Monsters Among Us – Season 20, Episode 36: "Lasers from the Sky, a Flying Humanoid, and Several Shadow Entities"

Original Air Date: February 26, 2026
Host: Derek Hayes

Overview

This episode of Monsters Among Us explores a riveting array of paranormal encounters, all told by the witnesses themselves. From eerie Victorian estate sale hauntings and mass shadow entity sightings, to mysterious green lasers bathing homes and possible Mothman-like creatures in the Utah skies, host Derek Hayes curates a chilling motif of the unexplained. The atmosphere is classic MAU: nostalgia-tinged, community-driven, and infused with Derek’s signature blend of open-minded skepticism and spooky enthusiasm.

Key Discussion Points & Witness Reports

1. Victorian Estate Sale Haunting — Redlands, CA

• Time Stamp: 03:23
• Witness: Tracy (now in Texas, recounting experience in Redlands, CA)
• Summary:
  • While browsing an estate sale in a beautiful Victorian home, Tracy encounters a polite woman with a delicate, accented voice admiring artwork in the third-floor sunroom.
  • After responding in conversation, Tracy turns to find no one present and detects a lingering, flowery perfume “typical of a young lady in the 1800s.” (05:20)
  • The estate agent says others have reported similar experiences; the spirit is believed to be an artist who died in the Spanish flu pandemic.
• Notable Quote:
  “I smelt a very light, flowery scent, like a woman's perfume that I would imagine would be typical for a young lady in the 1800s… I didn’t feel like whoever had spoke to me was bad… she was the artist of some of the paintings... and tragically passed away of the Spanish flu.” — Tracy (07:15)

2. Shadow Entities & Doppelganger Activity – Multiple Callers

Michael, New Hampshire (Shadow Figure in Apartment)

• Time Stamp: 12:09
• Michael sees a shadowy figure resembling his girlfriend walk past the bathroom, only to find her asleep in bed; days later, she sees a featureless, flesh-colored face peeking around a corner, thinking it’s Michael.
  “She saw a face. Flesh colored, but no defining features, like peeking around the wall.” — Michael (13:25)
• Michael and his girlfriend do not experience further activity after moving.

Will, Parts Unknown (Group of Shadow People)

• Time Stamp: 15:25
• Will’s mother witnesses a group of semi-transparent shadow people walking down the stairs and out the front door, while hearing murmuring.
• Multiple residents and visitors experience odd phenomena: bedroom doors opening on their own, sense of dread, shadow people viewed from the landing, bed impressions, and even a shadow figure beckoning from the bed.
• A friend’s mother later sees the same procession after moving in years later.
• Memorable Moment:
  “She saw a group of shadow people walking down the hallway and walking down the stairs and walk right out the front door... she could also hear mumbling.” — Will (15:57)

3. The Squirrel That Fell — Glomora, Louisiana

• Time Stamp: 20:29
• Witness: Dan
• At age 15, Dan wants more time with his dad and grandpa on a squirrel hunt. He jokingly “aims” at an empty spot; a squirrel suddenly drops dead-center before them, without a bullet hole or visible cause.
• Dan wonders if coincidence, fright, or something stranger helped him out, noting the near impossibility of its timing and manner of appearance.
• Notable Quote:
  “There was no bullet hole in it. Did it die of a heart attack?... Did an eagle or hawk happen to drop a catch right at the moment I needed a squirrel?” — Dan (23:13)

4. UFOs, Lasers, and Humming Lights — Bloomington, CA

• Time Stamp: 26:59
• Witness: Julie
• Late at night, Julie hears a deep, humming tone rising in intensity, followed by a “bright green light” flooding the living room through thick curtains.
• She’s paralyzed with terror; after the sound and light subside, her family denies experiencing anything odd.
• Julie concludes it was not sleep paralysis due to her mobility and agency.
• Notable Quote:
  “As soon as I saw this light and the color, it was so clearly unnatural, I started to really get scared... this is not natural. This is something completely out of the norm.” — Julie (28:10)
• Host’s Analysis: Derek connects the event to reports of green “lidar” mapping lasers from survey jets (33:00), but leaves open the possibility of something more mysterious, logging similar nationwide sightings.

5. Pale Face in the Fireplace — McDonough, GA

• Time Stamp: 35:25
• Witness: Rebecca (now Virginia)
• Details local train disaster folklore before recounting her own teenage experience:
  • Alone in a friend’s 1900s home, Rebecca feels “a shiver” and an internal warning: “If you don’t turn and look, it will touch you.”
  • She sees a white, expressionless face with empty eye sockets and a slack mouth inside an unlit fireplace, vanishing after a split second.
• The friend confirms others in the family have encountered “something” in the house.
• Memorable Quote:
  “I feel like there was this voice or something in my brain that went: ‘If you don’t turn and look, it will touch you.’” — Rebecca (38:05)

6. Hospital Haunting – St. Paul's, Vancouver, BC

• Time Stamp: 44:48
• Witness: Laura
• Alone post-surgery in a maternity ward, Laura is awoken by a gentle nun who advises her to freshen up before surgery.
• Upon mentioning the nun to the nurse, she’s told that no nuns work in the hospital, but that her visitation matches tales of a kindly ghost.
• Memorable Quote:
  “She said to me, 'Laura, it’s time to get up...’ The nurse said, ‘There are no nuns that are at this hospital, or that work at this hospital.’” — Laura (46:16, 47:19)

7. Cemetery Visitation — Cincinnati, OH

• Time Stamp: 48:56
• Witness: Brad
• While at a grief support meeting in the historic Spring Grove Cemetery, a heavy outside door violently opens immediately as someone discusses “visitations” from loved ones. The group, startled, joke about possible spirit activity.
• Derek muses that context can turn mundane events into possible paranormal ones.

8. Flying Humanoid — Spanish Fork, Utah

• Time Stamp: 51:57
• Witness: Anonymous (regarding brother/cousins' sighting, 2009)
• Three teens see a massive, backlit, man-shaped figure with huge wings flying overhead late at night; they are terrified and immediately flee indoors.
• Derek points to similar regional reports, including a sighting in Salina (2013) where witnesses saw a “flying humanoid” with abnormally narrow wings and “three toes.” Historic reports from 1903 also describe winged monsters in the region, and Derek notes local petroglyphs depict strange, buglike, winged figures.
• Notable Quote:
  “You have that much confidence that what you’re seeing actually has a human-like figure and is that large... nothing like that around here.” — Anonymous (53:57)

9. Secret Entry (Patreon Exclusive Teaser): Child Ghost Laughter — Oregon

• Time Stamp: 65:49
• Witness: Sam (Idaho, recalling Oregon)
• As teens, Sam and his late friend Michael sneak into a graveyard and capture audio of what sounds like a young girl’s laughter. The clip is replayed and scrutinized by Derek for potential EVP evidence.
• The experience takes on greater emotional weight due to Michael’s passing in 2021, and Sam’s subsequent dream encounter with his friend.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the emotional tone of hauntings:
  “If you’re going to be haunted in a hospital, I think that’s the best kind of ghost to be haunted by.” — Derek, on Laura’s nurse/nun ghost (48:05)
• Reflecting community spookiness:
  “How many of you have had a strange experience at a garage sale, yard sale, estate sale, etc.—did you encounter a possible ghost like Tracy did?” — Derek (09:19)
• Encapsulating fear:
  “I was so frozen with fear in that moment that my first instinct was then to just hide and be as quiet and still as possible... I felt like prey that was just trying to act dead, almost.” — Julie (29:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Time Stamp | |-------------------------------------------|-------------| | Intro & Tracy’s Estate Sale Ghost | 02:46–08:55 | | Michael’s Shadow Figure | 12:09–14:41 | | Will’s Shadow People & Family Accounts | 15:25–18:51 | | Dan’s Squirrel Mystery | 20:29–24:09 | | Julie’s Laser/Light UFO Encounter | 26:59–31:35 | | Rebecca’s Fireplace Entity | 35:25–41:47 | | Laura’s Hospital Nun Ghost | 44:48–48:05 | | Brad’s Cemetery Door Incident | 48:56–51:05 | | Anonymous: Flying Humanoid in Utah | 51:57–56:04 | | Secret Entry – Child Laughter EVP | 65:49–68:29 |

Additional Context & Analysis

• Derek’s Commentary & Community Outreach: Throughout, Derek invites further stories from listeners, creating a patchwork of shared experience—always balancing the credulous with the scientific and historical (e.g., LIDAR explanation for Julie’s green lasers).
• Historical Connections: Tales are often linked to local tragedies or myths, such as McDonough’s Camp Creek train disaster and ancient petroglyphs.
• Signature Spooky Tone: The host maintains a warm, conversational atmosphere, with the right dose of humor and wonder:
  "Shadow person lying on the bed beckoning you closer? I did not have that on tonight’s bingo card." — Derek (18:51)

Conclusion

Episode S20 Ep36 is a textbook Monsters Among Us installment—rich with firsthand paranormal testimony, genuine fear and awe, and Derek Hayes’ inviting, reflective style. The episode covers a broad spectrum of phenomena: ghosts both gentle and terrifying, shadow entities in domestic spaces, inexplicable aerial presences, and the peculiar way that context makes the normal feel supernatural.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to peer into America’s haunted heartland—with all its quirks, local legends, and chilling "just one more thing" moments—this episode will leave your imagination sparking long after the outro fades.