Encounter Atlas
The Hat Man is the best-known kind of shadow person: a dark, featureless human outline wearing a fedora or other brimmed hat, sometimes with a long coat. People most often describe him standing in a bedroom doorway or at the foot of the bed, watching, and say they felt him staring even though they could not see a face.
Many accounts come from people waking in sleep paralysis, when the body is still unable to move and the mind can produce vivid dream images. He is also so often reported by people who have taken large overdoses of the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) that he has become a well-known warning sign on drug-safety forums.
Descriptions spread widely online from the late 2000s, and many people say they saw him as children. Researchers explain him through sleep paralysis, deliriant drugs and sleep deprivation, while some paranormal writers treat him as a real being.
What witnesses report
- A dark figure with a brimmed hat and no visible face
- Standing in a doorway or at the foot of the bed
- Being unable to move while it watches
- A strong sense of dread
Famous cases
Seen the The Hat Man?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
