling frightened, many believe shadow people are malevolent spirits or demons, as well.^{[2]
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- For example, witnesses who have seen shadow people at Eastern State Penitentiary believe they are the ghosts of former prisoners.
- Some paranormal investigators, like Chad Stambaugh, have reportedly recorded images of shadow people on video.
In Islamic traditions, djinn are invisible spirits or demons that are neither innately good nor evil but are capable of causing harm to humans. Some theorize that shadow people are djinn, as djinn are able to shapeshift and cause people to experience intense emotional distress.^{[3]
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While many people report feeling frightened when they see shadow people, others have positive experiences in which they feel protected. These people sometimes believe that shadow people are guardian angels, or another type of spiritual protector, for the person they are following.^{[4]
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One theory suggests that shadow people are the astral projections of people having out-of-body experiences. Those who believe in astral travel state that we all astral travel when we sleep, which could explain why shadow people are mostly seen at night. Another theory suggests that people in the future have found a way to time travel and appear to us as shadows while they observe our timeline.
Some paranormal theorists believe that there are parallel universes that exist near our own but are invisible to us. According to this theory, shadow people could be beings that can travel between dimensions, appearing in our world as shadows. Similarly, other theorists believe shadow people could be aliens, as many abductees report that aliens can pass through walls and windows and disappear and reappear abruptly, almost like shadows.^{[5]
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Section 3 of 6:

Scientific Explanations of Shadow People

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Sleep paralysis is a condition in which people are temporarily unable to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up. A common symptom of sleep paralysis is visible or auditory hallucinations, such as seeing shadowy figures. This happens because sleep paralysis occurs during REM sleep, which is when most dreaming occurs.^{[6]
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Harvard Medical School
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When we’re already afraid or on edge, our brains and nervous systems are under stress. When this happens, our brains can misinterpret sensory information or create visual images that we perceive as threats. In this case, we may perceive a normal patch of shadows as a shadow person.^{[7]
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Drugs alter the way neurons send, receive, and process signals via neurotransmitters, which can sometimes cause hallucinations. People who use illegal drugs, like methamphetamine, may report seeing shadow people after using the drug or after prolonged periods of sleep deprivation. People may also see shadow figures if they misuse prescription or over-the-counter drugs, like Benadryl.^{[8]
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Cleveland Clinic
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Some medical conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also cause people to see visual hallucinations. People with these conditions sometimes report seeing shadowy figures out of their peripheral vision.^{[9]
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Cleveland Clinic
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Section 4 of 6:

History of Shadow People

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Many different cultures, religions, and belief systems have mythology and folklore about shadow people. For example, the ancient Greeks had shades (the spirits of the dead), djinn (invisible spirits) are important to Islamic traditions, and the Nalusa Chito is a black, soul-eating entity in Choctaw mythology.^{[10]
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Research source} Similar beings can be found in folklore from all kinds of cultures around the world.
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The Coast to Coast AM radio talk show popularized shadow people. While beliefs about shadow people have always existed, they were not a large part of modern, Western society until 2001, when they were discussed on a late night radio talk show called Coast to Coast AM.^{[11]
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Research source} Host Art Bell interviewed a man who claimed to be a Native American elder called Thunder Strikes, and listeners were encouraged to submit drawings of shadow people they had seen.
- Later that year, author Heidi Hollis published her first book about shadow people, The Secret War, and became a regular on the show.
- After this, people began to discuss their experiences with shadow people in online forums.

Section 5 of 6:

What is the Hat Man?

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The Hat Man is a common type of shadow person that wears a brimmed hat. Some believers report that there are many types of shadow people, and the Hat Man is one of the most well-known. He is typically described as wearing a fedora or another type of wide-brimmed hat and has few to no other discernable features. Witnesses often claim they feel him staring at them, even though he usually has no visible eyes.^{[12]
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- The Hat Man has become a meme in recent years, as many people report seeing him after taking too much Benadryl. Taking more than the advised amount of Benadryl is dangerous and potentially fatal, however, so please do not attempt this yourself.^{[13]
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- The Hat Man is also commonly associated with those who suffer from sleep paralysis, with descriptions of him dating back to the 2000s.

Section 6 of 6:

Shadow People in Pop Culture

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Shadow people are commonly featured in books, movies, and other media. Like many other types of spirits and cryptids, shadow people are sometimes included in pop culture.^{[14]
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Research source} Many documentaries and paranormal shows feature witnesses who share their real-life experiences with shadow people, while books, movies, and media include fictionalized accounts. Here are a few examples of shadow people in pop culture:
- The Nightmare, a 2015 documentary, discusses shadow people and other cultural phenomena (like alien abductions) as potential symptoms of sleep paralysis. It features interviews from participants in the documentary, as well as re-enactments of their experiences.
- The 2007 novel John Dies at the End features “Shadow Men,” which are beings that can kill a person and retroactively erase them from existence, meaning history is rewritten as if they were never born.
- The 2013 horror film Shadow People depicts a fictional sleep study in which patients report seeing shadowy figures before dying in their sleep. The film follows a CDC investigator and a radio host as they research the study.
- In a 2012 episode of Intervention, a subject named Skyler is haunted by shadow people and builds weapons to fight them. He believes the shadow people are using stolen technology to telepathically communicate with certain individuals.
- In the video game series Deep Sleep, shadow people can paralyze and possess people who lucid dream, and those people are then turned into shadow people themselves.
- In the Twilight Zone episode “The Shadow Man,” a teenage boy has a shadow person living under his bed. According to the show, shadow people can kill humans but do not harm the person who owns the bed they live under.
- In the video game LSD: Dream Emulator, a humanoid figure called the Gray Man appears in some dreams to undo dream progress and erase saved flashback data.
- Shadow people may have also inspired horror characters like Slenderman.