Buckle up, this is a long one.
I was 19 the first time I encountered what is being called the Hat Man. I have called him “the tall man” since. I am 26 years old now.
To set the scene, I was in an extremely abusive relationship in all forms. I was going through a really tough time. I felt like I was nothing and worthless. I let my depression get the best of me which is why I think the tall man came to me. I was an “easy target.”
My mom, her boyfriend, my older brother, my boyfriend at the time, and myself lived in an old trailer my aunt gave my mom. My aunt lived it in when she was younger with my uncle. They eventually passed it down to my cousin after they divorced and my uncle died YEARS down the road. My cousin lived in it for 5 years a few years after this happened before moving and the house was empty for probably 10 years in between us moving in. My boyfriend and I slept in the den that had a built in bookshelf on each side of the fire place. I was putting stuff on the shelf one day, standing on a chair so I could reach the top (I’m 5’4) and noticed an old cigar box like thing pushed way back on the top shelf covered in dust. I opened it up and found an old Sams Club card with a picture of my uncle, some rolling papers, and another random small object I can’t remember. I thought oh this is neat, showed it to my mom, then put it back. I can’t remember exactly when but I know it was a couple days after that I went to bed for the night with my boyfriend. I woke up feeling like something was watching me. The house was pitch dark but I could see a tall, black figure standing in the corner of the room. I rubbed my eyes a couple times thinking I was just seeing things but no, I could clearly make out a figure in the dark. I don’t remember him having a hat, but what stood out the most was that he was probably about 7ft tall and wearing an older suit like style if that makes sense. He was completely void of any distinguishing features but I can just remember knowing he wore a suit that was not from this time. He was literally nothing but black. I woke up my boyfriend and then the tall man was gone.
A couple more nights later I woke up feeling like something was sitting on my chest. I could not breathe, move, or make a sound. This went on for probably about 3 minutes. I was gasping for air and panicked thinking I was going to die. Finally it stopped. I eventually got back to sleep but the entire time I felt uneasy in the room and couldn’t figure out why.
The next day I went into the den to grab something and suddenly there was a bright flash of light. Instantly, I see a man standing in front of me. Then someone grab the candle stick that was sitting on the fireplace (in this vision and real life.) They then go to hit this man with it. He turns around and screams. It was my Uncle. My view point of this vision was as if I was the one striking my uncle but I was looking down on him so I knew I or whoever’s view point I was looking from was really tall. I told my mother and was really scared and embarrassed. It sounded like something from the board game Clue. Luckily, she believes heavily in spirits so she believed me. Everyone else in the house didn’t believe in ghosts or anything like that.
After this happened I was constantly filled with the feeling of dread. I could not leave my house without getting sick to my stomach and feeling like I have to get back home shortly after leaving. At the same time I could not stand to be in the house. I literally hated to sleep in that house in fear of the tall man who I continued to see standing in the corner at night just watching me. This went on for about a week before the next event happened.
I had a “dream” where I went through the entire house trying to wake everyone up begging them to help me. I started with my boyfriend who was beside me. It felt like something was holding my mouth as I tried to talk so he couldn’t understand me. Then bam I’m snapped back into my body, only to head towards the living room where my brother was sleeping in the recliner. Every step there felt like someone was pulling me back and it literally took all I had in me to take a step, move my arms, or even speak. When I tried to wake him up, something was holding my mouth once more, continuing to pull me back to the den. I remember him looking at me funny then suddenly I was back in bed. I then proceeded to go further through the house to my moms boyfriend doing the same thing. When I made the trip the final time to my mothers room to try to wake her up and was snapped back, I finally woke up. In this “dream” my brother was the only one who woke up halfway and tried to respond to me. I asked everyone that morning if I had tried to wake them up begging them for help. My brother was the only one who thought he recalled something like that but couldn’t really remember. I felt like I was going crazy because this felt so real to me. I can’t say I didn’t try to wake everyone up, but at the same time I can’t confirm I did.
Within days I had finally gave up on trying to leave the house. I was tired of feeling sick when I left but I was also tired of being there. I felt stuck. I didn’t feel like myself anymore, I don’t know how else to explain it. The tall man didn’t stop either. I could feel his presence every night only stronger and stronger. I tried to ignore it by keeping the covers over my face, or sleeping on the couch. I could just feel him staring at me from that corner of the den through the little slender window type thing in the wall over the stove in the kitchen when I did sleep on the couch.
The next incident occurred the first time I was left home alone. For some reason the power was out. I remember sitting in the recliner in the living room with my back to the den facing the hallway. I had some small source of light and the rest of the house was pitch black. This horrible feeling came over me like something bad was about to happen. I could just sense it. My light went out. I started to really panic as the feeling was just getting stronger and stronger. I’m sitting up with my knees pulled close to me, rocking, trying to tell myself it’s just my imagination. I looked up at the hallway and there was this small black figure at the very top of the hallway entrance along the wall pulling itself into the room slowly. I could only see what would be a head and the black void of where its fingers would be on the wall. My view of this thing was diagonal from the chair if that helps. Next I felt the presence of the tall man coming up behind me from the den. I began screaming, crying, begging for them to leave me alone, asking what they wanted, telling them to leave, and saying “in the name of the Holy Spirit” mantra like my mother told me to do. It was literally the scariest feeling of my life. The hallway figure stayed creeped around the top of the hallway the entire time and when I felt like the tall man was right behind me, my mother’s boyfriend and mine had came home, and I could just feel their presence disappear. I told my mom what happened when she got back. I didn’t let myself get in those situations anymore. I decided I was going to stand up to the tall man and whatever that thing was in the hallway. Not long after deciding that I broke up with my abusive boyfriend which helped me feel a lot better once he got out. My mom and my brother made sure I was never home alone which also helped out a lot. My mom went and smudged the house not long after. She says she chased its energy from the den into her bedroom in the back and trapped it in an old pendant that none of us knew where it came from and put it in the cigar box next to my uncles sams club card. I could just feel the whole house felt less doom and gloom. I didn’t feel like something was after me anymore. I could leave my home without getting sick. I finally felt SAFE in my home.
The tall man hasn’t bothered me since thankfully. This was the most terrifying thing of my life. I can not watch the conjuring movies since this happened because it all feels way to real. It truly felt like something evil was messing with me. I only seen him accompanied with the hallway figure that one time, and the tall man never left the den except that one time when I was alone. He always stood in the corner next to the bookshelf where I found that cigar box. I don’t know if there was some connection between the two but I remember within days of finding that box, the tall man started to appear. It’s been years since this has happened and I can still remember vividly all the encounters and the sheer terror I felt for the 2-3 months I shared with the tall man.
My mother did tell me she had an experience with the tall man when she was really young but he was friendly. They would go to the beach and other various dream like places and just hold hands while they walked together. I don’t hardly ever talk about this because I’m sure it sounds crazy. I’m glad this site was created as a safe place to tell our experiences.