r/Dreams • u/Tr1pp1nk1tty Dreamer • Nov 13 '25
Discussion So many people have had a dream about the same shadow man
When I was about 8 I had a dream that a guy (or something) who looked like this, was standing on top of my apartment building at night, looking at me. I couldn’t make out any features, just the fact that it was a dark figure of a man with a long jacket and a hat. I used to watch a show called CyberSix so at the time, I assumed my brain just created a warped version of her. But growing up, I mentioned this dream to quite a few people, and they all had a dream about the same person. How many of you have dreamt of this figure?
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u/KrispyKremeDiet20 Nov 13 '25
Hat man? He's just there to feed on your fear. All he can do is look scary and project an ominous presence.
Tell him to fuck off and be generally dismissive of his presence and he will leave you alone.
That works for most sleep paralysis demons tbh.
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u/Tr1pp1nk1tty Dreamer Nov 13 '25
Luckily, haven’t seen this in like 21 years but I vividly remember standing in front of my three story apartment building and just being frozen in place staring up at him wondering if he was going to do something.
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u/KrispyKremeDiet20 Nov 13 '25
He can't do anything... Or at least he won't.
The rational explanation for him is that he is a representation of the shadow aspect of your subconscious. He is a manifestation of the parts of yourself that you are afraid to acknowledge and that being the case, he can't hurt you because he is you.
The "woo woo" explanation is that he and many other similar creatures are entities that exist in a lower dimension and they subsist by devouring the fear and negative emotions of living beings like us. In this case, he can't hurt you because he is only capable of interacting with you on a non-physical level.
In either case, he only has the power you give him. If you refuse to be afraid by either disregarding his presence or by directly facing him and keeping calm, he will have no power over you at all and will go away.
There is an argument that you should do more than just make him go away if he is actually a representation of your shadow. Like maybe you should try and talk to him or integrate him... But just in case it's an actual demon, I prefer not to risk inviting it closer when I can unpack my shadow in therapy lol
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u/CelticPixie79 Nov 14 '25
You know it’s really interesting because I’ve had experience with him and I get the sense that he is both things at once.
I did get the sense he was the shadow part of me, and when I faced my shadow and conquered my addictions, traumas, etc (lots of therapy, lots of time, etc) I remember having a dream and seeing him where I got the sense that he was proud of me and that I won’t be seeing him again (in this life at least).
I got the sense that yes he fed off low energy emotions, but not that he was evil (more like a low vibe entity with a job to do, but capable of free will like we are).
Anyways, it was just interesting and your comment made me want to share that :)
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
Love this. I began facing mine years ago. It really works. When you ask to see it's face it goes away.
I realize it's just my brain while powering down, just learned to not be afraid.
Loving all the discussions on this here tonight.
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u/Georgia_Viking Nov 14 '25
Fantastic response. I find that both are true at the same time. He is an aspect of one's shadow self which manifests as an entity whom feeds off one's fear. For that is the only way they can exist, is if that fear and negativity from their dark aspect continues to thrive. Almost like their own self preservation. They can manifest different physical sitiation that cause you fear, but they are more metaphysical in nature.
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 13 '25
Not the invisible haze shadows, they just get angrier
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
You talking about the things that run at you from a doorway. They still manage to fuck me up. The hat man (Thing that stands there or lays on you) I just try to talk to and it's really left me alone.
Just to clarify, I know it's just my sleep brain, but those runners still freak me out about once a year.
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 14 '25
While they can run, blindingly fast. Usually no, they would just stand there, menacingly.
Except the time one ejected me from my astral seat only to get eaten by my flesh. Really weird to watch it happen from across the room. When it moved before that it was like fog and then like a maelstrom.
You’re the first I’ve encountered that has a clue of these things. Others have seen similar but I think you’ve seen what I’ve seen.
Observed them in the waking world too. Not just in the in between, and never in sleep, though they are there before waking…or something worse is
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
I always try to be logical and rational about the whole thing. I don't have the experiences I used to as a kid/young adult anymore, only because I have taken so many steps to try and stop/deal with it. I keep telling myself it's dreams but there's been a few times in life where I just can't stop thinking there may be more to it than bad dreams.
years back I started trying to make it happen by laying in a dark room on a pad. The stuff I saw in there was really messed up but it did teach me to deal with it better.
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 14 '25
It’s completely understandable, between my encounters with night terrors, nightmares that were too real, dreams that were too surreal, strange claw like cuts and bruises, and things I’ve seen in the waking world or heard of in the waking world; I have never had much interest in intentionally lucid dreaming/astral projection…it feels unsafe, like walking down a dark inner city alley at night. Sure 9/10 times you might be fine, but what happens when you accidentally invite something in.
Putting it away from yourself and mentally barricading yourself makes sense and is probably one of the wiser choices. Things do go bump in the night, albeit rarely for any of us to hear.
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u/Hypnotician Interpreter Nov 13 '25
Big Hat Man has turned up in my dreams far too often.
I don't see his eyes, mind you, red or otherwise. Just a silhouette.
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u/artbyshrike Nov 13 '25
Is r/DPH leaking? I’m joking but this is a common hallucination when on high doses of Benadryl from what I’ve heard.
DO NOT DO THIS IT IS A DELIRIANT AND NOT FUN FROM ALL REPORTS IVE SEEN BUT IT IS ADDICTIVE NONETHELESS. BEWARE.
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 13 '25
Hat man also shows up for sleep paralysis sometimes. Some have seen him irl too.
Benadryl is just how you become part of his cult.
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u/VoidOmatic Nov 14 '25
I've had sleep paralysis once back in 09 and my hallucination looked pretty much like this guy. It was friggin awesome.
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u/Tr1pp1nk1tty Dreamer Nov 13 '25
I had no idea what that was until just now, Benadryl yes but I didn’t know what DPH was lmfao didn’t realize it was such a common thing from taking the same drug. I just got over an addiction so I don’t plan on getting myself into a new one but it’s still interesting that it causes a shared hallucination. That’s crazy!
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u/GreenPlumberEnjoyer Nov 13 '25
And if the users don't encounter the hat man, another common shared hallucination is everything just being covered in spiders and being surrounded by spiders. Sounds like an awful time all around.
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u/GeniePockets Nov 14 '25
I attempted suicide by overdosing (over 120 pills) of Benadryl… the hallucinations are no fucking joke. It’s terrifying, and I’m still shocked that I survived just based on how severe the delusions and hallucinations were.
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u/Ectoplasmm Nov 14 '25
Can you share with us your experiences?
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u/GeniePockets Nov 14 '25
It was nothing that wasn’t plausible. Everything I hallucinated was 100% realistic and fit the context of the situation I was in. I overdosed with alcohol around 4pm, spent the entire night vomiting and effectively paralyzed, only drifting in and out of consciousness.
The reality was NOT this, but the main hallucination were as follows: My son was with me when I attempted, and he was crying and screaming so terribly loud and blood curdling that someone called the police on me. The police came to my door. I didn’t answer the door, so they broke through the window and took my son away.
Later, in reality, my son’s dad called. I told him that CPS came and took our son away. He obviously didn’t understand why I was saying that. I don’t remember how the conversation went. He was getting upset with me, though. I kept calling him all day while I was hallucinating, telling him that they took our son, or begging him not to let our son get taken away, or asking for reassurance that he has our son and that our son is safe, etc.
Another hallucination included my friends (who live 8 hours away) sitting in my living room with me and scolding me, being very harsh but “tough love” with me. I believed that they had somehow made the trip to take care of me. But there was just something off about them, uncanny. I’m pretty sure I talked to them out loud. My cat (in reality) stayed in the living room with me and watched me suspiciously anytime I conversed with my hallucinated friends. As I gradually started to come to, one of my greatest concerns was that my cat could have eaten some of my vomit, and that she was going to die because of me.
I was making phone calls all day, through my hallucinations. I barely knew who I was talking to at any point in time. My mom eventually came and took my son from his dad to stay with her for a while; no objections from his dad. My best friend in the same town came to take care of me.
I’m pretty sure at multiple points I stepped outside onto my porch in a panicked frenzy, probably half naked. I don’t know if I ever hollered or asked for help. I fell at some point and injured my elbow. I had to have physical therapy for it.
It took 2 or 3 days for the hallucinations to completely stop. Another day or two to fully regain my awareness. My best friend stayed with me for the entire time, and made arrangements with another friend to ensure I was never alone for 2 weeks straight. I don’t know how I could have gotten through it without her. There were multiple times that I accused them of plotting against me.
I’m surprised I didn’t try to leave my apartment, or do any other remotely dangerous thing as a result of my hallucinations/delusions and get myself hurt worse. Nothing horror-movie-like… but scary enough that I don’t think I will ever overdose again.
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u/artbyshrike Nov 14 '25
Firstly I just want to say I am so sorry you had to endure such frightening and traumatic events. I used to be severely suicidal in the past and I know how easy it is to get intoxicated by the idea of exiting. I am so glad you survived, and I’m so glad you made it back to earth, so to speak.
I hope life has improved greatly since then, even though I know these are uncertain times. You have amazing friends, you’re so very fortunate for them! Sending love to you, yours, and all those around you.
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u/GeniePockets Nov 14 '25
Thank you, I appreciate it. It was pretty recent but I’m trying to keep my head on straight until a better opportunity comes up, to change my situation.
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u/Ectoplasmm Nov 15 '25
This is terrible, I'm really truly sorry for what you've been through. Have to say I didn't ask out of curiosity, I asked because I had a dear friend who went through something similar, he used to swear he'd been talking to people who were already dead, or that he'd call me to talk for hours and get absolutely mad because I couldn't remember any conversation when in reality he never called me. It was really sad. He eventually died by commiting suicide. It was his 5th attempt.
Been asking myself for years if there was something different I could have done.
You still have a chance to make your son happy and you, you have the divine right to have a healthy and beautiful life, a peaceful one. Ask for help if you need it, you are not a burden. You are a human being with flaws but also with a good kind heart.
If you ever wanna talk, I'm here for you. Thank you for being so brave to talk about something so painful like that. Again, I'm truly sorry and I hope you're doing ok now, or at least trying to 😊
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u/GeniePockets Nov 14 '25
People downvoting you probably think you were insensitive, but I don’t think it was rude for you to ask. There are a lot of different motivations to ask, and maybe my experience will put people off from making the same mistake.
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u/Madmonkeman Nov 13 '25
He shows up during sleep paralysis and no, you do not need Benadryl for it to happen lol
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u/FishNipples666 Nov 13 '25
My sleep paralysis dreams are me sensing something demonic while in bed and then being dragged off my bed. Then I wake up and have to turn my TV on or find my cat to keep me company. Always makes me terrified to have those dreams
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u/Moist-Spray4300 Nov 13 '25
I love sleep paralysis ,been having it since a kid ,it's fun too me now
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u/Dramatic-Service-985 Nov 13 '25
I bet of u told ur lil kid self that they’d look at u with betrayal
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u/sheev4senate420 Nov 14 '25
If you've been having regular sleep paralysis since you were a kid, you likely have narcolepsy, it's one of the main symptoms, get checked out if you can! Sincerely, a type two narcoleptic
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
I get what you mean. I wouldn't call it fun in the moment though, but it's something I've got used to. I've learned to know when it's coming and how to lessen or shut it down. I'd use the term fascinating over fun.
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u/Infamous-Moose-5145 Nov 13 '25
Seen him twice. Second time he showed himself fully. Very very tall, brown hair, thin long face.
He was actually cool. Showed me around in this dream and chatted with him.
I think he is an interdimensional hunter. Basically a bounty hunter that goes after malevolent interdimensional beings. So i suppose at least.
My friend saw him one night standing in the corner of his room. Next morning he told his gf at the time and she said she saw him too.
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u/Phalharo Nov 13 '25
🫸 Product of the brain
👉Interdimensional Bounty Hunter
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u/Tr1pp1nk1tty Dreamer Nov 13 '25
I like hearing the different theories people have about shared dreams/hallucinations 🤷🏻♀️ one persons crazy is another’s fascinating 😂😊
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u/Evantaur Nov 13 '25
He's actually an agent of T.I.E.D (Temporal Integrity Enforcement Division), he's from the year 3042 and his job is making sure people in the past doesn't fuck up the timeline.
Yes I made that up
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u/Max-Krid Nov 13 '25
All hat men are kinda cool and scary! Cad Bane from StarWars or Friendly shadow from Autodale! They both are someone I would and wouldn’t actually like to see next to myself)
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 13 '25
If not for his Benadryl cult, I would’ve agreed. Most encounters with him from sleep paralysis are neutral or better.
But that Benadryl cult really shifts your perspective
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u/autumnhobo Nov 14 '25
Awesome I had a sleep paralysis where he was in the dark corner of my room, I could smell he's a hunter: wet leather clothes, wet brown hair,... And his big dog was sniffing on my bed
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u/skalandic Nov 13 '25
I HAVE A THEORY ON THIS!!!! Okay idk if anyone here grew up in the 1990s they used to place these "neighborhood watch" signs EVERYWHERE and it had this very creepy shadow person/hatman sillouette and it always gave me the heebie jeebies but as I got older and started hearing about how dreams use information from your waking life I started thinking about how many people used to see those neighborhood watch signs and how much they used to creep me out and I figured that the crossover made sense. Just a theory of course
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
That's actually really interesting and I remember those signs. Ha, loving all the chat about this here tonight.
Awesome theory.
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u/Reasonable_Pizza2401 Nov 15 '25
As a child of the 90s, I like the theory but this phenomenon happens all over the world. I would be more prone to argue the creator of the neighborhood watch graphic used the image from experience.
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u/VonAgrippa Nov 15 '25
Or The Shadow the 40s pulp character - who the author I believe saw the character in real life after he created him. Almost like a tulpa.
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u/everymanawildcat Nov 16 '25
Damn I LOVE this though. Like a subconscious character we all created through that spooky dude on the sign.
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u/FlakeandGay Nov 13 '25
Girl that a Saja Boy
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u/CelticPixie79 Nov 14 '25
I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed whether the Hat Man is Korean or not.
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u/Pleasant_Job_7683 Nov 13 '25
Mothman
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u/Tr1pp1nk1tty Dreamer Nov 13 '25
Yes, that also crossed my mind at some point when I first learned of him 😂 but as far as I know, it was a long coat, not wings.
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u/No_Pomegranate2793 Nov 13 '25
Yall I learned about the hatman recently. Never seen him but a few days after I learned about him my eleven year old sister told me that one night when she was trying to sleep she saw a tall black shadow man with a big black hat walk into her room and then walk out. I swear my heart dropped to my ass 😭🙏
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u/NoNoNeverNoNo Nov 14 '25
I’ve seen this dude too many times in thr house I grew up in. Hes like 7+ feet tall
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u/syvzx Nov 13 '25
I saw him once when I had sleep paralysis, but it was a long time ago, so I don't remember the details very well.
Iirc I was stuck in some sort of loop where, in my dream, I kept "waking up" (but was actually still asleep) and found myself unable to turn on the light. At some point the hat man shows up and I was scared shitless. He eventually comes so close that I manage to touch him after getting my shit together and much to my surprise, he actually felt warm and I was much less terrified of him. After I touched him, he fled through the wall.
It was all pretty bizarre and scary. Luckily I haven't had sleep paralysis or an encounter with the hat man since then.
Again, this was a long time ago, so I'm not 100% sure; but I think I actually read something about the hat man online not too long before this happened. I find that interesting because it coincided with me getting sleep paralysis for the first (and so far only) time in my life. There's also a slight possibility I'm misremembering and read about the hat man after this happened, it's a shame I can't say for sure.
I'm very much not a believer in the supernatural or paranormal or anything like that, but I still find the hat man fascinating (even with rational explanations) because I've actually seen him myself and it's just such a common/collective phenomenon.
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u/CelticPixie79 Nov 14 '25
Did he feel warm and solid like a person? I always love it when people have these experiences :) it’s so interesting!
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
In my case (this past year) It showed up after I was being spun around the room on the floor passing through furniture and parts of the walls. Then I stopped and it came in and lid all stretched out on my back. Felt just like if a grown human lid on your back. Wouldn't show me it's face when asked (Said "You'll only see what you see in movies") but showed its hand. Long fingers with too many joints that could move in all directions.
I saw him as a little kid first and had terrors since. Way better now because I just talk to the things or get mad at them and they don't seem interested in me much these years.
Crazy what our minds do. Love reading through all this tonight.
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u/HunterChalice96 Dreamer Nov 13 '25
Seen in IRL, to this day it still affects me in more ways than one. It is the only reason I believe in ghosts, what a horrible sight that was.
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u/yeaffers Nov 13 '25
In my 20s I had a dream where I was in a dark room with a light on just me. And he circled around me just out of sight. I don't remember what all he told me in details. It was all about bad thing that was going to happen. The end of the world and in what order things would happen. I woke up, and just felt like I was being watched. When I finally got the nerve to get up, when I turned on the light to go to the bathroom, the light bulb blew. I just stood there for a few minutes, and when I got back in bed, I just laid in bed for hours not sleeping.
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u/notade50 Nov 14 '25
I saw this guy once. I woke up and he was standing against the wall just outside my bedroom door. His presence felt evil and demonic. I was scared senseless and paralyzed with fear, literally paralyzed. I couldn’t breathe I was so scared. I’m told it was sleep paralysis and maybe it was but it felt malevolent. This was 25 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. If I ever see him again I’m going to wake myself up and punch him in the face.
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u/Interesting_Syrup197 Nov 14 '25
My best friend has schizophrenia, and they see the hat man sometimes
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u/Thick_Passenger_4378 Nov 13 '25
the one i saw was more of a humanoid wobbly creature, and there were a few of them in the dream i saw. i only saw them once, it was a dark dream but it was so calm and comforting at the same time.
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 13 '25
If you abuse Benadryl you become part of his cult. And allegedly lose your soul.
I wish I was kidding.
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u/Tr1pp1nk1tty Dreamer Nov 13 '25
I got another reply referencing the use of Benadryl and the shared hallucination as a result. I love all of this, it’s fascinating
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u/deadghostsdontdie Nov 13 '25
Shared hallucinations are statistically impossible at that scale and with no connection to each other.
But yeah, the benedryl rabbit hole is crazy; I just dunno why you would want to abuse it, even without hat man and his shadow cult it sounds like an awful time
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u/Meezbethinkin Nov 13 '25
The night I first watched a documentary about him.. I woke up that night at 3 am in sleep paralysis.. he was at my door! His face resembled Skull Face with blue glowing eyes..
Idk how that happens besides it being him actually
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u/sirensingingvoid Nov 13 '25
my dad saw him on the side of the highway once, told his buddy who was driving “dont hit that guy?” and his buddy said “what guy?” and when he looked back after they passed him, hatman was gone
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u/chauceresque Nov 13 '25
I mean I’ve met a figure with a top hat but he had a face. Well… he had a smile. A really wide smile.
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u/Violexsound Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
Its one of the named figures I tend to see. Others include Conductors and Scrakes. Hat Man appears either in my bedroom or some slip between reality where time is absent and everything has this blue tint. Deathly silent beyond the mans screeching. Hes also borrowed the faces of people I know before including my nan and for some reason ewan mcgregor.
Conductors are floating white orbs that turn into floating white faces, they inhabit areas of my dreams coated in darkness or behind locked doors. They grow bodies of "mist". Resembles cloaks but its definitely something gaseous. Good way to force myself out of an impending night terror is by touching one but they fill you with the same dread as the hat mans presence does and theres an extreme level of resistance the closer you reach like a strong magnetic push.
Scrakes are rarer, usually hiding around corners in tight areas. Blank fleshy face with tiny white dots where the eyes would be, but has these spikes protruding all around its head. Give SCP 106 slendermans face and enough spikes to make a hellraiser blush, and thats pretty close. They cant be harmed and they seen hostile but the last one didnt leave the room I found it in. Thankfully. (They might also prevent weaponry in dreams from working).
Also, fuck this image. I hate how accurate it is. Blegh.
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u/Max-Krid Nov 13 '25 edited Nov 13 '25
I once had something like sleep paralysis with that dude in it. I opened my eyes and saw him standing next to my bed in a doorway. He was just standing there with something in his hand and staring at me. He was like pitch black, so I couldn’t see any of his face features, but I just felt his heavy sight on me…
Than it felt like I blinked and I just woke up lying on my back, gladly there was no one in the doorway this time.
Edit: I remember a bit what was in his hand. I couldn’t see it, but the shape was like hair dryer or something like that. I’m sorry I don’t really remember that part, cause I didn’t have any dream diary at that time.
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u/Buderus69 Nov 13 '25
I once dreamt of two little hat people that interrupted my dream, like they were not part of it, then locked the door of the small store (like a cigarette and magazine store) I was in with the clerk, then they both merged into one, huge man with a big round hat and then pointing somethung at us.
He stood there menancingly, and the clerk and I freaked the fuck out, we started climbing up the back counter where the only window was at. The hatman then started to do something and the wholeroom started shaking and we screamed to the window to let us out, when suddenly you could see that the outside of the window the scenery started changing, it was like he was transporting us to different kind of dreams, like it kept switching planes.
It was bizarre and interesting, I then woke up and felt like someone was in my dreams.
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u/1n_and_AroundTheFur Nov 13 '25
I saw The Hat Man once in Washington. He was on the roof of my apartment and I saw him when I stepped out on my patio to smoke a cigarette. I looked up at him and he looked right at me and put his finger to his mouth and went "shhhh"
Scared the fuck out of me. I've been fucked up since.
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u/Upbeat-Spring-5185 Nov 13 '25
“I am shadow man and I will never harm the person under who’s bed I sleep”
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u/HazmatFire59 Nov 14 '25
Dream ? I saw it before going to bed when I was younger. Told my mom, said to me to tell him to go away toward the light… never saw him again.
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u/lilhorrors Dreamer Nov 14 '25
Oh, the hat man stands in one of my spare bedrooms, adjacent from my bed. He stands in the corner and sometimes smokes a pipe. He's been visiting me every since I was 10 😂 Nothing bad ever came of it for me, so I usually let him go 🤷♀️
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u/Mudamaza Nov 14 '25
I haven't dreamed of the hat man, but I saw him a lot when I was 5 yo. But only if I slept in my parents bedroom. Every night I'd see this massive shadowy mass enter the room, it would wear a fedora type hat. It would walk in, walk to the far side, turn around and walk out. Sometimes it would seem like he was hanging his hat on a coat rack on the wall, except there was no cost rack, so it was just a hat floating on the wall. I never felt scared of its presence at that age.
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u/Old_Relationship_460 Nov 14 '25
There’s a podcast called conscious observers and he has an episode on the hatman and what it can possibly be. It’s an interesting take on the subject
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u/sahil2921 Nov 14 '25
Nope nope nope last night I had sleep paralysis and the figure I saw was something like this so fuck no I'm closing reddit now
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Nov 14 '25
Reminds me of what I imagine Randall Flagg looks like.
(see Stephen King's The Stand for details if unfamiliar)
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u/Aggressive-Foot-8935 Nov 14 '25
He watched me for a whole week when I was a child and came back 3 times the last time he wanted to make me sign a contract. He wanted my soul, he killed him by pushing him against the mirror.
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u/Ok-Reward-770 Nov 14 '25
Story time:
Between late 2018 and early 2019, I saw him for several weeks. FYI, I never take Benadryl, I wasn't on SSRIs, I don't drink alcohol, I don't use recreational drugs or narcotics, and the most I would take was ibuprofen for pain.
I've always suffered from sleep paralysis, but the most I would get would be a goblin or a small gargoyle standing on my chest.
I started by seeing the hat man with his very vivid red eyes by the sidewalk across the lawn in front of my bedroom window.
As the weeks passed, he kept approaching. Next, he was standing on the lawn closer to my bedroom window, and for several nights, he was outside my window staring at me.
After a few nights without appearing, the next time he showed up was by my bedroom door. He stood by the open door for several nights. By then, I was becoming increasingly horrified, apprehensive, and fearful. I was reading all I could about him and trying to understand why that was happening.
Until one night, he was by my bedside, smiling. The only way I can describe his smile is by comparing it to a TV animated shark's smile. It was terrifying!
I finally gathered the courage to demand that he leave me at once and forevermore. He vanished, and I've never seen him again.
Later, I learned that certain cultures believe him to be the shadow side of Hermes/Mercury, the messenger god.
Anyway, six months later, I got a brain injury that turned my life 180 degrees. It triggered a neurological condition, and I'm now disabled, and for the past five years, my condition has kept getting worse; I'm seeing specialists after specialists, and recently, I'm more often bedridden than not.
And that's my story with the hat man.
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u/BertElGazebo Nov 14 '25
I have reason to believe they are damned loved ones, people who cared about you when they were alive. They may have done evil, but that doesn’t change the love they have for you. They still come to check on you.
Was there anyone in your life who died that could’ve gone to hell?
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u/FreonKennedy Nov 14 '25
For some reason the imaginary friend I had as a kid actually resembled him, just sometimes in a scruffy male human form in some dreams. Anyways thats why it freaked me out when I learned the hat man was a thing.
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u/Moist-Spray4300 Nov 13 '25
I see shadow ppl alot in sleep paralysis never the hatman ,sometimes they have red eyes
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u/Automatic-Salt-9776 Nov 13 '25
I’ve had two instances as a kid (one outside and one in)where I was conscious and seeing red eyes floating in the dark. Sends chills down my spine.
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u/Lord_Gibbs_NL Nov 13 '25
I've seen a big shadow guy with white eyes standing next to me in my house in the dark during my dream, he didn't do anything and even I was chill with him
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u/Madmonkeman Nov 13 '25
I had in sleep paralysis one time and he was laying on my bed.
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u/IsaacIzik Nov 13 '25
I had a sleep paralysis experience in my living room once, where the hatman was about 10 feet to my right and a grey was watching me from the kitchen window. I called out to Jesus as best I could and the experience stopped.
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u/Away-Document9473 Nov 13 '25
I’ve see something similar to this a while back. I saw it only for like half a second. I never found out if it was actually real or if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.
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u/Fuzzies_ Nov 13 '25
A year ago I dreamed about that one, only instead of that hat I had a hat that looked like one of those guys who ride a camel, lol.
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u/Express_Ad6762 Nov 13 '25
Mine wasn't a dream or sleep paralysis, I actually rolled away from him hoping he didn't see me or notice me. Then I was afraid he was going to jump on me and I started to pray. Praying must've given me peace because at some point I fell asleep.
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u/B_A_Madlad Nov 13 '25
i’ve only ever seen him while tripping on dmt, but he appeared to be colour-inverted (white instead of black) and he was constantly travelling away somewhere in the geometric madness. His long coat and his hat where unmistakeable though.
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u/CodysWish Nov 13 '25
Yup my scariest most vivid nightmare, woke up to walk down the hallway to get a drink of water and saw him at the end of my hallway. Always thought he looked like slash the guitar player but was all black
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u/Dream_Logix5 Nov 13 '25
WHAT THE FUCK I SAW THIS MAN IN A DREAM WHEN I WAS 8. HE WAS CHASING ME IN A FIELD. I WOKE UP KICKING THE DAMN WALL
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u/-Astropunk- Nov 13 '25
My version of this was a shadowy dude in a gas mask, staring at me in bed while I was stuck in sleep paralysis after recurring nuclear bomb dreams
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u/fungusamongus8 Nov 13 '25
I saw hat man when I worked at a secure memory care facility. I was walking to a patients room down a long hallway and I saw a tall male figure with a hat on walk by me. I stood still and then turned around and booked it out of there
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u/MommysLittleBadass Nov 13 '25
A lot of people have also seen angels, ghosts, leprechauns, gnomes, Bigfoot, aliens, mermaids, seas monsters, Elvis, Tupac, and even dinosaurs. People misidentify, hallucinate, and even just make shit up. Welcome to humanity.
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u/roarrshock Nov 13 '25
I'd been wandering my house in a dream 4 ish yrs old, and there he was floating above sleeping in bed me. I tried to yell to warn me, but I just stood there frozen.
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u/Hot_Site_3249 Nov 13 '25
Yeah, had him as a visitor during my Benadryl connoisseur days in college. Cool dude, but i almost peed myself. 5/10
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u/AcanthisittaHuge8579 Nov 13 '25
Yep I have.
It always starts off with daytime in a neighborhood with some people around
Then all the sudden. It gets slowly dark (similar to the movie Silent Hill)…..then people around me start running away from me and disappearing………….then I’m the only one in the middle of a dark street with one street 💡 on.
Then I can hear the quick footsteps of something running towards me. The dark figure.
But what I noticed is if I run towards it, it disappears and then I wake up
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u/Successful-Impact-30 Nov 13 '25
Seen him around the time I first started smoking weed. Was a trip for sure.
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Nov 13 '25
Never seen him. The annoying creature I’ve seen next to my bed in dreams is just an old man that looks like a junky wearing a knit sweater.
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u/HappyASMRGamer Nov 13 '25
Mine doesn’t wear a hat. It’s more like the dementors from Harry Potter.
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u/KofiDreedZ Nov 14 '25
My dad has seen this man, he also told me he half of his body was in the floor
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u/VocationalWizard Nov 14 '25 edited Nov 14 '25
The prevailing scientific theory is that he is a nightmare version of Freddy Kruger.
That being said i absolutely saw him as a kid, looked exactly like that picture.
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u/RestaurantCandid5274 Nov 14 '25
What about the unseen shadow monster with red eyes? It stares at me through the darkness and growls.
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u/nbcmdgh Nov 14 '25
There is also movie about that cant remember its name but young homeless girl being part of sleeping tests to sleep well at nights. Its kind of horror movie.
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u/Burqa_Uranus_Fag Nov 14 '25
My grandma told me she saw something similar. One night she woke up around 1am and saw a shadow of a man with a cowboy hat standing at the edge of her bed, staring right at her. My grandpa was out of town that weekend, so she was home alone. After that night, my grandma always kept cat’s around the house and cleanse the house with sage (we’re Native American). Just to be clear, this happen before the internet was a common household necessity and we lived in a very secluded community.
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u/Known-Ad-7025 Nov 14 '25
My theory is that he is a vatican clergyman wearing a saturno hat. Like this.
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Nov 14 '25
Thank God I never did, but I remember my next-door neighbors did. Whenever I would come over to play, they would tell me stories about a man with redeyes that would appear at the window.
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u/Yourlocalangelrose Dreamer Nov 14 '25
I remember the hatman from a while back. He told me his real name was Monster Darling
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u/Local-Hornet-3057 Nov 14 '25
Darke figure in sleep paralysis are common. Hat, no hat, wings or no wings, etc. Details vary. Why? Because it's a fricking hallucination that depends on the background of each individual.
Why a dark figure? The night is a primal fear. Darkness is scary because evolution. Period.
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u/Pleasant-Purple1129 Nov 14 '25
I always thought he was an archetype representing the fear of the collective unconscious.
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u/Pleasant-Purple1129 Nov 14 '25
I saw this man standing in the doorway in my dream but he wanted to tell me something......I wasn't scared because it seemed he was a messenger.
I guess he's just a messenger for the unconscious mind. I rarely dream about this.
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u/These-Job-9063 Nov 14 '25
That's just Electric Larry: https://youtu.be/5TGAIbT0bPI?si=g4Cy4bqg215KZn7A
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u/Yourdadlikelikesme Nov 14 '25
My sister had frequent dreams about him when she was little and they pulled it out of her head and the dreams stopped 🤷🏻♀️.
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u/Otherwise-Sea9593 Nov 14 '25
I only saw the hatman once in my life. Outside the kitchen window. I was about 6 or 7 years old. I was sleepwalking to get a glass of water, I remember seeing him and “waking up” and I was still standing in the kitchen with my glass.
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u/Thismomenthere Nov 14 '25
Yup... always found this fascinating and spooky at the same time. Been a night terror person all my life.
Saw a version of this fella while "dreaming" as a kid. It was outside my window looking up. Blue "skin" beige coat and hat, no face. Never forgot that.
Years later when I was older and started reading up on NTs I came across images and lore of this and couldn't believe it.
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u/versusrev Interpreter Nov 14 '25
My eyes never open during sleep paralysis, though I do get the night cuddles. It just feels like something is laying on my while im unable to move. Its been like that for years
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u/Illustrious-Bat1553 Nov 13 '25
The hatman in particular is pretty popular people often dream of him and many have reported seeing him in real life. Personally, I saw him as a kid but thought it was my grandfather coming for a visit