Monsters Among Us: Season 20, Episode 1

A Veil of Darkness Volume 4: The Shadow People Files

Host: Derek Hayes | Date: October 14, 2025

Overview

The 20th season premiere of Monsters Among Us dives into its fourth volume of chilling “Shadow People Files,” centering on first-hand accounts of encounters with mysterious shadow-like entities—figures often described as malevolent, elusive, or harbingers of misfortune. Host Derek Hayes serves up a series of listener voicemails, each recounting unsettling brushes with shadow people, the infamous Hat Man, and other dark apparitions. Themes of grief, forerunners of doom, sleep paralysis, and even shadowy interventions with pets thread through these real-life tales.

Episode Structure & Key Discussion Points

1. Introduction: The Shadow People Files Return

• Derek Hayes ([01:32]) reflects on the challenges of producing special episodes, introduces the Shadow People as tonight’s focus, and notes the self-sustaining terror of these stories.
  • Quote: "There’s one subject in my mind that fits both of those descriptors. The entities we’ll be covering…are super spooky, and there’s not much to be said about them that I haven’t already. In other words, the stories sort of speak for themselves."
• Atmosphere: Hayes mentions writing the episode by his aquarium’s light, enhancing the episode’s reflective and eerie tone.

2. Story Highlights

Wesley’s Luminous Visitation – “Ceiling Light and the Phantom Figure”

• Location: Parts Unknown ([03:48])
• Story: At age 12, Wesley sees a bright blue light and a tall, featureless figure investigating his fish tank at night. His mother later confirms seeing an unusual light and feeling compelled not to check on him further, urged by an inexplicable voice.
• Themes:
  • Shared family experience, mother’s intuition
  • Light as a motif in shadow encounters
  • Grief & podcast listener support
• Quote:
  • Wesley ([06:48]): "You continue to help and I really appreciate this. This is a great thing that you’re doing."
• Host commentary:
  • Derek finds it unsettling that Wesley’s mother complied with a voice telling her not to check on her child.

Alaric’s Hat Man in the Mirror – “The Watcher in the Farmhouse”

• Location: Cleburne, Texas ([09:39])
• Story: Recalling his youth in an 1800s farmhouse, Alaric describes seeing a six-foot-tall shadow figure—wide-brimmed hat and all—appear beside him and reflected in a mirror. Follow-up sightings include a shadow in an upstairs window.
• Themes:
  • Persistent feeling of being watched
  • The recurring “Hat Man” motif
  • Mirrors as portals/conduits for apparitions
• Quote:
  • Alaric ([11:49]): "I saw my shadow, and…I saw that same six-foot figure…with a large, wide-brimmed hat on."
• Host commentary:
  • Derek notes, “Watched by a shadow figure. That’s not something I would like to experience.”

Brandon’s Ohio Woods Shadow – “Black Figure by the Creek”

• Location: Canton, Ohio ([14:39])
• Story: As kids, Brandon and friends spot an unnaturally black, textureless figure across a creek in sunlit woods. Attempts to interact (throwing rocks) fail; later a friend sees a humanoid shape dash across a trail.
• Themes:
  • Outdoor/woodland shadow entities
  • Childhood perceptions vs. later understanding
  • Creature is “blacker than black,” defying normal shadow physics
• Quote:
  • Brandon ([15:29]): "It was, like, straight black, like, no texture, no detail, and then no depth…"
  • Derek ([17:23]): "I do like that you chucked a few rocks at it, though, Brandon. I’m not sure that that was a smart move…"
• Host commentary: Admires the curiosity but warns of potential consequences.

Mackenzie’s Garden Omen – “Figures Before a Loss”

• Location: Washington State ([18:14])
• Story: Living in a yurt, Mackenzie encounters a blacker-than-night, two-person silhouette near a tree planted for a deceased partner. The night after, her mother dies tragically.
• Themes:
  • Shadow people as forerunners or omens
  • Grief and interpretation of the paranormal
  • Non-human explanations of comfort
• Quote:
  • Mackenzie ([19:19]): "There was a horrible accident and my mom died at work."
  • Derek ([19:45]): "What if they're harbingers of doom? Part of the paranormal phenomena of forerunners… Predictors of peril, a warning system that something bad is about to go down."

Brad’s Family Doppelganger and the Dog – “Who Let Rhea In?”

• Location: Hopewell, Virginia ([21:40])
• Story: On his birthday, Brad and friend Ricky witness a silhouette on the porch, lights flicker on/off, and somehow his dog appears inside—though all humans are accounted for and should have been asleep. Grandma later claims she heard them laughing and playing games inside, though they were outside at the time.
• Themes:
  • Shadow entity manipulation of environment (e.g., lights)
  • Possible “bilocation” or doppelganger phenomena (audio and visual confusion)
  • Pets involved in paranormal episodes
• Quote:
  • Brad ([25:11]): "Who let Ray in? Who was in my room laughing? Who did we see on the porch staring dead at us when everybody else was asleep? I don’t know."
  • Derek ([26:28]): "Shadow man turning on the lights. That might be a new one for me."

3. Additional Accounts – Unsettling Incidents and New Twists

Josh – Shadow Bust by the Bed

• Location: Austin, Texas ([28:03])
• Story: Sick in bed but awake, Josh sees a hazy, profound darkness shaped like a human bust hovering beside him. He moves and the shape vanishes. Makes a humorous observation about “just going back to sleep.”
• Themes:
  • Shadow person during vulnerable, ill state
  • Sleep-panic vs. genuine dread
• Quote:
  • Josh ([29:43]): "It was just there for a few seconds right above me… I blinked and it went away. And then I just kind of went back to sleep…"

Anonymous Call from Montreal – Classic Hat Man on the Stairs

• Location: Chatham, Ontario ([32:35])
• Story: Teen sees a tall, broad figure with a wide-brimmed hat and trench coat fill the doorframe after the sound of deliberate footsteps up a creaky staircase. Family confirms they were all asleep; caller’s fever had passed.
• Themes:
  • Auditory approaches heightening anticipation
  • Shared Hat Man archetype (wide-brimmed headgear, trench coat, no face)
• Quote:
  • Caller ([37:23]): "My door frame was filled with this tall, broad dark human shaped figure… blotted out the white poster behind it from my view."
  • Derek ([40:01]): "Do you think the ancient prophecies are true? That a dose of cold medication Nyquil will usher you to a realm where the Hat Man lurks?"

Hallie – Horned Shadow During Sleep Paralysis

• Location: Arizona ([40:48])
• Story: In a sleep-paralysis state, Hallie hears stomping, then sees a 6ft-tall horned shadow form with animal features enter the room. She calms herself, the being vanishes, and she later questions if anyone else has seen similar forms.
• Themes:
  • Horned shadow beings (unusual detail)
  • Fuzzy line between sleep paralysis hallucination and unexplained encounter
• Quote:
  • Hallie ([42:23]): "It had horns, like really wide horns, which was super strange… It was all just in shadow…"
  • Derek ([44:20]): "What is the deal with the horns? ... Perhaps the Hat Man wears a hat to cover up those horns."

Gracie – Demonic Procession, Angelic Rescue (Sleep Paralysis?)

• Location: Thousand Oaks, California ([45:25])
• Story: Gracie is paralyzed in her childhood room as it transforms into a marble hall, with a demonic procession and three black, pointy-hooded figures. Overwhelming dread turns into release when a white, angel-like figure appears and saves her. She emphasizes the realness vs. dreamlike nature.
• Themes:
  • Overlapping themes of demonic entities, angels
  • Out-of-body/liminal experiences
  • Sleep paralysis with hyper-real characteristics

Savannah – Shared Encounters and Confrontation

• Location: San Diego, CA ([48:47])
• Story: Over a decade, Savannah, her dog, sister, and eventually, her skeptical father all encounter a tall shadow figure in their 1950s-1980s hybrid house. After her father openly confronts the entity, demanding it leave and not harm her soon-to-be-born child, sightings and sensations abruptly stop.
• Themes:
  • Multi-witness, cross-generational experiences
  • Pets’ sensitivities to supernatural presences
  • Confrontation and boundary-setting as solution
• Quote:
  • Savannah ([52:32]): "He is very tall, well over 6ft... He never did anything. I would just see him walk across the living room."
  • "[My dad said:] You are not going to touch that baby…And ever since then…we have not seen anything."

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Speaker)

• Derek Hayes ([01:32]): "The show must go on…It just so happens that we're due for another visit with this phenomena."
• Wesley ([06:48]): "You continue to help and I really appreciate this."
• Alaric ([11:49]): "I saw that same six-foot figure…but I think it was possibly…a shadow man because it had a large, wide-brimmed hat on."
• Brandon ([15:29]): "It was, like, straight black, like, no texture, no detail, and then no depth."
• Mackenzie ([19:19]): "The next morning, there was a horrible accident and my mom died at work."
• Brad ([25:11]): "Who let Ray in? Who was in my room laughing? Who did we see on the porch staring dead at us when everybody else was asleep?"
• Josh ([29:43]): "It was just there for a few seconds right above me... I blinked and it went away. And then I just kind of went back to sleep."
• Anonymous, Montreal ([37:23]): "My door frame was filled with this tall broad dark human shaped figure…"
• Hallie ([42:23]): "It had horns, like really wide horns, which was super strange."
• Gracie ([45:25]): "I felt I was meeting the devil and he was calling me in... For a second I wanted to go to him."
• Savannah ([52:32]): "He is very tall, well over 6ft... He never did anything. I would just see him walk across the living room."

Main Patterns & Theories

• Hat Man Archetype: Recurs in different settings and geographies; often perceived as male, tall, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and sometimes a trench coat.
• Mirrors and Portals: Mirror placement (often culturally or superstitiously intended to block spirits) seems connected to certain sightings.
• Sleep and Vulnerability: Many accounts take place during illness, sleep, or sleep paralysis—heightened states of vulnerability.
• Shadow People as Harbingers: In some cases, such as Mackenzie’s, shadow figures precede tragic events, entering folkloric territory as forerunners or omens.
• Pets as Witnesses: Animals, especially dogs, react strongly to these entities, reinforcing the idea something tangible is present.
• Multiple Witnesses and Shared Experiences: Numerous callers recounted family or friends noting the same entity, or classic “group illusion” phenomena.
• Confrontation and Banishing: Deliberate confrontation—setting boundaries out loud—sometimes coincided with shadow activity ceasing.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Description | Timestamp | |---------|-------------|-----------| | Introduction & Theme | Derek sets the episode’s tone | 01:32 | | Wesley’s Story | Luminous shadow and family confirmation | 03:48–07:00 | | Alaric’s Story | Hat Man in the farmhouse, mirror encounter | 09:39–13:14 | | Brandon’s Story | Black figure in Ohio woods | 14:39–17:23 | | Mackenzie’s Story | Twin silhouette before family tragedy | 18:14–19:42 | | Brad’s Story | Porch shadow, dog anomaly in Virginia | 21:40–26:28 | | Josh’s Story | Shadow bust during sickness in Texas | 28:03–30:49 | | Montreal Caller | Classic Hat Man, creaky stair encounter | 32:35–40:01 | | Hallie’s Story | Horned shadow, sleep paralysis in AZ | 40:48–44:20 | | Gracie’s Story | Demonic sleep vision, angelic rescue | 45:25–47:59 | | Savannah’s Story | Family-wide sightings, dog warns, confrontation | 48:47–56:50 |

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is nostalgic, eerie, and personal—rooted in the direct, sometimes confessional style of callers, interwoven with Derek’s reflective, wry but respectful commentary. Derek’s own asides (“Don’t even get me started on what might happen if you look into a mirror…”) add levity, while also amplifying the underlying dread.

Conclusion

Episode S20 E1 offers a compelling cross-section of modern shadow people folklore: stories of darkness, boundaries, and the persistence of the unexplained. From glowing room-filling lights to horned shadows and mirrored phantoms, the tales reflect deep human encounters with the unknown—whether as a shared hallucination, paranormal phenomena, or an expression of collective fears. Derek Hayes leaves listeners with more questions than answers, but also a sense of kinship (“keep it spooky!”) for all who dwell on the shadowy edge between waking and dream.

For the full effect, listen with the lights out—but keep a mirror pointed away, just in case.