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{{Short description|Perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure}} |
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''For other things named Shadowman, see [[Shadowman (disambiguation)]]'' |
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{{Redirect|Shadow People|the 2013 film|Shadow People (film){{!}}''Shadow People'' (film)||The Shadow People (disambiguation){{!}}The Shadow People}} |
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{{Paranormal}} |
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A '''shadow person''' (also known as a '''shadow figure''' or '''black mass''') is the perception of shadow as a living species, [[humanoid]] figure, sometimes interpreted as the presence of a [[Spirit (supernatural entity)|spirit]] or other entity by believers in the [[paranormal]] or [[supernatural]].<ref name="Idiot's Guide">{{cite book|last=Ahlquist|first=Diane|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Life After Death|year=2007|publisher=[[Penguin Group]]|location=USA|isbn=978-1-59257-651-7|page=122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lkscwxGSoAC&pg=PA122 }}</ref> |
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[[Image:SHA.JPG|frame|right|An artist's conception of shadow people.]] |
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==History and folklore== |
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'''Shadow people''' (also known as '''shadow men''' or '''shadow beings''') are a [[supernatural]] phenomenon reported by some individuals. Most accounts of shadow people describe them as black humanoid silhouettes, lacking mouths or eyes, although they are sometimes reported to have red eyes. They are generally described as lacking mass, although their specific nature varies from two-dimensional (like a shadow) to vaporous or distorted. |
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A number of religions, legends, and belief systems describe [[supernatural]] entities such as [[Shade (mythology)|shades]] of the underworld, and various shadowy creatures have long been a staple of folklore and ghost stories, such as the Islamic [[Jinn]] and the Choctaw [[Choctaw mythology#Shadow-like beings|Nalusa Chito]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Marie D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=No8SDgAAQBAJ&dq=Shadow+person+Jinn&pg=PT183 |title=Demons, the Devil, and Fallen Angels |last2=Flaxman |first2=Larry |date=2017-09-01 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=978-1-57859-667-6 |language=en}}</ref> |
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The ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'' late night radio talk show helped popularize modern beliefs in shadow people.<ref name="Kinsella2011" /> The first time the topic of shadow people was discussed at length on the show was April 12, 2001, when host [[Art Bell]] interviewed a man purporting to be a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] elder, [[Harley Reagan|Thunder Strikes]], who is also known as Harley "SwiftDeer" Reagan. During the show, listeners were encouraged to submit drawings of shadow people that they had seen and a large number of these drawings were immediately shared publicly on the website.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bell|title=Art Bell - Shadow People|archive-date=September 25, 2001|url=http://artbell.com/shadows.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20010925192530/http://www.artbell.com/shadows.html|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref> |
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Observers of shadow people most commonly report that the forms appear at the edge of their field of vision, and that they disintegrate or move into walls when noticed, usually within a split second. However, many also report shadow people appearing in the center of their vision, appearing very close to them, or remaining for several seconds before disappearing. Some individuals have described being menaced, chased, or (more rarely) attacked, by shadow people. |
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In October that year, Heidi Hollis published her first book on the topic of shadow people,<ref>{{cite book|author=Heidi Hollis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YyAXPQAACAAJ |title=The Secret War: The Heavens Speak of the Battle |publisher=iUniverse |date=October 1, 2001 |isbn=9780595203314}}</ref> and later became a regular guest on ''Coast to Coast''.<ref>{{cite web|title = Heidi Hollis - Guests|url = http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/hollis-heidi/5884|work = [[Coast to Coast AM]]|access-date = 2016-01-12}}</ref> Hollis describes shadow people as dark silhouettes with human shapes and profiles that flicker in and out of peripheral vision, and claims that people have reported the figures attempting to "jump on their chest and choke them".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2008/07/23 | title=Shadow People & the "Hat Man" | work=[[Coast to Coast AM]] | date=2008-03-07 | access-date=2013-04-25}}</ref> She believes the figures to be negative aliens that can be repelled by various means, including invoking "the [[Holy Name of Jesus|Name of Jesus]]".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2006/03/27 | title=Shadow Beings | work=[[Coast to Coast AM]] | date=2006-03-27 | access-date=2013-04-25}}</ref> |
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Sightings of shadow people have been reported all over the world. They are a recurring topic of the late-night talk radio show [[Coast-to-Coast AM]], and the host of this show, [[Art Bell]], is probably responsible for coining the term "shadow people." However, reports of beings fitting the description of shadow people have been recorded for centuries in literature all over the world. |
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Although participants in online discussion forums devoted to [[paranormal]] and supernatural topics describe them as menacing, other believers and paranormal authors do not agree whether shadow people are either evil, helpful, or neutral, and some even speculate that shadow people may be the extra-dimensional inhabitants of another universe.<ref name="Kinsella2011">{{cite book|author=Michael Kinsella|title=Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong's Hat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aBK8Nr4edm4C&pg=PA117|access-date=9 February 2013|date=17 May 2011|publisher=Univ. Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-60473-983-1|pages=117–}}</ref><ref name="Jenkins2005">{{cite book|author=Greg Jenkins|title=Florida's Ghostly Legends and Haunted Folklore: South and central Florida|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6icr8PSno5MC&q=shadow+people|access-date=14 November 2011|date=1 February 2005|publisher=Pineapple Press Inc|isbn=978-1-56164-327-1}}</ref> Some [[ghost hunting|paranormal investigators]] and authors such as Chad Stambaugh claim to have recorded images of shadow people on video.<ref>{{cite web|last=Luiz|first=Joseph|title=Paranormal investigator holds book signing|url=http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/paranormal-investigator-holds-book-signing/article_16ce0612-788d-11e2-8b09-0019bb2963f4.html|date=February 18, 2013|publisher=[[Hanford Sentinel]]|access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> |
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==Shadow people versus ghosts== |
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Shadow people feature in two episodes of [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] paranormal documentary series ''[[Extreme Ghost Stories]]'', where the phenomenon is described as a "black mass".<ref>''[[Extreme Ghost Stories]]''. [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]. 2006. Episodes 1 and 2.</ref> |
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Alleged eyewitness accounts of shadow people differ from those of [[ghost]]s in many respects. Ghosts are said to be the disembodied spirits of people and are usually said by alleged eyewitnesses to take on the appearance of people, orbs, or mist when seen. |
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===The "Hat Man"=== |
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While ghosts are often said to resemble actual people, accounts of shadow beings generally do not. Although accounts describe shadow beings as having humanlike form, they are generally not described as resembling actual individuals (living or deceased). The cause of shadow people or shadow beings is also not generally attributed to be haunting by ghosts. |
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One example of a particular shadow person is the "'''Hat Man'''", who shares the characteristics of general shadow people but is named for a [[fedora hat|fedora]] or other brimmed hat on his head. Descriptions of the Hat Man date back to as early as the late 2000s.<ref name="Klee 2022">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hat-man-benadryl-tiktok-monster-1234620397/|title=How the 'Hat Man' Went From Benadryl Joke to TikTok Horror Villain|last=Klee|first=Miles|date=November 2, 2022|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=October 10, 2023}}</ref> The Hat Man is commonly associated with [[sleep paralysis]] and the abuse of the antihistamine medicine [[diphenhydramine]], commonly sold under the brand name [[Benadryl]].<ref name="Klee 2022" /> He is typically described as having very little or no discernible features, although some witnesses have claimed they can "feel him staring" at them. |
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Since accounts ghosts and shadow people are anecdotal and have not been scientifically verified, such differences are not conclusive. |
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==Eyewitness accounts== |
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Several [[physiological]] and [[psychological]] conditions can account for reported experiences of shadowy shapes seeming alive. A sleep paralysis sufferer may perceive a "shadowy or indistinct shape" approaching them when they lie awake paralyzed and become increasingly alarmed.<ref name="Adler2011">{{cite book|author=Shelley Adler|title=Sleep Paralysis: Night-mares, Nocebos, and the Mind-Body Connection|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_t63WJiZb3cC&pg=PA3|access-date=10 February 2013|date=15 January 2011|publisher=[[Rutgers University Press]]|isbn=978-0-8135-5237-8|pages=3–|quote=''In the field of sleep research, this experience is termed sleep paralysis: an individual, in the process of falling asleep or awakening, finds himself or herself completely awake, but unable to move or speak…Frequently, he or she sees a shadowy or indistinct shape approaching and becomes increasingly terrified.''}}</ref> |
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A person experiencing heightened emotion, such as while walking alone on a dark night, may incorrectly perceive a patch of shadow as an attacker.<ref name="OakleyMalik2011">{{cite book|author1=Clare Oakley|author2=Amit Malik|title=Rapid Psychiatry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q50UA-GUbL4C&pg=PA6|access-date=10 February 2013|date=15 November 2011|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-1-118-29418-5|pages=6–}}</ref> |
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Alleged eyewitness reports of these beings are often similar. In these accounts there are almost always the same forms: a blob-like cluster that sometimes has tendrils, a child-sized being, sometimes with a hood, a tall willowy figure with a jack-o'-lantern-sized head, and a tall figure with a hat. In these accounts, the figures typically follow a progression from the ambiguous blob and finally the tall man, meaning that over time they take on more human appearance. |
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Many [[methamphetamine]] addicts report the appearance of "shadow people" after prolonged periods of [[sleep deprivation]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Shadow People: How Meth-driven Crime Is Eating At the Heart of Rural America | publisher=Coalition for Investigative Journalism | author=Anderson, Scott Thomas | year=2012 | isbn=978-0615551913}}</ref><ref name="Covey2007">{{cite book|author=Herbert C. Covey|title=The Methamphetamine Crisis: Strategies to Save Addicts, Families, And Communities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yFGJV5XSNhYC&pg=PA17|access-date=9 February 2013|year=2007|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=978-0-275-99322-1|pages=17–}}</ref> Psychiatrist Jack Potts suggests that methamphetamine usage adds a "conspiratorial component" to the sleep deprivation hallucinations.<ref name="pnt"/> One interviewed subject said that "You don't see shadow dogs or shadow birds or shadow cars. You see shadow people. Standing in doorways, walking behind you, coming at you on the sidewalk."<ref name="pnt">{{cite web | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/methology-part-i-6422539 | title=Methology - Part I | publisher=[[Phoenix New Times]] | date=18 December 1997 | access-date=19 August 2015 | author=Rubin, Paul}}</ref> These hallucinations have been directly compared to the paranormal entities described in folklore.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51568777 | title=Methamphetamine, Perceptual Disturbances, and the Peripheral Drift Illusion | author=Vila-Rodriguez, Fidel | journal=American Journal on Addictions | volume=20 | issue=5 | page=490 |date=September 2011 | doi=10.1111/j.1521-0391.2011.00161.x| pmid=21838855 | doi-access=free }}</ref> |
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The more consistent accounts typically describe a feeling of dread associated with the presence of these phenomena, and animals are said to react to the phenomena with fear and hostility. Shadow Beings are said to move extremely fast and travel through solid matter. They typically are said to have no discernable features such as mouths, noses, or eyes. Their forms are usually described as somewhat skeletal or thin. Direct visual contact is rarely reported by alleged eyewitnesses with shadow people; they are said to usually disappear before they can be seen clearly, and are seen "in the corner of one's eye." These beings are said to often appear in [[mirror]]s. |
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Shadow people are commonly reported by people under the effects of [[deliriant]] substances such as [[datura]], [[diphenhydramine]], and [[benzydamine]]. |
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==Explanations== |
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Finally, visual hallucinations, such as those caused by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may appear to be shadowy figures at the edge of peripheral vision.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screening.mhanational.org/content/i-see-ghosts-or-shadows|title=I see ghosts or shadows | MHA Screening - Mental Health America}}</ref> |
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Several explanations have been proposed for the appearance of shadow people. |
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==In popular culture== |
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*[[The Nightmare (2015 American film)|''The Nightmare'']] is a 2015 documentary that discusses the causes of [[sleep paralysis]] as seen through extensive interviews with participants, and the experiences are re-enacted by professional actors. It proposes that such cultural phenomena as [[alien abduction]], [[Near-death experience|the near death experience]] and shadow people can, in many cases, be attributed to sleep paralysis.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/movies/review-the-nightmare-rodney-aschers-look-at-sleep-paralysis.html|title=Review: 'The Nightmare,' Rodney Ascher's Look at Sleep Paralysis|last=Kenigsberg|first=Ben|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 4, 2015|access-date=October 13, 2020}}</ref> The "real-life" horror film debuted at the [[2015 Sundance Film Festival|Sundance Film Festival]] on January 26 and premiered in theatres on June 5. |
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* Shadow people, described as "Shadow Men", feature prominently in the 2007 novel ''[[John Dies at the End]]''. When they kill a person, that person is retroactively erased from existence, and history is rewritten as though they were never born.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bergin|first=Nicholas|title='John Dies at the End' has limited showing in Omaha|url=http://journalstar.com/entertainment/movies/john-dies-at-the-end-has-limited-showing-in-omaha/article_3110e9ad-f575-5fc7-b561-37597da78fda.html|work=March 07, 2013|date=7 March 2013 |publisher=[[Lincoln Journal Star]]|access-date=13 March 2013}}</ref> |
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* The 2013 horror film ''[[Shadow People (film)|Shadow People]]'' depicts a fictional sleep study conducted during the 1970s in which patients report seeing shadowy intruders before dying in their sleep. The film follows a radio host and [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]] investigator who research the story, and the story is claimed to be based on true events.<ref>{{cite web|last=Liebman|first=Martin|title=Believe in the boogeyman? Prepare to die.|url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Shadow-People-Blu-ray/63247/#Review|work=Shadow People Blu-ray Review|publisher=www.blu-ray.com/|access-date=7 April 2013|date=March 19, 2013}}</ref> |
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* In a 2012 episode of [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]]'s [[Intervention (TV series)|''Intervention'']] series, the subject Skyler is plagued by "shadow people", sometimes called "phase people", and sprays a mist to unveil them in the [[refraction]]s.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/rLHQw34ZYlo Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140216061210/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLHQw34ZYlo Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLHQw34ZYlo| title = 卍BATH SALTS INTERVENTION卍 | website=[[YouTube]]| date = 22 October 2012 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> He also builds weapons to fight them and alleges that they are using stolen technology to telepathically communicate with certain individuals.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Skyler / Jessa|url=https://www.aetv.com/shows/intervention/season-11/episode-8|series=Intervention|series-link=Intervention (TV series)|season=11|number=8|network=[[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]]|date=2012-02-20|access-date=2019-11-22}}</ref> |
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* In the online game ''[[Deep Sleep]]'' and its sequels, shadow people have existed since the dawn of the human race and lurk in lucid dreams. Players who realize that they are asleep can be paralyzed and possessed, and the character's dream self will be turned into a shadow person.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/27007/page2|title=Following Freeware: July 2014 releases|author=<!-- Staff -->|work=[[Adventure Gamers]]|date=29 August 2014|access-date=30 August 2014}}</ref> |
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* An episode of the [[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|1985 ''Twilight Zone'']] series titled "[[The Shadow Man]]" dealt with a teenage boy who had a shadow person living under his bed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/features/389811-interview-joe-dante-reflects-80s-twilight-zone-episode-shadow-man/|title=Interview: Joe Dante Reflects on '80's TWILIGHT ZONE Episode, 'The Shadow Man'|last=Alexander|first=Chris|work=[[Shock Till You Drop]]|date=5 November 2015|access-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> The episode portrayed the shadow man as fitting the "hat man" appearance commonly ascribed to shadow people and added to the mythology that shadow people can kill humans but will not harm those under whose beds they live. |
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* In the 1998 video game [[LSD: Dream Emulator]], a humanoid figure commonly known as the Gray Man may appear in some dreams, who, if touched, undoes all dream progress and erases saved flashback data. The figure, in both appearance and roles in dreams, is similar to that of the "Hat Man" phenomenon.<ref>{{Cite web |last=C |first=Luiz H. |date=2023-03-23 |title='LSD: Dream Emulator' – The Surreal Game and Its Spooky Conspiracy Theories 25 Years Later |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3754866/lsd-dream-emulator-25-years-later/ |access-date=2024-04-22 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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Some explanations for shadow people come from the fields of [[parapsychology]], [[metaphysics]], [[cryptozoology]], and [[demonology]], and are considered by many to be [[pseudoscience]]. Other explanations make no scientific pretense whatever, and lie more within the realm of religion and the [[occult]]. |
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* [[Apparitional experience]] – an anomalous experience in parapsychology |
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* [[Brocken spectre]] – an atmospheric optical phenomenon |
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* [[Domovoy]] – household spirits in Slavic religious tradition |
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* [[Jinn]] – supernatural beings in Arabic culture |
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* [[Men in black]] – government agents associated with UFO conspiracy theories |
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* [[Sleep paralysis]] |
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* [[Pareidolia]] – the perception of meaningful patterns or images in random or vague stimuli |
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==References== |
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:*One of the more creative theories is that shadow beings are '''manifest thought forms''' (known in occult circles as [[egregore]]s or [[tulpa]]s), meaning that they are either collections of negative psychic energy from areas where traumatic events have taken place and evil people frequent, or have been intentionally created for some nefarious purpose. The negative psychic energy begins to manifest and takes on form and motive, thriving on fear and negative emotions for sustenance. |
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{{Reflist}} |
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:*Shadow beings have also been described as forms of [[ghost]]s, [[demon]]s, inter-dimensional beings, and [[space alien]]s. One of the more popular explanations seems to be that they are some sort of other-dimensional beings whose [[dimension]] of origin occasionally overlaps with ours, which is said to explain their ethereal appearance and fleeting nature. |
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[[Category:Ghosts]] |
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[[Category:Jinn]] |
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===Non-paranormal explanations=== |
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[[Category:Spirits]] |
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[[Category:Supernatural]] |
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Eyewitness accounts of shadow people are neither hoaxes nor actual paranormal experiences, but rather [[hallucinations]] or [[delusions]]. |
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[[Category:Supernatural legends]] |
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[[Category:Symptoms and signs of mental disorders]] |
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:*[[Hypnogogia]] (waking sleep) is an accepted state of semiconsciousness in which a person can be thinking clearly and yet perceiving images that are being [[dream]]ed. This state is often used to explain apparently paranormal experiences. |
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[[Category:Urban legends]] |
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[[Category:Apparitions]] |
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:*It has also been proven recently that areas with erratic or powerful electromagnetic fields can interfere with the electrical impulses or firing synapses of the human mind, thus influencing people subjected to such environments over time to believe that they are hearing or seeing ghosts, aliens, or perhaps shadow people. Such environments include old buildings with substandard wiring, power plants, and areas with naturally occurring strong magnetic fields. |
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[[Category:Hallucinations]] |
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[[Category:Shadows]] |
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The similarities between eyewitness accounts of shadow people remains difficult to explain scientifically. In particular, the tall gingerbread-like man with a hat that is reported as often by 4-year-old children as with adults. The similarities may, however, simply reflect common [[archetype]]s. |
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==Related phenomena== |
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*[[Mothman]] |
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==External links== |
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*[http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa022502a.htm About.com article about shadow people] |
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*[http://home.earthlink.net/~ufo2u/id25.html Typical website dedicated to information on shadow beings] |
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*[http://www.ghoststudy.com/new5/shadows.htm Website with supposed eyewitness stories of shadow creatures] |
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*[http://www.coasttocoastam.com/search_results.html?query=shadow+people&x=8&y=9 Coast-to-Coast website search for "Shadow People"] |
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Latest revision as of 19:04, 3 December 2024
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A shadow person (also known as a shadow figure or black mass) is the perception of shadow as a living species, humanoid figure, sometimes interpreted as the presence of a spirit or other entity by believers in the paranormal or supernatural.[1]
History and folklore
[edit]A number of religions, legends, and belief systems describe supernatural entities such as shades of the underworld, and various shadowy creatures have long been a staple of folklore and ghost stories, such as the Islamic Jinn and the Choctaw Nalusa Chito.[2]
The Coast to Coast AM late night radio talk show helped popularize modern beliefs in shadow people.[3] The first time the topic of shadow people was discussed at length on the show was April 12, 2001, when host Art Bell interviewed a man purporting to be a Native American elder, Thunder Strikes, who is also known as Harley "SwiftDeer" Reagan. During the show, listeners were encouraged to submit drawings of shadow people that they had seen and a large number of these drawings were immediately shared publicly on the website.[4]
In October that year, Heidi Hollis published her first book on the topic of shadow people,[5] and later became a regular guest on Coast to Coast.[6] Hollis describes shadow people as dark silhouettes with human shapes and profiles that flicker in and out of peripheral vision, and claims that people have reported the figures attempting to "jump on their chest and choke them".[7] She believes the figures to be negative aliens that can be repelled by various means, including invoking "the Name of Jesus".[8]
Although participants in online discussion forums devoted to paranormal and supernatural topics describe them as menacing, other believers and paranormal authors do not agree whether shadow people are either evil, helpful, or neutral, and some even speculate that shadow people may be the extra-dimensional inhabitants of another universe.[3][9] Some paranormal investigators and authors such as Chad Stambaugh claim to have recorded images of shadow people on video.[10]
Shadow people feature in two episodes of ITV paranormal documentary series Extreme Ghost Stories, where the phenomenon is described as a "black mass".[11]
The "Hat Man"
[edit]One example of a particular shadow person is the "Hat Man", who shares the characteristics of general shadow people but is named for a fedora or other brimmed hat on his head. Descriptions of the Hat Man date back to as early as the late 2000s.[12] The Hat Man is commonly associated with sleep paralysis and the abuse of the antihistamine medicine diphenhydramine, commonly sold under the brand name Benadryl.[12] He is typically described as having very little or no discernible features, although some witnesses have claimed they can "feel him staring" at them.
Scientific explanations
[edit]Several physiological and psychological conditions can account for reported experiences of shadowy shapes seeming alive. A sleep paralysis sufferer may perceive a "shadowy or indistinct shape" approaching them when they lie awake paralyzed and become increasingly alarmed.[13]
A person experiencing heightened emotion, such as while walking alone on a dark night, may incorrectly perceive a patch of shadow as an attacker.[14]
Many methamphetamine addicts report the appearance of "shadow people" after prolonged periods of sleep deprivation.[15][16] Psychiatrist Jack Potts suggests that methamphetamine usage adds a "conspiratorial component" to the sleep deprivation hallucinations.[17] One interviewed subject said that "You don't see shadow dogs or shadow birds or shadow cars. You see shadow people. Standing in doorways, walking behind you, coming at you on the sidewalk."[17] These hallucinations have been directly compared to the paranormal entities described in folklore.[18]
Shadow people are commonly reported by people under the effects of deliriant substances such as datura, diphenhydramine, and benzydamine.
Finally, visual hallucinations, such as those caused by schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may appear to be shadowy figures at the edge of peripheral vision.[19]
In popular culture
[edit]- The Nightmare is a 2015 documentary that discusses the causes of sleep paralysis as seen through extensive interviews with participants, and the experiences are re-enacted by professional actors. It proposes that such cultural phenomena as alien abduction, the near death experience and shadow people can, in many cases, be attributed to sleep paralysis.[20] The "real-life" horror film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26 and premiered in theatres on June 5.
- Shadow people, described as "Shadow Men", feature prominently in the 2007 novel John Dies at the End. When they kill a person, that person is retroactively erased from existence, and history is rewritten as though they were never born.[21]
- The 2013 horror film Shadow People depicts a fictional sleep study conducted during the 1970s in which patients report seeing shadowy intruders before dying in their sleep. The film follows a radio host and CDC investigator who research the story, and the story is claimed to be based on true events.[22]
- In a 2012 episode of A&E's Intervention series, the subject Skyler is plagued by "shadow people", sometimes called "phase people", and sprays a mist to unveil them in the refractions.[23] He also builds weapons to fight them and alleges that they are using stolen technology to telepathically communicate with certain individuals.[24]
- In the online game Deep Sleep and its sequels, shadow people have existed since the dawn of the human race and lurk in lucid dreams. Players who realize that they are asleep can be paralyzed and possessed, and the character's dream self will be turned into a shadow person.[25]
- An episode of the 1985 Twilight Zone series titled "The Shadow Man" dealt with a teenage boy who had a shadow person living under his bed.[26] The episode portrayed the shadow man as fitting the "hat man" appearance commonly ascribed to shadow people and added to the mythology that shadow people can kill humans but will not harm those under whose beds they live.
- In the 1998 video game LSD: Dream Emulator, a humanoid figure commonly known as the Gray Man may appear in some dreams, who, if touched, undoes all dream progress and erases saved flashback data. The figure, in both appearance and roles in dreams, is similar to that of the "Hat Man" phenomenon.[27]
See also
[edit]- Apparitional experience – an anomalous experience in parapsychology
- Brocken spectre – an atmospheric optical phenomenon
- Domovoy – household spirits in Slavic religious tradition
- Jinn – supernatural beings in Arabic culture
- Men in black – government agents associated with UFO conspiracy theories
- Sleep paralysis
- Pareidolia – the perception of meaningful patterns or images in random or vague stimuli
References
[edit]- ^ Ahlquist, Diane (2007). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Life After Death. USA: Penguin Group. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-59257-651-7.
- ^ Jones, Marie D.; Flaxman, Larry (2017-09-01). Demons, the Devil, and Fallen Angels. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-667-6.
- ^ a b Michael Kinsella (17 May 2011). Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong's Hat. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-1-60473-983-1. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
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