Who is the Hat Man? A guardian angel or the devil in disguise?
According to numerous reports, he’s a mysterious spirit entity who often visits people in their bedrooms at night while they’re sleeping. Sometimes he terrifies them. Other times he leaves them with a sense of peace and calm.
What does he look like? He’s a black, shadowy apparition, darkly cloaked, wearing a wide-rimmed black hat resembling a fedora.
What does the Hat Man want? To some he’s the devil in disguise, a grim reaper of sorts, and a harvester of souls.
Some believe he preys on fear, striking you when your defenses are low and you’re down and out.
Many people report seeing him in their waking lives. Some even claim he’s trashed their houses and tried to strangle them to death in the middle of the night.
According to Heidi Hollis, author of The Hat Man, The True Story of Evil Encounters, he’s not only real, but he is the devil. She writes, “Victims worldwide have reported seeing this man peering into their homes, their bedrooms, their baby cribs, their cars and even—their souls.”
Some have been able to defeat him by calling out the name of Jesus, or having their homes blessed, while others, according to reports, just beat the crap out of him. Some simply order him out of their homes.
But others claim the Hat Man is a guardian angel, whose purpose is to protect them from harm.
The Hat Man is often seen with his band of followers, the Shadow People.
Where did the Hat Man come from? Where did the Shadow People come from?
According to Wikipedia, shadowy entities are “the perception of a patch of shadow as a living, humanoid figure, particularly as interpreted by believers in the paranormal or supernatural as the presence of a spirit of other entity.”
Researchers say shadowy entities date as far back as 300 AD. Wikipedia says, “A number of religions, legends, and belief systems describe shadowy spiritual beings or supernatural entities such as shades of the underworld, and various shadowy creatures have long been a staple of folklore and ghost stories.”
There are other theories about the origins of the Hat Man and the Shadow People.
A neurological theory: Shadow People and Hat Man images occur during sleep paralysis, a mysterious sleeping disorder occurring in that transitional stage between waking and falling asleep during which a person becomes completely immobilized and often sees frightening images. According to the neurological theory, these shadowy entities are merely the manifestation of a sleeping disorder and by extension nothing more than a product of the subconscious mind.
A religious theory: Shadow People and the Hat Man are the evil minions of the devil, sent to snatch our souls and drag us down into the bowels of hell.
Another religious theory: Shadow People are guardian angels, sent from heaven to protect our souls and shield us from evil.
The scientific theory: Some physicists believe that unexplained forces are causing other dimensions to merge with ours. This merging of different dimensions would explain why we can only see the Shadow People and the Hat Man as shadowy figures who have the ability to transcend our laws of gravity, float through walls, fly, and change shapes at random.
According to this theory, the Hat Man and the Shadow People are the extra-dimensional inhabitants of another universe or another dimension. That’s why they can disappear and reappear in the drop of a hat. Or maybe in the drop of the Hat Man.
Regardless of what theory you subscribe to, one thing is certain. The Hat Man and the Shadow people drive terror and fear into the hearts of some, and peace and calm into the hearts of others.
Doing research recently on my upcoming supernatural thriller, The Dark Menace, I posted a blog asking people to tell me their experiences with the Hat Man and the Shadow People.
Needless to say, I received a lot of responses—some terrifying, others heartwarming. Here are some excerpts:
- Rather frightening:
When I was around four, I think at the time my parents were going through a divorce. I was sleeping on my mom’s bed one night and had to go to the bathroom, so I got up and went to use the bathroom and she was still sleeping. I came back and fell back to sleep. I woke up to a pitch black shadow of a man staring at me at the edge of the bed. It felt like an eternity, he was staring. My whole body was frozen with fear. He started growing in height, almost reaching the ceiling. At this point I turned my body and fell back to sleep. The next night I woke up and felt the urge to walk to the living room. I walked to the living room to see a shadow man at my front door. My dad was sleeping on the couch. I tried waking him up. I tried pushing at him, and to no avail. He wasn’t waking up. I walked back to my mom’s room to sleep, hoping it would go away. I looked back to see the shadow person staring at my dad.
- On a more positive note:
The Hat Man visits me nearly every week in lucid dreaming. And I have only good experiences with him. We just talk normally and I often ask him questions. For example, I ask how he comes to my dreams, who he is, and so on. Once he showed me his tarot cards. That was funny. I always try to look in his face, and he looks like an Arabian type of man. But I want to mention, that he’s not the only Hat Man. He has a brother, too. They are very different.
- Somewhere in that mysterious twilight zone between black and white:
Hey, I have seen the Hat Man. He was on the left side of my bed but when I awoke and saw him. I did feel an intense sense of fear. I began to think that fear was created by myself over time. I was sleeping next to my partner and we were going through a troubling time, when I saw the Hat Man I saw it wasn’t me he had interest in but my partner. It’s very strange because I couldn’t see his eyes but I knew he was looking at him. He was there until I managed to panic and turned on the light. I have never seen him again but on occasion I think about him and wonder if he will reappear and why he did. I was scared at first but now I feel he is of some good. I am unsure. This was in maybe 2011. I was sexually attacked by a man that year. I put him behind bars for seven years but I felt strong, like I knew I could do it, but then suffered a year with anxiety and depression. Did he cause this? Or was it a warning? I am unsure. I am mentioning this due to other related aftermaths.
- Now that’s downright chilling:
He’s from the Void/VALE of DARKNESS. I saw the hooded man/grim reaper. I saw two of them when I was 6 years old and I was shaking and heard whispers and voices and I had a severe high fever. I was hallucinating with nightmares and night terrors. This happened back in 2004 and after that the next day I was blacking out in the morning. I had to go to the doctor. I almost died in that experience.
- And on the flip side:
I’ve seen the Hat Man four times in my life. The first time I was about 6 years old, and the sighting snapped me awake from a dead sleep. The next two visits followed that night closely (maybe within 4-7 days apart from the first visit). Seeing him the first time, the tall, dark shadow figure, wearing a fancy top hat, absolutely petrified me. The next two times he woke me from a dead sleep, dressed the same (trench coat, top hat, beard, kind features) and wasn’t in shadow form. I wasn’t afraid of him at all, and actually rather drawn to him. I felt like he was an old friend in this form. I won’t go into much detail but these two accounts are drilled into my memory as something spiritual and friendly. Now, the fourth time I saw him was a few days ago (some 30 years later), back in shadow form, just watching me sleep. I wasn’t afraid and felt oddly comforted. My research the past few days has been really surprising because I’m not finding any other stories of people with good experiences with the Hat Man. Surely, I can’t be the only one?
No, you’re not. Researching the strange Hat Man phenomenon for The Dark Menace, two things became abundantly clear. Some view him as evil, others as good.
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but have you ever thought about this: Maybe it depends on your perspective. Are you glass half full? Or glass half empty?
In The Dark Menace, I take a deep dive into these questions and many more. The culmination of over six months of research, this supernatural thriller endeavors to find answers to a strange and mysterious real-life phenomenon that has haunted and terrorized thousands of people around the world for centuries.
The Dark Menace short synopsis:
Mysterious and terrifying attacks by the Shadow People and the Hat Man lead a nightmare-plagued man to suspect an enigmatic doctor has accidentally opened a portal to Hell.
Gabriel
I never knew this was a thing because it happened years and years ago and I finally told the story at a campfire and my brother had seen it on YouTube and told me about it leading to me to find this page. Anyway, I woke up and saw him at the edge of my bed a state of bliss and peacefulness filled me up like he was there watching over me. I laid my head right back down and fell asleep. He didn’t communicate with me and I never saw him again.
william
Interesting story. Thanks.
Janie
I had to look up this tall figure in a long black coat as the landlady of the pub opposite me, saw it last night as I was sat next to her. And she saw it twice.
It was near closing time and all the lights were on. The landlady is gay. A couple of times her other half came down to the bar, clearly unhappy that she’d not yet joined her upstairs to bed. Her other half went back upstairs. The landlady is a very calm soul but her partner is a little feisty. Landlady said they’re not getting on that well.
I am not gay. I am still hurting from my husband divorcing me and going back to his affair partner. I am Christian and although I believe as Scripture says, ‘a man should not lay with a man, and a woman should not lay with a woman’, I know a few gay people and am friendly with them.
She told me she found me attractive. For a moment I felt myself drawn to her as she is attractive herself both physically and as a personality – very calm and gentle. I knew it was wrong to feel this way. I pushed away the feeling. She told me I should go with what I feel and not with religion.
She asked me if it says in the Bible about same-sex relationships being wrong. I mentioned Leviticus but in a kind way and explained that we are all sinners and that I’d sworn like a bad’un that day when I’d bent down then, on standing, banged my head on top half of the stable door which had opened in a breeze.
As we were talking about this, she stopped and stared at the entrance to the pub and said “What the hell is that?” I looked across and could see nothing. I looked back at her, and she was still staring and said “That. Can’t you see it?” I couldn’t. She was very still. She said, it had gone behind the pillar. She said it was a tall figure in a long, black coat. Although calm as she always is, I could see she was shaken by it.
Then said, “It’s behind the bar!” and sat looking at it for quite a few moments. Then it was gone, she said.
It is extremely odd that it appeared when we were talking about Scripture and that I was pushing away that feeling – a feeling that I knew was wrong. She was on her second drink but hadn’t had her first one until 11pm so she wasn’t affected by alcohol or anything.
Back briefly, to me banging my head earlier that day. I walked into the kitchen.
Hanging on the curtain pole over the back door are two peg bags. One pegged to the other as the hook is broken. It had been hung there for 5-7 days since last touched. The top half of the stable door was slightly open as it has been most of the week while I’ve been there.
The peg bag dropped very suddenly, and I thought how it was like something had pulled it. I bent to pick it up, and in that second it took me to do it, the top half of the stable door must’ve blown open more so when I stood, I really banged my head on it. I lost my c&ap and swore and swore and slammed the door so hard I broke the bolt that holds the two parts together when you want the whole door open.
It bothered me the rest of the day – both how the peg bag dropped and how I got so angry about it.
I later went to go to Evensong which I’ve attended since 2003 but arrived at the Church to find nobody there. Now, the new Vicar doesn’t have an Evensong service the first Sunday of the month or when there’s a fifth one (don’t agree with that but who am I), but yesterday was only a fourth Sunday.
That morning, I’d walked to the nearby Baptist Church which I often attend. I only looked through the door as I wanted to see what songs were being sung that morning and, sounds daft, I didn’t like the modern songs which were being sung so left thinking I’d still get my Church ‘fix’ at Evensong – but then as I’ve said, it wasn’t on for some reason.
I visited an elderly friend and took her a grocery item she wanted. Then I went to another friend and took her some food from our Community Larder as she’s on long-term sick at the moment and struggling quite a bit.
Then I dropped in on my cousin, who’s 74 and she was really pleased – even though we see each other most days.
So, I felt glad I’d seen these three people but still feeling shaken from the head bang earlier, I had a couple of G&Ts. I then felt I wanted more to drink but had run out, so I went over to my (very) local. I feel safe there but it’s not ideal I go alone.
Then that happened – the conversation and the figure the landlady saw. It was a clear message to me. Apart from ‘don’t go to the pub on your own again’, I feel it was a message to both of us – telling her that same-sex relationships are an abomination to Father God, and to me to not get drawn into it.
It feels like from the small thing of the peg bag dropping suddenly, it set a domino effect and led me to last night in the pub and the landlady’s sighting. Then I left my ‘phone on the bar and only managed to reach the landlady late morning who said she’d found it, thank the Lord. As per Philippians 4:8, I try to not take too much notice of the dark stuff, focusing as best I can in my sadness of what my husband has done, on good things so it’s not like I’m putting all this in my own head. I really feel that the devil was at play with me yesterday.
Anyway, I have prayed for the landlady and will continue to do so for a while.
william
Thanks for sharing. If you want to learn more about the Hat Man, read The Dark Menace, my new release. It contains tons of research on the subject. Buy here:
Kevin
Hello William,
I just came across this site and I too have had my very real encounter with the Hat Man.
I hope you still read the stories posted here.
Please let me know if I can share my story.
Greetings, Kevin.
william
Hi Kevin, feel free to share your story. All stories are read. Thanks, WB
Tan
This is insane, I had a new dream of him after years of no dreams about the hat man. Usually my dreams were slightly on the negative side, but this time it was extremely positive and, weirdly enough, sexual.
Why? I’m extremely confused, and frustrated! Tell me, hat man, why did you do this?!
I’m filled with questions!
william
Thanks for sharing your experience. WB
Trilok
Hi, I have some very important information regarding an experience I had with the hat man . I have nobody to talk to about this topic and wanted to see if you could help me shed some light on my situation. I will give a brief description of the events that took place and I am willing to give you more details if you are interested in hearing the full story, I can even draw it out for you if you would like.
Alright so the first time I saw this entity I was in my room at at my aunts house . The room is just one medium sized square with my bed in the midddle of the room. I had a small chair that I had just started to use for watching my tv. When I laid down that night I placed the chair facing toward the wall &I wasn’t sure why but it was just kind of a instinct I had. As I was sleeping that night. Suddenly came to in my astral form in the top comer of the room. I had a full view of everything in the room and I had no body I felt like a literal floating consciousness. I was looking at my own body sleeping in the bed. Directly next to the bed was the chair I had placed before going to sleep, but the chai was now facing my bed and in the chair was a 9 foot tall black hole of a man with a trench coat and tophat. I could feel the malevolent energy radiating from it. It was just looking at my body . I started to pray to god and as for protection and I made it clear that I wanted it to leave . Next thing I know I woke up back in my body the next morning , just fine ,but completely dumbfounded by what I had just experienced . I knew it was real . Because the chair had physically been moved. I had no idea what this thing was I had never heard of the hat man. I look up what I saw on the internet and relized that people all over the world have seen it.
For the next 2 weeks to a month I couldn’t stop trying. To figure out what I had saw and how to go about things. Just when I thought I was safe and he wasn’t going to return , he did. I went to sleep one random night and my soul astral traveled to a underground cave in hell with burning ash floating in the air. I manifested into a broken down rotting church inside. Of this cave with a pregnant ex of mine that had told me she aborted my child. Little goblins started to come out of the floor boards an swiping at our feet so I got a peace of wood off of one. Of the boarded up windows and after stabbing them to protect us. We then left out of the door of the church to realize I was in a cave . The air was literally illuminated by ash.
I took my ex over to a large opening in the cave that was well illuminated and in good sight so I could keep a good eye on here while I figured out where we were. All of a sudden my spirit sensed a evil presence coming. So I posted up on the comer on the church with the wooden slab that I had used to kill the small creatures . A large reptilian like daemon about 9 to 10 feet tall came creeping around the corner . I had my ex out in the open so the creature would see her first a rush , when it turned the corner however it was fixated on me. I jumped. And stabbed it to no avail. It was not fazed at all it just ripped. It out and started charging , as this was happening a doorway appeared that I had not noticed before behind me , the hat man rushed out of it and scooped my pregnant ex in his trench coat making her. Vanish and then he bolted back to the door very fast. I completely forgot about the 10 foot deamon trying to kill me and charged the hat mat to the dark portal of a door he had escaped. Into. As I tried to walk through it a skeleton came walking out and looked at me . It had a amnathist dagger in its rib cage . I dealt like it was telling me to grab the dagger. I punched threw it’s rob cage and grabbed. The dagger. When I pulled it out the skeleton lost all life and animation an just fell into a pile of bones. I then turned around and charged the deamon that was rushing after me. I jumped up and stabbed it in the same spot that I had stabbed. It with the wooden slab. This time it fell to the ground and started to decnigrate into the ashes that were floating alll in the air. Just. Before it completely denigrated I noticed it had a note in its hand . It said loved and not loved written in blood and. Black ink. It was. Like hit list with names being checked off . As I read the. Last letter of the note it degenerated just like the deamon. Then I woke up. I now understand that that letter was a demonic contract and I could have been killed that night .
My gut tells me this thing is thousands of years old. My grandmother. Told me I rapped her and my baby mother told me he strangled her one night after we had a argument( I never told her) every time I meet a woman outside. Of my baby mother they had ironically had an experience with the hat man witch to me is a huge red flag that I am under attack. I was about to hook up with this girl and then she randomly tells me she saw the hat man as we are both naked about to engage on her. Couch. I looked up and saw her. Bedroom door open but it was pitch black in her room. I could feel a ominous presence coming from her room and I knew at that very second that if I sealed he deal I’d be inviting him in. So I left and never spoke to her again. I honestly feel the only defense from this thing is to seek faith and protection in god . Please if you get the time to respond I would appreciate it a lot. God bless you and best of luck to you and your loved ones!!
If anybody has any information please reach out 561trilok@gmail.com
william
Thanks for sharing your story. It appears you’ve endured a terrifying ordeal. The Hat Man is as mysterious to me as he is to many others. I’m sorry I can’t shed any light on your experience. WB
Bill
When I was a child about 4yrs old I was screaming one night my mother came and I guess I told her there was a man behind the door. She proceeded to look and there he was. A very tall Silhouette of a man wearing a trench coat and a hat. Mind you at the time my parents were physically fighting all the time and it was chaos in our home with me and my little brother. As soon as she noticed Him he said to her do not worry I will take care of him Of course I could time my mother ran in to get my dad and left me alone with whoever that was lol. But when they came back he was gone and he never returned it. I don’t know if it’s good or evil but I want to believe in my situation that he is good.
Veronica Torres
My experience with the Shadow Man with the Hat was when I was about 16 years old. My bed was catty corner to my door. I was asleep lying on my back when I was suddenly awoken. It was like my eyes just opened up out of my sleep without me having any warning or without me initially hearing something to wake me up. It was like my eyes automatically opened up and were fixated towards the door. He stood at my doorway, slightly leaning on the frame of the door. I could not see his face at all. He was translucent, yet a dark shadow and was almost as tall as the door frame. I remember feeling stuck to the bed, my arms and legs felt like they were being held down and the rest of my body felt heavy. It felt like the inability to move like the way sleep paralysis constrains you. I remember staring over at him and I knew, even thought I could not see his eyes, that he was looking right at me too. It was this weird sense of “knowing” that came over me. I tried to speak but couldn’t, yet I was able to communicate with him through thought. I was pretty scared yet did not get the feeling of any evil or negative energy. I did, however, freak out and wanted it away from me so I spoke (in thought) and asked it what it wanted. It replied (in thought) and said, “I’m going to wait for you, Veronica.” His voice was a male’s voice, and it was calm and smooth, and its words was that of “as a matter of fact.” All I could figure to say as my mind is scrambling to all that was going on is “NO!” And just like that, my body completely did a 180 on the bed and I was now lying on my stomach and was still completely paralyzed and what felt like I was being pushed into the bed. My head was turned towards the door, and I was able to see him clearly. I couldn’t wrap my head around at that moment how my body turned so quickly! How from one second to another did I go from lying on my back to now being on my stomach with not so much of even the slightest feeling of moving! Yet, there I was! So, now I’m in a different position and I’ve got my gaze on him and he on me, and I scream in my head “Get out of here!” An overwhelming feeling of strength came over me as I yelled it in my head. The strange thing about it was like I had mentioned earlier, it did not feel malevolent. It just stood there so calmly, never moving an inch. Then it “spoke” again in its calm and oddly soothing voice and said, “I’m going to wait for you forever” and then in a flash I was again somehow turned over and put onto my back. Now, I was a bit scared but again this overpowering response of strength came over me again. I then said, “Jesus is my Lord and Savior” and began saying the Our Father prayer. I must clarify, I had not been a person who was a good, devout Catholic and I was in fact very due to attend church, but I was so compelled to yell out these words and declare my belonging to the Lord up above. And just like that, he was gone in a blink and my body was able to move. I jumped off the bed, ran to my mom’s room and woke her up to tell her about it. Of course, she didn’t believe me and chalked it up to me having a nightmare. I knew it wasn’t. I knew something had happened and for some strange reason that I still have to this day, I know I’ll see him again in another realm of time.
william
Thanks for sharing, Veronica.
My new novel, The Dark Menace, has just been released. Learn all about the Hat Man. The culmination of over three years’ of research, writing, and countless revisions, here’s a synopsis:
Noah Janzen is plagued by nightmares and numerous sleep disorders; night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking, and a horrifying sleep paralysis that often invokes chilling images of the Shadow People and the Hat Man.
Determined to prevent his nocturnal demons from interfering with his successful career and newly formed relationship with Angela Rosewood, he meets her in a local pub. But when he sees a shadowy figure wearing a fedora and a trench coat eerily watching him through a window, he freaks out and flees.
He soon learns that a hat-wearing psycho has viciously attacked Angela, smashing in her door, trashing her apartment, and nearly killing her. Worse still, Angela suspects Noah has morphed into a conduit for evil and starts distancing herself from him. She might even think he is the Hat Man.
Desperate to save his new relationship and find answers, he seeks the aid of physicist and sleep specialist, Doctor Neil Samuelson. While remaining tight-lipped on his experiments involving the Shadow People and the Hat Man, the enigmatic doctor informs Noah that an old woman has been brutally murdered at the hands of The Dark Menace.
As blood-curdling reports of Shadow People and the Hat Man escalate, Noah suspects Neil has accidentally opened up a portal from another dimension, unleashing a torrent of ghostly evil entities, hell-bent on terrorizing and destroying humanity.
He’s thrust into an epic battle to preserve his relationship and sanity and find answers to a strange and mysterious real-life phenomenon that has haunted and terrorized thousands of people around the world for centuries.
Click the BUY NOW tab on my home page blog entitled, Hot off the Press. Thanks for sharing your experience, WB
TL
I was 47 the only time I saw him. Never knew of this being until I Googled the description of my experience and was shocked the number of people that described the same being. I was having severe stomach pain and kept passing out. The last time I passed out I was aware of the darkness but I was unconscious. I saw the man as described and he told me “not everyone who say Lord Lord will get into heaven”. Then asked God and Jesus to help me. He then disappeared and I became conscious again. This was all in the darkness of my unconsciousness. My husband was by my side and I told him what happen. He said I was not talking out loud.
william
Wow. Incredible story. Thanks for sharing, WB.
Dianne
I had a figure appear before me in my bedroom but I looked up all I seen was the figure wore a black cloak and a black brimmed hat but all I seen was the side view it was looking at my closet but did not bother me but I just stared at the figure but nit afraid at all but knew it was the devil but ever since seeing that he never appeared in my room again.
JS
Hi
In the 1990’s, i was in Austria up in the Gross Glockner mountains at the cafe at the top where the glacier is, sitting at a table with my wife and having a smoke and a cup of coffee. We were just having a nice time in the cafe before returning to the coach which was a day trip out when a man with a Black rimmed fedora wearing a trench coat to the floor approached our table.
He unbuttoned his trencoat and then unbuttoned his shirt . he also unbuttoned the top of his trousers to show us a scar from top of his chest to top of his thigh which may have also ran down his leg. he did not go further than the top of his leg thank goodness.
My wife and i were taken aback a little and startled thinking this guy is a nutter.
The man started to speak and said ” Smoking, Smoking! .
He then buttoned his trousers and trenchcoat up , looked at me smoking.
He then turned around and went. In all that time it seemed like we were in a bubble as nobody else noticed in the cafe.
We both got up and went outside to see where this man went.
Nowhere to be seen at the top of Gross Glockner.It was as though he just disappeared into thin air.
To this day ,i have never smoked again.
Was that a guardian angel or what!!!!!
He was a very sinister looking man, almost skeleton type of face , but as you say, you cannot judge a book by it’s cover.
I am not saying it is is supernatural, but it felt near as damn it.
it shook me into giving up the weed.
william
Fascinating story, JS. Thanks for sharing, WB
Jodi
Well now. The man in the top hat is how we (my family) describes him. As far as I can remember he has been a part of our lives since my daughter was about 2 years old. She would play with him. She often would dump her plastic bricks out of the bucket and use the bucket as a hat to impersonate the man she played with. I would ask her what she was doing and she would reply “playing with the man with the top hat, can’t you see him mommy”. He would often show himself as a black figure in which many immediate family members would see. Often unexplainable things would happen around the house. I bottle of wine dropped down in front of me from on top of my dresser. Our TV would turn on or off randomly. Our animals would also sense a presence of this man. Then he showed himself at a store in the distance. I went to look for him with no success. I have come to accept this paranormal as no real harm has come to any of us. I do talk about him to others that will listen and most people have stories of paranormal activities as well. He has not been around lately until just recently when my daughter got married in Niagara Falls. We were just talking about him with her new in-laws. They were curious and also had some stories of different paranormal experiences. Then a few days after my husband and I were going out to our rental vehicle and again he showed up in person. He walked through the parkade, across my path, about 4 feet away from me, turned to face me, smiled and nodded as he continued to walk away. I was in shock! My husband was a few feet behind me and seen it all. He now believes my story about seeing him in the store in the past. He used to startle me but now I accept his presence. I have not really put any thought into why he is here but I’m sure this will not be the last time I see him. At first I though him to be my daughters ghost but now I think he is here for me. Why I don’t know but I’m thankful as I feel a sense of calmness yet he keeps me on my toes.
william
Thanks so much for sharing your positive Hat Man experience, Jodi. It’s always a thrill for me to read the good stories. Stay safe.
Tracey
About 8 years ago in a modular home we had built and what seemed to have had several paranormal things happening since we had moved in, I saw a short 4ft shadow figure with a top hat. I awoke in the middle of the nite around 3 something to our German Sheppard barking. She never barks unless someone came in house or coming up driveway…so of course I went to investigate. No one in driveway and no one came in house, so I went back into my bed. At the time my daughter and 6 month old grandsonived with us. They both slept in my daughter’s room, which with our bedroom door open, her closed door can be seen from our bed. When I went back to bed, I glanced out our doorway and saw this 4ft or so black figure with a top hat standing outside my daughter’s bedroom door. It freaked me out and I covered my head and eventually fell asleep. So the next day, I didn’t tell anyone what happened with dog barking and what I saw. Around noon, my daughter asked if I had moved my grandson from his crib her bed. I said no..why. She said that she put him in his crib that night, but that morning he was in her bed. Now my grandson was 6 mos old and was not old enough to climb out of his crib and if she didn’t get him out of his crib, and I didn’t nor did anyone else in the house…who did? I explained to her about the dog barking and what I saw outside her room and we both were a bit freaked out….especially since we had been having weird uff going on in house. We ended up leaving the house only after 4 years because my husband was being affected by whatever paranormal stuff was going on in house. He turned into a very mean person, was scratched and feeling sick Once we moved, 2 weeks later he was back to his old self.
william
Very interesting indeed.
brent inglis
my experience with the hat man was alright,
so this is how it went, i was playing nhl then i decided i was gonna go for a smoke so i went outside the house and then i sparked my smoke. then all of a sudden i felt as if someone was staring at me, so i looked around (it was pretty bright out because of the moon) then i looked up and there it was staring at me. (i couldn’t see the face, it was as if it was pure black, had dark leathered wings spread out and arms, hat a black hat, coudn’t see the feet as it looked like he had a coat on) but i knew it was staring directly at me i felt the eye contact, i didnt say a word but kept puffing my cig, thinking in my head “wth is that”, i didnt wanna take my eyes off it. so i butt out my cig and kept looking at it until i made it inside. when i went inside i was shocked, felt crazy lol. havent seen it since. found it as a warning to smarten up, because i was pretty bad when i was young i think i was about 15-16 but im 20 now. i wonder if ill ever see it again, also drew a picture of it
william
Thanks for sharing.
H
I have an experience with him too I’d like to share. To start off I’m 23 and I am not a Christian, I struggled with the belief of Christianity most of my life and at one point when I was 6 years old I even had the idea instilled in me out of nowhere that I hated god and diddnt understand why I felt like this, I was upset I thought that way. but it went away even though my views on the religion continued to decline over the years. When I gave up trying to be a Christian for good I was 20. I never agreed with the rules and no one wanted anything to do with the person trying to become a born again Christian. I was in a very dark and lonely place and this only amplified things. So I thought F this how good can these people and the religion really be if they treat people on the outside like this who want in. About a year before that decision I met my current boyfriend of three years and I believe he brought the hat man to me or he may have found me through my boyfriend as he he has seen him plenty of times roaming around his house at night and watching him sleep. The hat man makes him feel uneasy and it terrifies his mom and sister. I’m not sure how his dad felt but when I’d ask he diddnt seem too bothered which is interesting because his dad and I both are drawn to things such as tarot cards, communication with spirits/the divine, Ouija boards etc. and his mom and sister are Christian. So one night my partner and I were driving on a road close to our houses and I saw the hat man, he was looking right at me standing on the sidewalk but he was completely black and I couldn’t make out any facial features and part of me wants to say he had a briefcase but when I looked back he vanished. We both saw him that night and it seemed to affect my partner more than it did me and I questioned why that was. I never forgot about top hat and I honestly wished he would come back so I could ask him questions. I have a theory that the hat man can be many different things to people and it depends on the context of your life. For me, his energy was mysterious and divine and when he looked at me it was like he was trying to look at my soul as well. There is an ancient Norse God who goes by Odin and part of me believes this was a visitation from him to basically say “wake up”. I had been searching for a spiritual home for years at that point, I felt lost I diddnt feel like I fit in anywhere my entire life and I have always been kind of on my own and liked to experience things by myself (lack of friends diddnt help either). This is one of the many traits of Odin, and it was about a year and a half later that I started learning about this god and everything started to kind of make sense. Odin sometimes visits his followers for various reasons and he appears as a solid black shadowy man with a long robe, hat with a wide brim and holds a tall sphere looking item that sometimes his ravens sit upon, and doesn’t usually communicate with words but feelings. In my experience top hat could be a modern version of Odin or a version of him for people who don’t know him yet that he wants to know or knows you are approaching enlightenment to who he is. It was as if I was hurting so bad inside from the amount of anxiety and depression I had (still do but has gotten a little better thankfully) that he came because of that and recruited me? Idk that’s how I see it now thinking and typing this out. I am a lone wolf like him and maybe he was offering for me to not be alone anymore, because I sure don’t feel that way now having decided to follow Odin and the other Gods. I hope one day he will come to visit again so I can get a better understanding. i know my partners grandfather knew of Odin because of this vintage pinball machine he had that had Wotan (Odin) and other words in German like “all father” on it. Maybe that’s how I came to be found by him.
william
Wow. Sensational. Thank you.
Noah
I would really like to share my story. I am 20 years old and I used to see the Hat Man all the time when I was 5-8 years old. I always saw him standing at the stairs, or in my bedroom. He really frightened me, I was terrified of the dark and was afraid to be alone, even during the day. My fear of the dark was so great, I only managed to sleep in my own bedroom when I was around 11. Although the appearances stopped when I was around 8, they really affected me. I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and had to go to therapy. I learnt that what I saw was not real- but that didn’t make me feel better, it only made me feel like I was crazy. Only my mom and psychiatrists knew about me seeing the Hat Man as a child, I never told anyone because I was afraid they would think I am crazy. So when I discovered thousands of people all over the world experienced the same thing, and when I saw all the pictures online of EXACTLY what I had seen, I was shocked!! Also, many people stated they first saw him as a child of around 5, just like me. Many also say the Hat Man only appears to people who are already dealing with anxiety, depression, or other issues. This is also true for me; when I began seeing the Hat Man, my father (a drug addict) was very violent and threatened me and my mom. My mother got a burn-out, lost her job and was later on treated for PTSD, all around the time the Hat Man appeared to me. When things became better for us, I stopped seeing him. I am really grateful that I can share my story with you, I always felt like I was crazy and that made me very lonely… the fact that so many people have experienced this and support each other online means a lot to me. As I said, I never knew others experienced this too and felt very alone. Thank you for sharing your experiences and supporting each other!
william
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Noah. You are definitely not alone. Take care, and wishing you all the best.
S'fundo
It was 2017. I was working night shift as a security officer when I saw a small light beam heading towards me. It’s like it got in me and gave me the chills. I was frightened, I don’t wanna lie. In the sky it seemed like the clouds were moving. I looked up and saw nothing. What’s interesting is that objects on the floor shift places or I didn’t notice well at first because it was dark so I called on for site change. As I was waiting I was staring at the floor and I saw what appeared to be a person, as if standing tall behind me staring right at me. That was my first encounter of the Hat Man. Many others followed. I did research but couldn’t find what I was looking for in the internet, however, I was glad to see that I wasn’t the only one. How the shadows stopped following me is miraculously by the grace of God. I accepted Jesus and haven’t seen anything since. I sleep better and free from that dimensional trauma.
I believe that if anyone wishes to stop seeing these entities, they need to walk with Christ. If you would like this sufficient peace that transcends all understanding I would like to pray with you that the Lord may free you from seeing these bad spirits.
Say: ‘Lord Jesus I am aware that you have been knocking on my doors. Today I open up my heart that you may enter and cleanse me from all sin . Renew my body, mind and spirit. As from today I am saved by your precious blood and I have eternal life. Thank you God for sending your Son that I may be pure by your grace. I would love the Holy Spirit to comfort me and my family now and forevermore in Jesus name.
william
Remarkable story. So glad to know that it has a happy ending. Thanks for sharing and stay safe.
JS
Here’s my story: In 2018 my son kept telling me he was seeing somebody in the hallway at night. He would say he would see the figure out of the corner of his eye, but never directly. I kept dismissing his accounts, telling him it must be shadows, or one of our pets. One night in June, 2018, he had a couple of his friends over. My son had gone into the bathroom and all a sudden his two friends came running out of his room yelling, “What was that?” I jumped out of bed to see what the commotion was and they proceeding to tell me that they were playing video games, when they saw a dark figure’s reflection in the window- it was standing in the hallway. When they described it, it was very tall, broad shoulders, dark, and was wearing a hat. My son told me that is what he had been seeing in the same spot in the hallway. Not knowing what to think, I told them again it must have been shadows or a weird streetlight reflection, etc.
One week later, I was in bed reading a book. I got tired and turned off my bed lamp to go to sleep. I heard footsteps walking into my room and then stop right beside my bed (left side). I figured it was just one of my kids and I looked up and the dark figure was standing over me. It was very tall, broad shoulders, dark “see-through” but had on a fedora/Amish style hat. I scrambled backwards in bed and reached for my light and it was gone.
That was two years ago and we didn’t see it again. Until a few weeks ago. My son (now 17) had noticed that the batteries for his drone, RC car, Xbox, etc., were draining really fast. He had been woken up at night by the lights being turned on in his room. We figured maybe he had fallen asleep with the lights on (with this whole coronavirus pandemic our sleep schedules are all off.) Anyways again, none of us thought much of it. Two days ago, my son was taking a picture of himself in the bathroom mirror to send on snap-chat. He took the picture and sent it off to his girlfriend, not thinking much of it. She immediately sent it back to him and said “Who is behind you?” His photo was of him standing in the bathroom, however half the picture was of the hallway behind him. In the photo, is the dark hat figure standing behind him in the hall way.
william
Amazing story, and thanks for sharing. In these trying times, stay safe. WB
Pearl
Hi. I saw the Hat Man…wide brim hat and whatever that coat is called with cape type. He was tall, skinny and walked up and down the end of our four poster bed on holiday 23 or 24 yrs ago. He slowly paced, up and down about 8 / 9 times.
My kids were asleep near me in the same room, and my partner asleep next to me.
Bizarrely i got pregnant that night with what was to be our third daughter before the hat man showed up. It was freakish because my energy was super-high from whatever energetic explosion goes on when i am ‘falling’ pregnant.
I had two people come up to me congratulating me on my ‘pregnancy’ that week…i had no idea n denied being pregnant, as i didnt find out for another month.
The baby died at 6 months pregnant …she had 6 fingers and toes!
I was later told by a friend that a medium told her that i had a baby that left early because she had served her karma and didnt need to stay.
At the time of the hat man incident in our room, i have no idea if he was deciding on my outcome or letting me know (warning me ) that this was a temporary situation.
william
Hi Pearl. Thank so much for sharing your truly remarkable Hat Man story. Be well, WB.
N/A
I’ve seen him, he doesn’t just come into your house like some old spirit from outside, his body starts off as a dot in mid air first, the dot rotates fast and grows larger and larger until it forms a humanoid shape of a man. Then he gives you the look, the piercing stare. He came to me at night when I was five years old and put his face practically against mine for hours. I don’t know what he did to my eyes but since that day I’ve been able to see things abnormal. I never felt threatened by him but I did lose time whenever he visited. It felt like he gave me some type of gift or ability of some sort. I don’t distrust him, but I do distrust the other two entities I’ve came across down the road…
william
Thanks for sharing your truly remarkable Hat Man encounter. Sorry this got past my radar. WB
Miyonna Cooper
As a kid, I saw the Hat Man constantly. Sometimes I wasn’t even sleep or laying down. I told my mom and she put me in therapy because I repeated it daily. I remember going to sleep in class one day in the 4th grade only to wake up outside myself. My first time experiencing astral projection and as I looked over to the class door he was there with a few other kids I didn’t recognize. I decided to sit back down and I woke up with an involuntary jerk. My whole desk flipped and all eyes were on me. Long story short, I experienced this type of thing for years. I still astral project on the regular and came into some other abilities that I don’t quite understand yet. I hope to make sense of it one day.
william
Thanks for sharing. Wow! Quite the experiences. I hope you can make sense of them one day.
Leslie B.
My husband seems to be an “antenna” for this activity. In our first apartment together, we had a “hat man”. We never saw anything, but the feeling was so intense and specific, we both independently described the same feeling and the same man in black with a hat–watching, waiting. We have also seen shadow cats quite frequently in most places we have lived. These have all been benign.
There was a dramatic increase in activity during the summer of 2018. My husband told me the presence was bothering him a lot, even waking him up at night, either standing in the room or touching him. Sometimes it called him by name, which was unnerving. Then, something unprecedented happened.
It was very early morning. Our bedroom faces east, so there was light coming in the bedroom windows and from the living room windows adjacent our bedroom, also facing east. I got up to use the bathroom. I am on the side of the bed farthest from the bathroom, so I often lean down to make sure I don’t stub my toes on the blanket chest on my way around the bed. After going to the bathroom, I was coming back, leaned down to avoid the chest, and then stood up and saw a shadow in front of me, between me and the doorway facing the living room. I startled, and then put my hand to my chest and said “(husband’s name), you scared the hell out of me…” and then I saw that he was still in the bed, asleep. This shadow was 6-7 feet tall, and so dark it was like negative space. Even with the light coming through our room and the room behind it, it was completely black–not see-through at all. It was shaped like a person. I stood there looking at it for a while, about a foot away. I thought about touching it, but the sensation was so odd, I felt if I reached out and touched it, my hand would not come out the other side. It radiated a feeling of safety, protection and gave me the sense that everything was going to be alright. I made my way back to the bed, watching it. I laid down, and closed my eyes for a bit. When I opened them again, it was gone. At the time, I didn’t know what he was trying to tell us. I didn’t think to ask. I think I know now…
About a month after that, I was having dinner with some friends when I felt a little lightheaded. That’s not unusual for me, so I told them not to worry–I was going to put my head down until it passed. Luckily I was with friends who are concerned about me and not afraid to take charge. Right away, my girlfriend sitting next to me put her hand on my shoulder to see how I was and realized I was not breathing. Then she checked my pulse in my neck…and found nothing. Luckily I was right next door to the local EMT’s. After about 6 minutes and a few zaps with an AED, they were able to bring me back from cardiac arrest. I spent a few nights in the hospital and had LOTS of tests, but they could find no underlying cause.
I believe the Shadow Man was telling me this would happen, but that it would be okay. I didn’t have the traditional NDE, but the experience was an overwhelming feeling of calm, peace, and of being loved. I now have no fear of death. While I don’t want to die again any time soon, I hope he comes to visit us again.
william
Thank you. A truly remarkable story, even more so since it has such a happy ending.
Derek Rolfe
I had a serious asthma attack 3 years ago and nearly died and from that day I have been plagued with bad luck. Anything and everything that could go wrong did; divorce, people dying, just every day something bad happened. I was in a really depressed state and I kept seeing this guy in my sleep. Yesterday after my tools had been stolen for the 3rd time this year I felt him again but I’ve never felt scared. Anyway, seeing him last night made me Google it and I couldn’t believe how many stories and pictures of this guy I saw. I had thought I was going mad! Strangely I have felt better since last night, like something has lifted.
william
Thanks for sharing your story, Derek, and sorry to hear about all the bad news. Maybe your bad luck streak has ended and the Hat Man is providing a positive influence in your life. It still seems split almost 50-50 between those who report bad experiences with the Hat Man and others who report uplifting experiences.
Monica Frost
I saw this man two days ago, he was standing in the door opening between my bedroom and living room. I couldn’t understand what it was, but later when I went to my bedroom to sleep I felt nervous and afraid. Felt like something touched my elbow. Didn’t dare to open my eyes. At 11.30 pm my boyfriend came home and I felt safe again. But today an old friend from my past died. He was only 34 years old. That’s why I’m Googling about this black man with a hat and coat.
william
Sorry to hear about the passing of your friend, Monica. My deepest condolences. Thanks for sharing your story and I hope that in the future you don’t have any bad experiences with the Hat Man.
johnny
I usually do my divination after waking up and before sleeping. That morning when I saw the Hat Man I didn’t do any divination nor regular prayer. To me, he did not appear to be a shadowy figure but as a man with a hat and cane and trench coat, a full featured old man who was looking at me and was just observing. It did not do anything but the presence that it is giving me made me do a cleansing in my house and made a protection for myself. I also did try to attack spiritually which made him vanish.
william
Thanks for sharing your story, Johnny, and I apologize for the delay in responding. I got caught up with work-related tasks. It sounds like you’ve got the Hat Man issue under control. Well done. WB
vara
How curious something similar happened to me
marc
Hello,
I had an experience with the hat man . It happened in 1998. I was 31 years old. One evening, I was dreaming quietly and I felt something going through my head. There was a black entity that slowly put his head from left to right in mine. And there, I came out of my quiet dream and at the bedside of my wife, I saw a clear entity, an old lady whom I could perceive a kind of white energetic aura who was praying for her. My wife was hiding her face with her blanket. Then black female entities approached me because they saw that I saw them. They gave me a sign with their hands. They came to see me three nights in a row. The third evening, it was scary, I saw for the first time the Hat Man with his two companions; the female entities at her approach fled. He spoke about me to his two companions, saying: “Persecute him!” And I told him to go away. After the experience, I thought I was crazy. For five years, I lived the worst time of my life. A good medium helped me out. In December 2017, I watched a documentary about him by chance (hazard). And then, everything was rocked. Other people have seen the same man that I saw. My daughter saw the black lady of the documentary when she was 16 years old. She was very scared. Now we sleep with a nightlight in the room. I bought a month later the DVD of the documentary. One month after my daughter went to the hospital for a serious accident and me two weeks later for a vertebral collapse. About us, I still do not know how to take it. I saw him in the United States in California in 2017 when I was sleeping in a mountain hut outside the house. I thought he was going to speak to me in English because I am french. I still don’t know why this entity is the only one who wears a long black raincoat (sorry for the language).
william
Thanks for sharing your experience, Marc. I’m glad to hear a medium was able to help you.
Crystal
I have a mixed review. My first memory of him was when I was a baby…only able to crawl. He picked me up from the crib while I screamed and then gently put me on the floor. It’s a memory I will never forget. But then there have been other occasions where I have been attacked and even had a seizure because of him. He violently attacked me in my dream as well, quite a few times. I later found out it’s because he doesnt like when I ignore him or fear him. He does test me constantly. But I’m less afraid now since I have a better understanding of him. I think it was the worst for me when I tried turning my gifts off and completely turning my back to that entire world. This is something that’s been a huge part of me since birth. The second I shunned all of it….my life fell apart. Now that I’m nowhere near as afraid and am embracing that side of me again, things have vastly improved. He just watches my kids and I now. In particular, my youngest (also since birth). My oldest used to see him regularly too when he was a baby until about 8yrs old. It’s like he is my family. As long as I’m not an asshole to him and ignore him
….he’s not an asshole to me. ?
william
Thanks for sharing your experience, Crystal. There is indeed something to be said for confronting and embracing your fears. I’m happy to hear you’ve been able to do that and it’s changed your life for the better. WB
Kelly
Hi there. It was 22 years ago that I had my first experience of the “Man in the Amish Hat”..and his friends. I was 29yrs old at the time. I got up to feed (nurse) my little one, and ended up falling asleep with her. I woke to being paralysed, but there was a tall man with an old Amish type hat, with 2 other people, in the corner of the room, near the bed. They were holding what I thought was a folder or something. ..and talking, but I couldn’t understand. I wasn’t scared…I was ticked off I couldn’t move. Within a few days, I made a huge mistake that changed the whole course of my life, very abruptly.
The last time was when I was 45 (7yrs ago). I woke up to discover the man in the hat standing close to my bed (and 2 others), and I was petrified. Absolutely terrified, even though nothing was done to me. They were looking at the folder again…which I think was a device of some kind, now, lol. I was filled with fear, and just prayed over and over “I command you to leave, in Jesus Name”. Eventually I could move, and they faded away. Pretty much a couple of days later was another terribly life changing event, which once again…changed the course of my life.
My believe now, is that they were from another dimension…maybe there to give comfort for tough times ahead. My fear was because at that time I was filled with fear anyway. Always afraid to stand up for myself…had been in a DV relationship.. and even though had been out of it for 9yrs..I just had that spirit of fear looming over me. The first time I was visited, I had never experienced anything overly fearful, so I was just curious and interested. My state of mind determined what experience I had…is my belief now.
I had hoped they might come back now that I’m a power house and know myself and am spiritually awakened. Haha. But alas…hasn’t happened.
Thank you so much for this page by the way…I’ve wondered for so many years if anyone every experienced what I did. Nice to know I’m not alone.?
william
Thanks so much for sharing, Kelly. Fascinating story. You’re not alone in your belief that the Hat Man is from another dimension. In my soon-to-be released supernatural thriller, The Dark Menace, I explore this possibility in great detail. What I’ve found in my research thus far is that many people’s interpretations of the Hat Man as good or evil indeed depends on their state of mind at the time he visits them. Some people claim the experience changed their lives for the better, while others insist it was terrifying and at times life threatening. Have a great day, WB
Lisa McCue
My experience with the Hat Man was entirely positive. I was sleeping on my bed with my head at the foot of the bed and my dog next to me. It was about 2:30 a. m. and my husband wasn’t home because he’d started a night job. Suddenly, from a dead sleep, I woke up and for some reason I looked straight at the partially open door of the bedroom. My dog woke up at the same instant and looked at the door, too. There, leaning around the door, was the silhouette of a man, very tall, in a trench coat and a fedora. I felt very calm, not alarmed at all and my dog, who usually barks hysterically at every little thing, didn’t react at all. Then, in my head, he told me he was just checking up on me to make sure I was okay. In my head, I said, Oh, okay and then went right back to sleep. So did my dog. I felt as if a friend had dropped by for a moment to check in on me. I felt comforted and safe. I’ve actually wished he would come back to see me again. Also, I’ve never felt any fear associated with the numerous shadow people and cats I’ve seen my entire life, either. So, I’m confused about all the stories of utter terror from other people. Why are they afraid when I feel very familiar with these beings and not uncomfortable at all?
william
Thanks for sharing your story, Lisa. Very inspirational and positive. I don’t know why some people are terrified of the Hat Man. One theory claims if you haven’t embraced your dark side, you will forever fear it, but who knows.