The first time I saw the Hat Man I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was experiencing trouble with sleeping at the time and would have sleep paralysis and night terrors regularly. Hat Man would usually be watching me from the corner of the room while another monster would be closer and be the forefocus, but he was always there in the background. My sleep paralysis wa triggered by my fear of going to school the next day as I was getting horrendously bullied, so I associated him with fear.
Years later, I hadn’t seen him in a while except for a few nights in my teens. He would occasionally appear as a paranoia-induced vision while I was groggy or sleepy, swapping between the darkest corner of my room and the end of my bed.
The scariest experience I had with him was when I “woke up” one night, looked up to the side of my bed and he was right there standing above me. I was about 16 and knew he wasn’t a real threat but it still felt terrifying.
I grabbed my phone and hid myself under the covers to try and distract myself.
I don’t remember falling asleep and I woke up with my phone still sitting on my bedside table, so I guessed hadn’t actually woken up and I had dreamt it.
Years later whenever I get up to go to the bathroom I always have to check in the corner of my room to ensure he isn’t there.
It’s fascinating that so many people globally have seen him without prior knowledge of the phenomenon.