Shadow people (also known as shadow men, shadow folk, or shadow beings) are supernatural shadow-like creatures of both modern folklore and traditional native American beliefs. According to folklore, they appear as dark forms in the peripheries of people’s vision and disintegrate, or move between walls, when noticed.

Reports of shadow people occupy a similar position in the popular consciousness to ghost sightings, but differ in that shadow people are not reported as having human features, wearing modern/period clothing, or attempting to communicate. Witnesses also do not report the same feelings of being in the presence of something that ‘was once human’. Some individuals have described being menaced, chased, or in some rare instance, attacked by shadow people. There have also been reports of shadow people appearing in front of witnesses, of which they stay there or lingering for several seconds before disappearing. Witnesses report that encounters are typically accompanied by a feeling of dread.

Artist’s impression of two types of shadow people:

Accounts of shadow people typically describe them as being black humanoid silhouettes with no discernible mouths, noses, or facial expressions, though accounts also exist of them being child-sized humanoids or shapeless masses that sometimes change to a more human like form. The eyes are usually not described as being discernible but in some reports glowing eyes are mentioned. The color of the eyes, if any, is typically given as red. Their specific form is described variously as two-dimensional shadow to a vaporous or distorted three-dimensional body (as though made out of smoke or steam). Movement is often described as being very quick and disjointed. Some witnesses describe this movement as though the shadow entities they have seen “danced” from one wall to the next, or as moving around the room “as if they were on a specific track”. Rarely, they are seen “standing” in the middle of doorways or off the wall. Often they are described as being seen staring at the floor. Some accounts describe what appears to be the outline of a cloak, and in some instances the outline of a 1930s style fedora hat. This last type is referred as the “hat-man”.

Paranormal/Popular culture
A number of paranormal beliefs for shadow people have been drawn from various religions, parapsychology, metaphysics, demonology, and the occult.

Specters
One proposal is that Shadow People represent a Thoughtform (egregore), ghost or demon that was created by events in which extreme physical/emotional stress/trauma has taken place, or which have been purposefully created through black magic or other occult practices. They have also been claimed as being unattended shadow or shades, said in some cultures to be similar to that of a ghost: a flicker of a life unable to end for some reason.

Inter dimensional
A second belief is that they are creatures from another reality whose “dimension” occasionally overlaps with ours, allowing them to be partially visible, or that they represent creatures that exist on a separate plane of existence.

UFO
A third belief is that they are in some way related to Grey aliens, or to the Reptilian humanoids found in conspiracy beliefs such as those promoted by David Icke.

Scientific Explanations
Several scientific hypotheses have been proposed to explain sightings of shadow people, including optical illusions or hallucinations brought on by the physiological/psychological circumstances of the witnesses, drug use, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.

Pareidolia
In most instances, witnesses report seeing shadow people in the peripheral areas of their vision. This area of vision is linked to the areas of the brain that recognizes patterns, however it provides less detail to the brain than macular (center-forward) vision. This can lead to a condition known as pareidolia, in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or texture as being familiar patterns such as faces and human forms.[7] The same condition can also be observed in macular vision in low light conditions, or when viewing a complex but random image. A common example would be perceiving a shadow, thrown by an item of furniture in a darkened room, as being a person.

Hypnogogia
Also known as waking-sleep, hypnogogia is a documented physiological condition in which a person is part-way between sleeping and waking. During hypnogogia, a person can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing waking-sleep commonly report the sensation of lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations. A feeling of dread is also a sensation that occurs when experiencing hypnogogia. Hypnogogia is sometimes known as ‘the faces in the dark phenomenon’ because those who experience this state commonly report seeing faces while experiencing waking-sleep. Similar hypothesis have been put forward linking this condition to a number of other apparent paranormal experiences, including alien abductions and paranormal nocturnal visitations.

Chemical Agents
The use of narcotics and psychotropic agents, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and LSD, can produce shadow human shaped hallucinations. Dopaminergic drugs such as pramipexole can sometimes cause these hallucinations. Common over-the-counter medication can also have a similar effect if taken in sufficient quantity (see diphenhydramine and pseudoephedrine).

Electromagnetic Fields
Under the right conditions, electromagnetic fields can interfere with the functions of the temporal lobe; creating altered states of perception in which auditory and visual hallucinations can occur.
Using electromagnetic fields, researches have been able to recreate many of the experiences reported during paranormal encounters under laboratory conditions, including those of shadow people. Researchers have also documented correlations between variances in naturally-occurring magnetic fields and areas where paranormal events have been reported.

Neurological Conditions
Certain neurological conditions, such as photosensitive complex partial seizures, have also been shown to cause sufferers to see shadow people.

Did you see that dark, fleeting shape out of the corner of your eye? Perhaps you caught a glimpse of a strange entity that is being seen with greater regularity around the world.

“What was that?” You were sitting comfortably on your sofa reading the latest issue of Fortean Times in the dim light when movement across the room caught your attention. It seemed dark and shadowy, but there was nothing there. You returned to your reading – and a moment later there it was again. You looked up quickly this time and saw the fleeting but distinctly human shape of the shadow pass quickly over the far wall… and disappear.

What was that? Some natural shadow? Your heightened imagination? A ghost? Or was it something that seems to be a spreading phenomenon – apparitions that are coming to be known as “shadow people” or “shadow beings.” Perhaps this is an old phenomenon with a new name that is now being discussed more openly, in part thanks to the Internet. Or maybe it’s a phenomenon that, for some reason, is manifesting with greater frequency and intensity now.

Those who are experiencing and studying the shadow people phenomenon say that these entities almost always used to be seen out of the corner of the eye and very briefly. But more and more, people are beginning to see them straight on and for longer periods of time. Some experiencers testify that they have even seen eyes, usually red, on these shadow beings.

The mysterious sightings have become a hot topic of conversion in paranormal chat rooms, message boards and websites, and it was given widespread attention on The Art Bell talk radio show. Art’s listeners even submitted their drawings of how they perceived these beings, and they can be seen in a haunting gallery on Art’s site.

What are shadow people and where do they come from? Several theories have been offered.

The Imagination
The explanation we get from skeptics and mainstream science – and who are usually people who have never experienced the shadow people phenomenon – is that it is nothing more than the active human imagination. It’s our minds playing tricks on us… our eyes seeing things in a fraction of a second that aren’t really there – illusions… real shadows caused by passing auto headlights, or some similar explanation. And without a doubt, these explanations probably can account for some if not many experiences. The human eye and mind are easily fooled. But can they account for all cases?

Ghosts
To call these entities ghosts demands first a definition of what we mean by ghosts. (See the article: “Ghosts: What Are They?”) But by almost any definition, shadow people are somewhat different than ghost phenomena. Whereas ghost apparitions are almost always a misty white, vaporish or have a decidedly human form and appearance (very often with discernable “clothing”), shadow beings are much darker and more shadow-like. In general, although the shadow people often do have a human outline or shape, because they are dark, the details of their appearance is lacking. This is in contrast to many ghost sightings in which the witness can describe the ghost’s facial features, style of clothing and other details. The one detail most often noted in some shadow being sightings are their glowing red eyes.

Demons or Other Spirit Entities
The dark countenance and malevolent feelings that are often reported in association with these creatures has led some researchers to speculate that they may be demonic in nature. If they are demons, we have to wonder what their purpose or intent is in letting themselves be seen in this manner. Is it merely to frighten?

Astral Bodies
One interesting idea suggests that shadow people are the shadows or essences of people who are having out-of-body experiences. According to Jerry Gross, an author, lecturer and teacher about astral travel, we all travel out of the body when we are asleep. Perhaps, this theory says, we are seeing the ephemeral astral bodies of these twilight travelers.

Time Travelers
People from our own future, another idea states, could have found the means to travel to the past – our time. However they are able to accomplish this incredible feat, perhaps in that state they appear to us merely as passing shadows as they observe the events of our timeline.

Interdimensional Beings
Even mainstream science is fairly convinced that there are dimensions other than the three we inhabit. And if these other dimensions exist, who or what (if anything) inhabits them? Some theorists say that these dimensions exist parallel and very close to our own, although invisible to us. And if there are inhabitants in these other dimensions, it is possible that they have found a way to intrude on our dimension and become, at least partially, visible? If so, they could very well appear as shadows. It has long been held by psychics and other sensitives that beings on other planes of existence are of different “vibrations.”

Science is beginning to look at reality, on a quantum level, in the same way – that particles of the smallest size exist as vibrations. Perhaps, some theorize, the vibrations of our existence are beginning to mesh with those of another dimension, which accounts for the increase in such phenomena as ghosts, shadow people and possibly aliens.

Aliens
The alien and abduction phenomena are so bizarre that it’s no surprise that extraterrestrials are suspects as the shadow people. Abductees have reported in many cases that the alien grays seem to be able to pass through walls and closed windows, and to appear and disappear abruptly, among other otherworldly talents. Perhaps, too, they can go about their alien agenda disguised in the shadows.

There’s a good deal of overlapping among the above ideas, of course. Aliens and ghosts could be interdimensional beings, or aliens could be time travelers – and some believe demons are responsible for all of these disturbing phenomena.

There is no way to prove or disprove any theories about a phenomenon that is so mysterious, that happens so quickly and without warning. Science finds it virtually impossible to catalog or study such phenomena in any methodical way. All we can do, at present, is to document personal experiences and try to piece together what the shadow people phenomenon might be. Perhaps it’s an old mystery becoming more recognizable… perhaps it represents a doorway to and from different planes of existence…or perhaps it’s just shadows.

One of the most popular pages on this web site deals with the topic of shadow people. Each week I receive emails from people from every part of the world describing encounters with these strange and sometimes frightening creatures or entities. While it is unknown with any real certainty what the shadow people are, it is interesting to note the variety of shadow people types that witnesses havereported. The six most common types of shadow people are described in this article.

Human Shaped Shadow People
The first and most common type of shadow people are the human figure shadow people. These entities are described as generally humanoid in shape and size. Anatomical details such as ears, eyes, nose, hair and hands are missing from the descriptionvof these experences.When asked, witnesses ususally attribute a male characteristic to these figures. The shadow form is semi-transparent and dark. The duration of the sighting of this type of shadow person varies among reports but is usually stated as between two and five seconds. In many cases witnesses decribe the sense of being watced, looking up to see if someone is in the room and discovering the shadow person observing them. Once noticed, the shadow person seems to flee quite rapidly, sometimes traveling through walls or closed doors.

The Black Smoke or Black Mist Shadow Person
The second most common type of shadow person reported is that of the black smoke-like or black mist experience. At first it may seem odd to label these entities as “people” but in manycases witnessnes that have encountered these beings have described them as having intelligent characteristics and reactions to events. Strangely, many of the encounters with the black smoke shadow beings have been associated with overwhelming feelings of dread and malevelonce, much more so than the expereinces arelated to the human shaped variety.

The Hat Man
The Hat Man shadow person is a variation of the human-like being described earlier. While the experiences and description of this type of entity closely matches that of the plain shadow person there are noticable differences. The most notable and obvious being the inclusion of a wide brimmed hat in witness descriptions. The hat worn by this type of shadow person is described variably as a having a brim the width of the creatures shoulders. In most other instances the description of this creature mimcs that of the human shaped variety. The Hat Man seems to exhibit a certain degree of curiosity towards the witnesses involved in sighting it or him, whichever the case may be.There have been occasional reports of dread and paralysis associated with this creature, but to a much lesser degree than the black smoke shadow being.

The Shadow Animals
This type of shadow creature is much less common than the human shaped or smoke variety. Sightings of these creatures have discribed vaguely animal like creatures of a dark and semi transparent appearnace. Many witnesses have described these beings as being roughly rabbit or guinea pig sized. These creatures have been witnessed indoors and outside equally and exhibit some of the otherwordly qualities of other types of shadow beings.Travel through solid matter and unatural speed are some of the traits ascribed to these beings.

The Peeking Shadow
This phenomena has been described as a vaguely child sized, shadowy, human form which appears to peek arround corners and quickly vanishes when noticed. Many who have witnessed these mysterious shadow forms describe seeing them through peripheral vision, out of the corner of the eye. Like other shadow people, a sense of curiosity has been attached to these creatures.

The Red Eyed Shadow
Perhaps the most frightening of all shadow people experiences is that of the red eyed shadow. This form of shadow person is described as having glowing red eyes which cause the viewer to feel paralysis and extreme terror. They have been described as the embodiment of pure evil.