Who are the Shadow People?

Just who are the Shadow People anyway? Well, to define the plural, let’s start with the singular—shadow person. According to Wikipedia, a shadow person “is 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.”

Although some would argue it, Shadow People represent the shadow person, only in droves. According to researchers, images of Shadow People 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.”

So what do they want? Well, that is certainly a matter of debate. Here are some theories:

An extraterrestrial theory. Shadow People are negative alien beings, sent to harm or abduct us, who can be repelled by invoking the name of Jesus.

A neurological theory. Shadow People 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. In that case they would just be the manifestation of a sleeping disorder and by extension nothing more than a product of the subconscious mind.

A religious theory. Shadow People are the evil minions of the Devil sent to snatch our souls and drag us down into the filthy bowels of hell.

Another religious theory. Shadow People are guardian angels, sent from heaven to protect our souls and shield us from evil.

I could probably go on for hours about the many theories that exist. We know for sure that thousands of people have seen the Shadow People in their waking and sleeping worlds. We know that, due to the supernatural aspect of their existence, nobody has yet to prove what the Shadow People really are. But my favorite theory is this one:

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 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, 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.

Theories also abound on the existence and agenda of the Hat Man. Many people report seeing him in their waking lives. Some claim he’s a guardian angel of sorts while others are convinced he’s the devil come to harvest their souls. He has been connected to alien abduction, preying on fear, and striking you when your defenses are low; when you’re sick or depressed. Some claim he’s trashed their houses and tried to strangle them to death in the middle of the night.

In some reports, The Shadow People and the Hat Man are sometimes interconnected. Some people claim to see the Hat Man with the Shadow People. But the connections are muddy at best.

In Dark Menace, my work-in-progress supernatural thriller, I attempt to clarify the connections between the two strange and mysterious phenomenon that are very real and very terrifying to many people. Here’s a synopsis:

Noah Jansen is plagued by nasty nightmares and multiple sleep disorders; night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep talking, and a terrifying sleep paralysis that often invokes chilling images of the Hat Man and the Shadow People.

Determined not to let his nocturnal demons interfere with his successful career and a crush he has on Angela Rosewood, he meets her for a drink in a local pub. But when he sees a dark shadowy figure wearing a fedora and a trench coat peering at him eerily through a window, he freaks out, fleeing in terror and battening down the hatches of his apartment.

He soon learns that a hat-wearing man has viciously attacked Angela, smashing in her door, trashing her apartment, and nearly killing her. Worse still, Angela believes 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 former physicist and sleep specialist friend Neil Samuelson, now a full-time paranormal investigator. While remaining tight-lipped on his experiments involving the Shadow People and the Hat Man, the enigmatic scientists informs Noah that an old woman has just been brutally murdered at the hands of The Dark Menace.

As blood-curdling reports of Shadow People and the Hat Man begin to escalate, Noah finds townsfolk pointing fingers at him. They believe he’s plunged off the precipice of sanity. Noah believes the Hat Man is not only real, but actually exists in a dangerous and deadly other dimension—one the Hat Man affectionately calls “the dead zone.”

He’s thrust into a violent and unpredictable battle to prove his innocence and sanity, win back Angela’s affection, and confront The Dark Menace he believes responsible for all the bloodshed and carnage.

The Dark Menace will be available in leading book retailers soon. In the meantime, if you’ve ever encountered Shadow People or the Hat Man, I’d love to hear about it. Please post your comments below.