While it is true that we have all experienced a nightmare to one degree or another in our
lifetime, night terrors are something else entirely.
Hello everyone.
My name is Blue, and welcome to The Grim Gallery.
Defined as feelings of great fear that are experienced on suddenly waking in
the night, night terrors are no laughing matter.
They are typically known to occur at the third or fourth stage of non-REM sleep.
They are so intense, they are often confused with nightmares and vice-versa.
Perhaps the most chilling detail about night terrors, is how little we know about them
to this day.
The Hat Man is described as a shadowy entity that appears to victims in the night, staring
and watching for an unknown reason.
He is most commonly reported to appear before individuals who are not in a fully functional
state of mind- like when, such as when they are in the middle of sleeping or growing exhausted
late at night.
Many reports have been made about The Hat Man, and each vary in the story by which he
appears to them, however one thing that all victims who have encountered this mysterious
shadowy entity can agree upon, is the visual appearance of the figure.
Whether appearing to them at the foot of their bed, or at the end of a dark hallway, The
Hat Man has been described as a large and intimidating presence, standing on two legs,
with thin wide shoulders, wearing a trench coat and a long-brimmed hat.
As he seems to be perpetually shrouded in darkness, the only description of the entity’s
skin color is a deep shadowy black, unmoving.
Many people who have encountered the phenomenon known as The Hat Man and have been caught
in its deadly stare have reported seeing two terrible red eyes glowing from within the
darkness, below a distinct hat shape.
He isn’t known to speak, but rather, simply stands there, regardless of whether the victim
has been alerted to his presence or not- and just stares.
Those who have encountered this phenomenon are most often reported to having woken up
in the middle of night to find the shadowy presence standing in their bedroom, sometimes
in the corner, other times at the foot or side of their bed.
One thing seems to stay true for all victims regardless of the encounter, they have experienced
an overwhelming sense of dread in the presence of The Hat Man.
So who or what is this mysterious uninvited guest that seems to haunt countless people
the world over?
Not much is known factually about The Hat Man.
A google search on the phenomenon yields mostly personal accounts and individuals who wish
to share their stories on blogs and on video websites such as YouTube.
There are few lengthy accounts on The Hat Man, and even a book that has been written
on the subject.
There is also a survival-horror game emulating an encounter with the phenomenon, which has
been made popular by some of YouTube’s biggest gaming channels, the likes of which include
Pewdiepie and Markiplier.
Based on the research and experiences of paranormal investigators, it is speculated that The Hat
Man may have something to do with the similar anomaly of shadow people- entities that are
like ghosts, but are believed to have never been alive to begin with.
The presence of shadow people has also been reported to cause dread in victims, as if
draining the life from them.
Accounts regarding shadow people often liken them to malevolent and sinister manifestations
of evil that possess no other purpose than to cause harm in the weak and defenseless.
They have an ominous and beckoning presence about them.
While some investigators and writers have theorized that The Hat Man may be related
to shadow people and yet another phenomenon known as The Men In Black, many believers
of The Shadow Man- most often those who have first-hand experience with the entity, believe
him to be a manifestation of The Devil himself.
This might not be too far of a stretch, considering that shadow people have been speculated to
be “fallen angels”, doomed to swarm the Earth in shadow until the end of days.
In any case, The Hat Man is one entity that would be best left to the accounts of others.
On April 21, 2011, a YouTube user by the name of Careyspinaze uploaded a video in which
he recounted his personal encounter with The Hat Man.
In it he describes waking up in the middle of the night to find the silhouette of a dark
man standing in his bedroom.
He recalls thinking at the time that what he was seeing couldn’t have been possible
as he had securely locked up his residence with a deadbolt and believed that whatever
it was couldn’t have been real.
He acknowledges that the accounts of the internet have described The Hat Man as having a paralyzing
effect on its victims, and that he simply didn’t move as he had chosen not to- opting
instead to watch the mysterious entity before him.
During this time, he explained that while although he was unable to see any facial features
in the darkness, he could feel that the figure was staring at him, watching, filling him
with what he described as a mild sensation of dread.
He explains that after about 20 seconds had transpired, the figure shifted to the side
of the room, but that it wasn’t like a sidestep.
Rather he described the movement as being reminiscent of when a video glitches.
Carey rolled over to his side, having chosen to dismiss the figure as a night terror and
late night hallucination.
That’s when he noticed in the periphery of his vision, the darkness of the entity,
which was now standing at the edge of his bed, looming over him.
He immediately rolled over to face the entity when it suddenly vanished in a shroud of darkness,
and it was the last time he saw The Hat Man.
He would keep silent about it for about a year until seeing other personal accounts
on the internet that were chillingly similar to his own.
This motivated him to share his story in his first uploaded video to YouTube.
Towards the end of the video, he requests for those viewing to share their experiences
with The Hat Man in the comments section, in the hopes of understanding more about the
entity should it ever visit him again, claiming that he will post a follow-up video.
As of the date that this episode of The Grim Gallery was uploaded, the user still has yet
to upload a follow-up video or any other videos for that matter.
So, is The Hat Man real, or is he just the product
of decades-worth of storytelling and closely related accounts of paranoia and fear late
in the night?
One thing is certain: The Hat Man is made very real by the fear that the very thought
of his presence instills.
Regardless of whether he’s really been seen or not, he is made real by the fear he instills
in those that talk about him.
Whether you choose to believe or not is entirely up to you, however the world is a dark and
mysterious place and there is evermore an infinite plethora of the world for us to explore.
Remember: though we may fear the unknown, we live everyday to learn and understand these
fears, and through this, we may hopefully gain a better insight into ourselves.
Thanks for watching and goodnight.