Shadow Ghosts- Who or What is the Hat Man?

Shadow people are pretty well-known, supernatural entities that seem to be a wide spread phenomenon.

Many cultures from around the world have always claimed to having seen shadowy beings lurking around. One variation of this type of entity is the hat man. This type of entity is mostly featureless, although they /he/it clearly have masculine forms and wear old fashioned hats.

It’s also been suggested that this strange entity is somewhat of an inspiration for Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven has talked about an experience he once had when he was a young boy, in which he saw a scary looking man walking down the street wearing a bowler hat. The man had scars all over his face and looked up at Craven through the window and gave off a sense of foreboding.

While this could have just been an ordinary guy and not a shadowy person or demon, it was still a creepy experience. People who reportedly come across a hat man usually claim to feel a frightening feeling, as if they are being threatened. While some ghosts don’t seem aware of the presence of the living, it seems that shadow people do. Witnesses claim that, despite not seeing his face, they have a sense that the hat man is staring right at them.

Furthermore, it would seem that this entity’s sole purpose in visiting people is to make them as uncomfortable and frightened as possible. They normally don’t try to communicate, except for the fact they are emitting bad vibes. Their mere presence alone is enough to make someone feel extremely uncomfortable and even threatened.

Still, there’s no evidence to suggest that something very bad happens after someone sees the hat man. The “ghost” or “demon”, whatever it may be, usually goes away after a few moments and nothing bad ever seems to happen afterwards. So, shadow people really malevolent? Is the hat man really a threat to anyone?

It seems that this phenomenon provides more questions than answers. Most people who witness hat men claim that they’re solid and definitely an outline of a male body. The outline of the hat is also distinct and solid. It’s only natural to assume that they’re real enough to be more than just the witness’s imagination.

One theory is that they could be physical manifestations of one’s own psyche, and are somehow created subconsciously after an individual experiences some problems in life.

Whatever the case may be, anyone who ever witnesses a hat man will undoubtedly feel creeped out by him. Whether he’s an actual entity or a psychic manifestation of someone’s subconscious, he definitely gives of negative vibes and a sense of foreboding to anyone around.

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Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Louisville, Kentucky

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is an abandoned hospital building that had been built around the year 1924-1926 when America was ravaged by the deadly tuberculosis. Built in the southern Jefferson County the hospital soon became overcrowded as there were loads of patients coming in. Although the hospital was considered the most advanced sanatorium for tuberculosis in those days, the absence of any sure shot cure led to the death of innumerable patients.

The mystery of Waverly Hills Sanatorium still holds interest as the place is said to be haunted. The mysteries associated with the building state that the ghosts of the ill-treated patients still roam about. There have been reports of ghosts being seen, eerie sounds being heard, sounds of doors being banged and lights in the windows seen as if power is still running in the building. Those that have visited the place vouch for the haunted status.

The land and the building where Waverly Hills Sanatorium exists changed hands many times. The once stately building has been described as being haunted and many visitors to the building have claimed to have seen the ghosts. There are stories about a girl running up and down the stairs of the third floor, a woman who had wrists bleeding crying for help, a hearse dropping off coffins from the building, a boy with a leather ball and similar other instances.

Whether or not the place is haunted is still mysterious as one has to see to believe. Those that have visited the place are sure about the Sanatorium being haunted. However those that do not believe in paranormal activities rubbish the claims and state the place has been “haunted” by vandals and anti-social elements that take refuge here. Therefore the mystery of the haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium still stays and interested people are still taking tours of the building to have a first hand experience of seeing a ghost actually.

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The Summerwind Haunting

On the beautiful, wind swept and lonely reaches of northeast Wisconsin is West Bay Lake; and on the shores of this lake is the ruins of a mansion called Summerwind.

On the beautiful, wind swept and lonely reaches of northeast Wisconsin is West Bay Lake; and on the shores of this lake is the ruins of a mansion called Summerwind. This once huge, spacious, and very grandiose mansion was home of Robert P. Lamont and his family. Mr. Lamont built the mansion in 1916 to be a summer home for he, his wife, and their children as a place to get away from all the pressures of the political rat-race know as Washington D.C. and his job as Secretary of Commerce during the presidency of Herbert Hoover.

However, it would seem that long before the more recent dark tales of violent hauntings Lamont apparently had his own encounters with spirits; indicating that even before he built the great house itself, something dark and sinister haunted the land around the seemingly sublime lake. As the story goes, Lamont had a rather frightening encounter with an entity that tried to attack him and he shot at it. The bullets passed straight through the spirit and lodged in the basement door behind the ghostly apparition. Apparently the bullets remained in the door for many years until the house was sold after the death of Robert Lamont.

The mansion change hands several times, although no one ever reported any strange happenings until the early 1970s. Arnold and Ginger Hinshaw , along with their six children, bought and moved into Summerwind in the early 1970's. The mansion by this time had been empty for many years and become run down and dilapidated. When the couple looked into buying the old house and the property, they found, incredibly, that it was well within their budget. Both Arnold and Ginger could not believe their luck. However, the family would only reside in the house for six months, before fleeing in terror.

From the very first day the Hinshaw's started moving in, bizarre and unexplainable events began to happen. Dark shapes and shadows were seen dancing down the hallways. Disembodied voices were heard all over the house in empty and unused rooms. Family members reported seeing the apparition of a sad looking woman floating by the doors to the kitchen.

Appliances would break down and quit working; then, just as mysteriously, they would seem to repair themselves and be working fine when a repairman would show up to fix them. The windows and doors would close and open on their own. In spite of all these weird goings-on, the Hinshaw's decided they would stay and try to make the best of the situation.

Arnold and Ginger began renovations of the old house and while doing so came across a gruesome discovery, corpse of what appeared to a man. At this point, the paranormal activity in the house began to escalate to alarming proportions.

Arnold became sullen and withdrawn, complaining that evil spirits were plaguing him to the point that he had complete mental breakdown and Ginger was driven almost to the point of suicide. Arnold was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and Ginger fled with her children to her parents in Granton, Wisconsin. Eventually, Arnold and Ginger divorced and Ginger and her children got on with their lives, but the memory of terror of Summerwind has continued to haunt her.

In 1986, Summerwind was purchased by three investors who had wanted to turn it into a hotel or bed and breakfast. However, it would seem fate had other plans. In June of 1988, Summerwind mansion was struck by lightning during a fierce storm and burned to the ground. Today, only the foundations and the stone chimneys are all that remain of the once grand mansion, although, who knows? Perhaps the spirits that brought terror to this family and others still wander the desolate ruins of Summerwind.

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Me and My Shadow: A Ghostly Encounter?

You're sitting alone in a dimly lit room, slightly uneasy; and you might have the feeling you're being watched.

Just as your heart-rate quickens and breathing slows, you see a

shadow-like figure from the corner of your eye, darting across the room. By the time

your head snaps around to take in the full fear of what you've seen, the shadow vanishes

right through the wall, never allowing you full scope. Suddenly, you're overcome with

feelings of terror and trepidation. Could it be you've been paid a visit from the elusive

Shadow Beings? Have you been singled out, targeted, and spied upon by this dark force?

Maybe - but maybe not.

Shadow beings - also known as shadow men, shadow people, shadow folk, and a

multitude of other names - have been reported periodically throughout human history.

However, escalated reports over the past decade or so have increased our awareness,

interests, curiosities, tales, and fears of these unknown entities. What are they? Where

do they come from? What do they want? Why are they here? The theories of these

paranormal phenomena are as wide-spread and varied as one could imagine. However,

there are also a few potential scientific explanations with origins firmly rooted in the non-

paranormal reality in which we live and function.

These are the traits most commonly associated with Shadow People from varying reports:

• Dark, shadow-like substances lacking mass

• Sometimes appearing in child-like form, not much taller than three feet

• Generally associated as males

• Can be reported as having red, glowing eyes, but also as having no discernable

features such as mouth, nose, or eyes

• Most often seen through peripheral vision, rarely directly with center-forward

vision

• Can be accompanied with severe feelings of dread

• Have been known, though rarely, to "attack" people, although "attack" has not

been clearly defined. Some people report seeing Shadow figures with weapons,

although the weapons have not been clearly described or defined.

• Have been reported as humanoid silhouettes, shapeless masses, or dark mists

• Movement is described as initially slow, and then lightening quick

• Are usually attached or drawn to one particular person or place

• Have been associated with smells such as sulfur, rotten eggs, or decaying flesh

• Can sometimes appear as animals, such as "shadow-cats"

• Animals are said to react violently to the presence of shadow figures

• Have personalities ranging from timid and wary to downright nasty

• Have been identified as pranksters, toying with human emotion for entertainment

(ex: pulling down the covers when a person is in bed)

Shadow people are said to differ from ghosts and ghostly apparitions because, unlike

ghost sightings, shadow people cannot be described as having recognizable features or

manners of dress such as period clothing.

Now that we know their supposed character attributes, let's take a look at some of the

theories about where these shadow people come from:

• Demonic in source

• Spiritual representations of live people engaged in out-of-body experience, or

"astral-projections", the traveling souls of live humans

• Time travelers from the future whose technological time-travel techniques limit

them to shadow substance in our time

• Quantum leaps from "otherworlds" - beings from parallel dimensions, alternate

universes, who have found a way to transport between realms, such as elementals

• Aliens, of course

• Manifestations of negative energy

• Jinn, Dijinn, or Genies

• Guardian angels warning of impending doom

Which of these theories you believe can tie directly into your religious concepts. In order

to believe these beings are either demonic or angelic would require one to believe in

certain religious concepts such as God and Satan. To believe these are creatures crossing

between the veils separating dimensions, one would have to believe in faerie-lands and

otherworlds. The alien theory requires one to buy into inter-galactic travels, and if

leaning toward the Genie or Dijinn theory, then who uncorked the bottle or rubbed the

magic lamp, and why? None of these explanations offers a solid, tangible, logical,

scientific explanation for the origin of shadow figures. That's not to say shadow figures

don't exist, or that these theories are "wrong", but it does leave room for reasonable

doubt and most of these theories cannot be applied to humanity as a whole based on their

varied belief systems. However, there is a bit of rock-solid scientific evidence for where

these shadow figures might come from, and why they may not be paranormal pranksters

or peeping Toms.

Shadow people are most often reported as having been seen "out of the corner of the

eye", or through peripheral vision. Well, there's an explanation for how this could be

possible without being paranormal. There's a condition known as Pareidolia. Peripheral

vision is connected to the area of the brain that recognizes patterns, but provides less

detail to the brain than something seen in full view. In this circumstance, the brain

wrongly interprets patters of light and shadow. It reminds me of optical illusion artwork

where we're asked whether we see the face of an old woman, or a vase of flowers.

Another condition which could account for shadow figures scientifically versus

paranormally is called Hyponogogia, a form of waking sleep when dreams and reality

overlap one another. In this state, your body is awake and your mind is attuned to your

physical surroundings, but at the same time, the dream-state drapes over that reality,

blending fact and fiction.

Neurological factors could explain many shadow people encounters.

In addition to these physical, psychological, and neurological contributions to the

existence of shadow figures, there's also the consideration of electromagnetic fields.

Electromagnetic fields have been suggested to influence the human brain, causing

"misfires" of information and hallucinations. Maybe you're not encountering a shadow

figure at all, but instead, are sitting or standing in an electromagnetic "hot spot".

Of course, then there's the obvious. If you've just smoked a fatty, popped a pill, or

downed a pint of Vodka, chances are, what you saw was NOT paranormal, but

chemically induced.

Most reports of shadow figures can be explained away by these scientific or logical

explanations; most... but not all. This leaves room to believe in the possibility that amidst

the ample false reports, some encounters may actually be true.

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