Monsters Among Us – Season 20, Episode 14: Men in Black, Visitations from the Beyond & Entity with Vortex Eyes

Release Date: November 27, 2025
Host: Derek Hayes
Podcast Flavor: True, first-person paranormal stories curated and introduced by host Derek Hayes, featuring atmospheric narration and incisive commentary.

Episode Overview

This Thanksgiving special episode of Monsters Among Us unlocks two "Beyond" segments from previous aftershows, featuring listener-submitted stories of the paranormal. From chilling encounters with shadowy entities and emotional visitations from the recently departed to brushes with legendary Men in Black and unexplained aerial phenomena, the episode weaves together eerily personal and sometimes uplifting accounts sure to haunt listeners over the holiday. Derek Hayes interjects with empathy, skepticism, and just the right sense of spook.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. Sabrina’s Entity with Vortex Eyes (California)

[03:24–11:09]

• Sabrina shares her lifelong ability to sense entities, describing a recent nighttime encounter: a calm, cloaked female spirit at the foot of her bed, resembling moonlight, and a darker, male silhouette crouched above her bedroom door, wearing a bowler hat and banging his head.
• Recalling her journals, Sabrina connects this entity to a vivid, years-old lucid dream: a shadowy man in a hat and suit with vortex-like, red swirling eyes. In the dream, the man conveys cryptic encouragement and wisdom about her emotional healing.
• The dream left such a mark that she took it to therapy and sketched what she remembered.
• Sabrina is comforted, not fearful, and curious about the crossover between dreams, visitations, and the experiences of other listeners.

Notable Quote:

“His eyes were like red swirls or vortexes... It just felt like he had some sort of wisdom to impart to me... He says, ‘Ah, yes, you are aware of your mistakes. You are happy now. Well done... you are moving on.’”
— Sabrina, [08:12]

Host Insight:
Hayes remarks on “an entity with vortexes for eyes” as a unique addition and muses about the borderlands between dream, hallucination, and supernatural encounter.

2. Katie’s Haunted House & The Bad Man in the Closet (Wisconsin)

[13:28–22:37]

• Katie details escalating paranormal events centering around her youngest daughter:
  • Her daughter conversed with her deceased grandmother (“Nana”) whom she’d never met.
  • Nightly terror over a “bad man” in her closet—a tall, dark figure in a hat (echoing the Hat Man archetype).
  • Poltergeist-like activity: heavy boxes moving themselves downstairs, camping gear mysteriously thrown from storage rafters.
  • Scratches on both Katie’s own arm and her daughter’s face—three long red marks, appearing while awake.
• Desperate, Katie calls in a local pastor for a blessing. The family moves out, after which disturbances stop (though her daughter continues experiencing spiritual sensitivities).

Notable Quote:

“She would scream and scream... ‘The bad man's in my closet. The bad man's in my closet. He’s coming out.’”
— Katie, [15:32]

Host Commentary:
Hayes shares a childhood anecdote of his own mother deploying “monster spray,” reflecting on its placebo effect—then somberly notes that physical harm elevates things “beyond the power of any monster spray on the market.”

3. Paranormal News: The Annabelle Doll & the Death of Dan Rivera

[24:54–25:30]

• Hayes covers a true-crime news item making waves: Dan Rivera, a noted paranormal investigator and handler of the infamous Annabelle doll, dies suddenly.
• He expresses condolences and skepticism—drawing a line between pop-culture “haunted dolls” and authentic unexplained phenomena.

Host’s Take:

“It doesn’t sound like there’s been any actual connection made between the doll and Dan’s death... I’m not a big believer in the Annabelle doll or anything the Warrens were involved in for that matter.”
— Derek Hayes, [25:30]

4. James’ Australian USO/UAP Encounter

[26:44–33:39]

• James recalls seeing a mysterious craft from his Sydney home in 2011: pulsating blue, red, and white lights “swimming” silently through thick bushland for five minutes, with no associated disturbance or sound.
• Not an aircraft, drone, or fire vehicle; he describes it as a low-level, hovering “unknown aerial phenomenon.”
• The object vanishes by seemingly “turning off.”

Notable Quote:

“It was swimming, meandering through the tree line... no sound, but a very intense, bright light... As soon as it was there, as it appeared, it quickly ended. It almost just turned off and was gone, never to be seen again.”
— James, [28:39]

Host Theory:
Hayes speculates about a kite rigged with LEDs, but acknowledges the story’s classic UAP ambiguity.

5. Christina’s Dual Family Hauntings & Men in Black Visitation

[34:50–38:18]

• Christina retells two family stories from Indiana:
  • Her grandmother’s encounter: after disturbing items in an attic, the new bedroom is beset by noises; one morning, a chilling, disembodied voice “Sharon, look at me” keeps her grandma frozen until her daughter interrupts.
  • A Men in Black encounter: her great-grandfather—living rurally—receives late-night knocks from two men in black suits and a woman in a long black dress; all three are hovering, footless, and beckon him by name, “Chet, we’re waiting on you. It’s time to go.”
• The Men in Black return later that night, prompting an immediate house hunt.

Notable Quote:

“He noticed that they didn’t have any feet. They were floating... ‘Chet, we’re waiting on you. It’s time to go.’”
— Christina, [37:47]

Host Context:
Hayes links this to Albert K. Bender’s classic 1953 Men in Black experience, emphasizing the motif of floating, shadowy figures delivering menacing messages to targeted individuals.

6. Joe’s Family Home Haunting, Trickster Spirits, and Ghosts of Loved Ones

[41:28–47:00]

• Joe discusses the death of his brother (Dallas) and mom, followed by a flurry of odd events in his lifelong Oklahoma home.
  • Dogs barking at unseen visitors.
  • Smart TV and computer turning on around 2–3 a.m., for no apparent electrical reason.
  • A “trickster” spirit and a “little girl ghost” in blue, seen out of the corner of the eye; since his mother’s passing, this shadow child sticks to the hallway.
• Joe’s wife, sensitive to spirits, refuses to cleanse their own home (a family tradition), but would intervene if harm befell any animal or person.

Host Reflection:
Hayes notes the “rascal” nature of Joe’s mother, “even in death,” and the bittersweet comfort that comes from still feeling deceased loved ones “around.”

7. Crystal’s Visitation from ‘Uncle Scotty’

[48:19–58:43]

• Crystal recounts experiences in a small Indiana duplex after the suspicious death of her ex’s cousin (“Uncle Scotty”).
  • Poltergeist activity: bathtub cup falls at night, unexplained kitchen cabinet doors standing open, toilet seats slammed down.
  • Her young son reports happily playing and racing cars—with “Uncle Cotti,” as he called him—after being overheard talking to “someone” while playing upstairs.
  • A persistent carpet stain appears after a water heater leak—shaped like an “S,” for Scotty.
• After moving, activity ends, but the story lends a touching afterlife perspective.

Notable Quote:

“I’m just playing with Uncle Cotti... we was jumping on the bed and I jumped higher than he did... but he said he can’t race because you’re here now.”
— Crystal’s son, via Crystal, [56:31]

Host Reaction:
Hayes highlights stories like this as “help mak[ing] it a little bit easier” to lose a loved one.

8. Anonymous: Supportive Presence Beside the Bed

[60:41–69:28]

• Anonymous describes sensing a benign presence—possibly connected to her great aunt Zona’s bed frame—standing by her bed, radiating concern and support during hard times.
• The presence seems to multiply around her bed, each figure fainter than the last.
• Over time, as life improves, the feeling wanes. Finally, offering “freedom” to the entity (“If you’re stuck here, you are free to leave, but you can return if you wish”), she never feels it again.
• Expresses both gratitude and a tinge of loss.

Notable Quote:

“I want you to know that I free you... I hope that you find the most beautiful next chapter you can possibly experience. I never felt it again. There was a part of me that really wanted to be like, ‘Oh wait, I miss you.’”
— Anonymous, [67:13]

Host Commentary:
Hayes praises the gentle, positive nature of the experience and the dignified way the caller handled it, but reminds: even sweet-seeming spirits can sometimes turn, so “keep your guard up.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Derek Hayes (on real vs. spectral threats):

  “The living are far more dangerous than the dead.”
  [11:09]

• Derek Hayes (on ‘monster spray’):

  “When this entity starts scratching your children, I think that’s beyond the power of any monster spray on the market. That’s something you kill with fire, as they say, but it’s harrowing stuff.”
  [22:25]

• James (on UAP encounter):

  “It lasted for a good maybe five minutes... Not a plane, not a drone, not a helicopter... It was almost like snaking its way through. As soon as it was there, as it appeared, it quickly ended.”
  [29:17]

• Christina (on Men in Black):

  “He noticed that they didn’t have any feet. They were floating. The men said, ‘Come on, Chet, we’re waiting on you. It’s time to go.’”
  [37:47]

• Anonymous (releasing the entity):

  “If you happen to be locked in here in some way, I want you to know that I free you... When you leave, I hope you find the most beautiful next chapter you can possibly experience. I never felt it again.”
  [67:13]

Structure & Tone

• Tone: Conversational, sincere, sometimes unsettling, but often compassionate or even comforting. Hayes’ “keep it spooky!” sign-off embodies the show’s spirit—curious, community-minded, and just irreverent enough to lighten the darkest tales.
• Listener Engagement: Stories are delivered in their own words, often raw and emotionally candid. Derek Hayes provides context, reflection, and sometimes gentle skepticism.
• Recurring Themes: The permeability of dream and waking states, “family hauntings,” the universality of fearing (and missing) the departed, and the way supernatural experiences center around times of transition or emotional upheaval.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:24] – Sabrina’s entity with vortex eyes
• [13:28] – Katie’s haunted house & the bad man
• [24:54] – Annabelle Doll handler news story
• [26:44] – James’ Australian USO/UAP encounter
• [34:50] – Christina’s Men in Black & family hauntings
• [41:28] – Joe: Trickster spirits, family ghosts
• [48:19] – Crystal: Visitation from ‘Uncle Scotty’
• [60:41] – Anonymous: Supportive presence by the bed

Keep it spooky, drive safe, and remember: sometimes, the strangest stories are the ones closest to home.