Haunted Cosmos: Demon Dogs and The Hatman!

Podcast: Haunted Cosmos
Date: March 11, 2026
Hosts: Ben Garrett & Brian Sauvé
Guest: Thomas Desell

Episode Overview

In this episode of Haunted Cosmos’s “Graveyard Shift,” Ben and Brian welcome plumber and church member Thomas Desell, who shares a series of chilling and bizarre encounters from his traumatic childhood—a time marked by domestic turmoil and extraordinary paranormal activity. The trio delves into spectral canine apparitions, the infamous “Hatman,” and an unexplainable light phenomenon, mapping Thomas’s journey from skepticism to belief in the reality of spiritual warfare. The episode further explores the relationship between spiritual darkness in the home, demonic oppression, and how faith in Christ transforms one’s experience of the supernatural.

Key Discussion Points & Segment Breakdown

1. Introductions & Lighthearted Banter (00:48–08:36)

• Hosts Ben and Brian joke about podcast retention, Les Misérables impressions, and share a playful exchange about famous musicians, before introducing guest Thomas Desell.
• Thomas’s Background:
  • Apprentice plumber with a knack for “gross stories” from sewage work (04:14).
  • Converted from Islam to Christianity as a child (03:14–03:24).
  • Attends Refuge Church for 5–6 years.
• Icebreaker Questions:
  • Favorite plumbing jobs (grossest ones are best for storytelling, 04:14–04:41).
  • Narnia favorites: all three discuss which book is the most underrated, sharing affection for “The Magician’s Nephew,” “Horse and His Boy,” and “The Silver Chair” (06:02–08:01).
    • “Every time I’ve read it, I just can’t help but bawl when the nephew walks, knowing he could potentially lose his mother, but he’s just going to obey Aslan.” —Thomas (07:38)

2. Thomas’s Childhood Hauntings: Demon Dogs & The Dead Woman (09:06–16:14)

The House in West Valley

• Thomas, once a hardened skeptic of the paranormal, recounts a series of disturbing encounters in his childhood home, tying them to family dysfunction and the looming presence of his abusive, non-practicing Muslim father.
• Main Story—The Demon Dogs:
  • At age 3–4, Thomas sees three “undead, snarling Doberman-like dogs” at the foot of his bed and feels paralyzed with terror (12:32–13:14).
    • “Frozen in fear. Snarling dogs, feeling the heat of their breath at my feet.” —Thomas (13:04)
  • Tries to turn to his mother for comfort, only to find a corpse-like woman in her place (13:19).
    • “When I turned to grab my mom—it was an, it wasn’t undead, but it was like a dead woman. Like, fully dead. Not moving. And I was terrified.” —Thomas (13:19)
  • Experiences what seems to be a “bubble of sound” during the event; people in the house don’t notice or hear the commotion.
  • After this encounter, feels he can no longer sleep alone, and his sense of safety is irreparably damaged (14:14–15:15).
• Host Commentary:
  • The hosts draw parallels to classic sleep paralysis and hypnagogic phenomena but argue the events have real spiritual, not just psychological, weight (19:19–21:14).
    • “Even if that was true, that doesn’t mean that it’s not a real spiritual phenomenon.” —Brian (20:28)

3. The Hatman Incident(s) (24:02–37:42)

Fatima (“Fat Emma”), the Playground, and the Shadow Man

• Thomas’s older sister, Fatima/Fat Emma, encounters a sinister figure—a silent man in a hat, lurking behind a fence by the playground.
  • At first, she’s alone with Thomas, notices the man staring at her, then gets frightened when he “brandishes a knife...gleaming in the light” and chases them (25:39, 26:55, 30:43).
    • “She saw this man in a hat right behind a fence, just standing there and staring at her...and then he started running towards Emma, like, jumping the fence.” —Thomas (26:55, 30:43)
• Thomas’s brother, initially eager to “fight the hatman,” panics when confronted by the entity, especially as the figure pursues them aggressively, jumping a tall fence with unnatural speed.
• Disturbing recurrence: Thomas and siblings later see the Hatman again at night, with heightened aggression and the presence of a knife (30:43).
  • “He’s standing there, brandishing a knife in front of him, gleaming in the light...then started running towards Emma, jumping the fence.” —Thomas (30:43)
• Hatman Recurrence and Shadow Phenomena:
  • Thomas recounts seeing hat-wearing shadow figures in the corner of his eye, both in public (grocery stores) and when driving after moving away (37:55–38:57).
    • “I would see a dark figure in a hat, just, like, in a tree. Or at the edge of a house...maybe it was just my imagination, but maybe there was something to that—something lingering.” —Thomas (37:55)
• Host Insights:
  • Brian and Ben tie these manifestations to widespread shadow people/hatman lore, relating Thomas’s stories to other encounters involving scratches, strangulation, and facelessness (32:09–33:43).
    • “Strong streak of Hatman or black shadow person stories result in two things: scratches or strangulation.” —Brian (33:34)
  • Discussion of Utah’s unique spiritual landscape—marked by historical occult practices, Mormonism, and a lack of Christian spiritual cleansing (40:28–41:44).

4. Unexplained Light Phenomenon: In-House UFO? (41:44–47:12)

• Thomas recalls a final strange event: while his family is gathered in the kitchen, the lights begin changing wildly to multiple colors, and outside, a flying object displaying the same flashing colors streaks across the sky.
  • “Suddenly, the lights start changing different colors—reds, blues, greens...and we saw the same colors outside in the sky. We all saw it.” —Thomas (41:44)
  • Hosts bring in classic “missing time” and hypnotic phenomena from cases like Devil’s Den and Betty & Barney Hill, noting a “deep apathy” or sense of entrancement, with families moving on from the event without further discussion.

5. Transformation: Christian Deliverance and the End of Hauntings (47:17–53:22)

• After the family’s conversion to Christianity and departure from the oppressive home, Thomas experiences no further hauntings or spiritual oppression.
  • His stepfather teaches him to trust in Christ for protection:
    • “Now that we are a home of Christ ... I’m protected not just by him, but by God and his legion of angels.” —Thomas (48:51)
• Despite revisiting haunted locations as a teenager with friends, “nothing ever happens” when Thomas is present—a running joke, attributed by the hosts to the indwelling Holy Spirit acting as spiritual armor.
  • “Every time you come, nothing happens at all.” —Thomas’s friends (50:57)
  • “Jesus Christ is the Lord of spirits...Even my silliest, dumbest soldier is trying to go ghost hunting, I’m not going to let it work.” —Brian (50:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On conversion and baptism:
  • “I got baptized when I was 8, not knowing what I was doing. But I call that a paedo-baptism now.” —Thomas (03:29)
• On demonic events:
  • “It’s like this playground for the demons, where even a household and a family that’s supposed to be safe...can become the haunt in the wilderness.” —Ben (21:14)
• On Hatman lore
  • “He’s always got that hat. Where did he get that hat? Who’d he get it from? Did he lose a golden fiddle contest?” —Brian (33:58)
• On spiritual transformation:
  • “Nothing ever happens at all when you come.” —Thomas’s friends (50:57)
  • “That’s right. It’s the Holy Spirit.” —Brian (50:54)

Thematic Takeaways

• Spiritual reality is real and dangerous:
  Thomas’s journey from skepticism to faith is shaped powerfully by dark spiritual phenomena and later, by the peace only Christ provides.
• Household spiritual state matters:
  Persistent unrepentant sin and idolatry (Islam/Mormonism) correspond to more frequent and potent hauntings.
• Christians need not fear:
  While spiritual darkness is active, the victory of Christ breaks its power—a lesson Thomas experiences firsthand.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Icebreakers & Introductions — 00:48–08:36
• Backstory, Childhood Home, and Demon Dogs — 09:06–16:14
• Discussion: Sleep Paralysis, Skepticism, and Spiritual Warfare — 19:19–21:14
• Hatman Stories and Playground Encounters — 24:02–37:42
• Hatman and Shadow Figure Behavior/Analysis — 37:42–41:44
• UFO/Unexplainable Lights Story — 41:44–47:12
• Christian Transformation and End of Hauntings — 47:17–53:22

Final Thoughts & Closing

Brian (53:34):
“We hope these stories were fun, but more importantly, that you see the theme here—that the spiritual world is real; it’s not something to be trifled with, but it’s also, because of Christ, not a thing to be filled with existential fear of. …You come to Christ, repent of your sin, put your trust in Him, and you can have life in Him. He’s not just a good vibe, He’s literally the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in you.”

This rich and unnerving episode stands as both a campfire-style collection of firsthand hauntings and a faith-rooted meditation on the power and reality of spiritual warfare—providing both chills and hope.