Monsters Among Us – Season 20, Episode 5

Rocky Mountain High Strangeness: Tales from Colorado

Host: Derek Hayes
Date: October 28, 2025

Overview

This episode of Monsters Among Us is dedicated to eerie and unexplained stories from Colorado, blending the state’s backdrop of rugged Rocky Mountains with chilling first-hand accounts of the paranormal. Host Derek Hayes curates a series of calls ranging from ghostly apparitions and shadowy encounters to cryptids, black-eyed children, UFO sightings, and brushes with possible time glitches. Each tale showcases the distinctive strangeness of Colorado through the voices of those who experienced it.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Encounters with Shadow Figures and the Grim Reaper

• Lana’s Story (02:57–05:47)

  • At age 6 in a rough Colorado neighborhood, Lana saw a shadowy, black figure holding a scythe, beckoning her. Years later, she realized it matched depictions of the Grim Reaper.

    • Notable Quote (Lana, 04:03):
      “I saw this black figure, like, the shadow figure, and it was holding a scythe. And it was motioning for me to come towards it with its right hand."
    • Her mother dismissed the sighting, but Lana's later recognition of the figure left her with lasting chills.

  • Derek’s Commentary (05:47):
    “Now, I don’t know a lot about this subject, Lana, but I do know he’s not supposed to touch you. Or else you get the axe. Or in this case, maybe the scythe."

2. Cryptid Sightings in the Colorado Wilderness

• Fisher’s Tale (06:46–08:20)

  • While walking in the woods with a friend, Fisher and his companion both saw a tall, pale figure duck behind a tree, corroborated by both without prior discussion.

    • Notable Quote (Fisher, 07:46):
      “I saw a tall, pale figure duck behind a tree. And I said, ‘That’s exactly what I saw.’”

  • Derek’s Response (08:23):

    • Cites Colorado’s Bigfoot reports, but notes this creature was “pale white,” unlike classic descriptions.
    • References local cryptid lore: Slide Rock Bolter, Tommyknockers, Colorado Devil Ram, and Augerino.

3. Seances and Spectral Visions

• Alice’s Experience (10:21–13:38)

  • As a teenager in Washington, Alice and others performed a daytime seance; a heavy table levitated and, later, she saw human-shaped “smoky” ghosts floating up and down stairs.

    • Notable Quote (Alice, 12:06):
      “I looked over and there were ghosts floating up and down the stairs. They were kind of like cigarette smoke, swirly and all that, but more substantial.”

  • Derek’s Reflection (13:38):

    • Playfully suggests “Tonight would be a perfect night for a little seance,” and acknowledges the credibility such stories lend to the paranormal.

4. Physical Encounters with Ghosts

• Anonymous, Denver (15:35–18:39)

  • Alone at night, the caller twice felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Both instances occurred when her back was to the sink, with no one behind her.

    • Notable Moment (16:54): “There's a tap on my shoulders. And it was a very distinct tap, tap, tap.”

  • Derek’s Connection (18:39):

    • Jokes about his own unexplained “back spasms,” suggesting maybe it’s something more.

• Carlos, Denver (19:45–21:39)

  • While visiting a secluded mountain cemetery, Carlos’ wife found a warm, child-sized handprint on her leg—possibly the ghostly presence Carlos sensed while there.

    • Notable Quote (Carlos, 21:12):
      “We both looked at her leg and we were like, what is that? And it looked like a little handprint, like of a child or something.”

5. Ghostly Children in Cemeteries

• Katie, Parker (22:49–25:41)

  • During a pandemic-era night visit to a cemetery, Katie and her friend heard what sounded like children’s clapping. Later, they saw a multicolored ball of light rise from the trees and approach them before they ran away.

    • Notable Quote (Katie, 24:12): “We actually heard clapping... it sounded like children’s hands... And then we actually saw a ball, like a rainbow ball… coming up from the trees right at us.”

  • Derek’s Analysis (25:41):

    • Considers both ghost and UFO/UAP explanations. Notes that Colorado ranks 13th in the US for UFO sightings.

6. UFOs, Strange Lights, and Celestial Phenomena

• Sarah Colley, Denver (27:47–28:51)

  • Describes seeing 6–7 star-like lights, perfectly spaced and moving in a line before disappearing — a classic “Starlink satellites” sighting.

    • Notable Quote (Sarah, 28:13): “They were perfectly spaced in a perfectly straight line. And they were moving, moving at the same time, motion. It was so odd.”

  • Derek’s Skepticism (28:51):

    • Explains Starlink satellite trains, how they’re often mistaken for UFOs, and provides resources for listeners.

7. Visions of Angels and Otherworldly Beings

• Aliyah, Longmont (30:43–31:47)
  • On the way to work, Aliyah saw what she interpreted as her guardian angel in the sky amid black and purple clouds. This vision was real to her but invisible to her husband and others.
    • Notable Quote (Aliyah, 31:09): “You could see what looked like an angel with his head on his hands, just looking at me, like in a loving, caring way. But it scared me to death.”

8. Haunted Houses and Lingering Spirits

• Ina, Denver Suburb (32:50–36:08)

  • In a house notorious for apparitions, Ina’s daughters independently reported a scary man standing or sitting in their bedroom doorways, watching them sleep — despite never sharing the stories with each other.

    • Notable Quote (Ina, 35:17): “She says, ‘Mom, there's a guy who stands in my doorway and watches me sleep. He's very scary.’”

  • Derek’s Observation (36:08):

    • Notes the compelling nature of corroborated, independent sightings.

9. Ghosts of Colorado’s Cannabis Industry

• M, Texas (37:07–39:30)
  • While working at a cannabis grow facility, M frequently saw a child-sized shadow. Research later confirmed a boy had died outside the building in the 1970s.
    • Notable Quote (M, 38:04): “I'd always see like a small little human like child size shadow walk by and I'd feel watched. It didn't feel malicious.”

10. Reality Glitches, Time Slips, and Lucid Dreams

• Sean, Colorado (40:01–42:30)

  • After a normal day, Sean experienced an abrupt shift from his high school to waking up in bed — memories of physical sensations and interactions intact, as though he’d truly lived those moments.

    • Notable Quote (Sean, 41:15): “When the bell rang, I went to class, I sat down in my desk and I woke up in my bed.”

11. Unsettling Encounters with Black-Eyed Children

• Becky, Louisville (43:23–47:13)

  • In 2017, Becky saw a toddler-sized child with pure black eyes approach her basement sliding door in the early morning hours. Recognizing the black-eyed children legend, she avoided looking at it until it left.

    • Notable Quote (Becky, 46:03): “They kept walking kind of slowly towards the door. And I started getting nervous because I knew about Black Eyed Children. And I looked again and sure enough their eyes were black.”

12. The Stanley Hotel: Colorado’s Paranormal Landmark

• Jeff, Ohio (sharing sister’s story) (48:38–50:20)

  • During a ghost tour at the Stanley Hotel, Jeff’s sister captured a photo of what appears to be a child-sized shadow figure in a hallway. The host has posted this in the show notes for listener review.

    • Notable Quote (Jeff, 49:23): “It appears to show a shadow person, a child sized shadow person kind of clearly standing in another room off of what looks like a foyer.”

  • Derek’s Thoughts (50:20):

    • Reiterates the Stanley’s ghostly reputation, mentions family experiences, and invites listeners to view the photo.

Structuring Notable Quotes and Timestamps

| Speaker | Quote | Timestamp | |---------|-------|-----------| | Lana | "I saw this black figure... and it was holding a scythe. And it was motioning for me to come towards it..." | 04:03 | | Fisher | "I saw a tall, pale figure duck behind a tree. And I said, ‘That’s exactly what I saw.’"| 07:46 | | Alice | "I looked over and there were ghosts floating up and down the stairs. They were kind of like cigarette smoke..." | 12:06 | | Anonymous | "There's a tap on my shoulders. And it was a very distinct tap, tap, tap." | 16:54 | | Carlos | "We both looked at her leg and we were like, what is that? And it looked like a little handprint, like of a child or something." | 21:12 | | Katie | "We actually heard clapping... it sounded like children’s hands... And... saw a ball, like a rainbow ball… coming up from the trees right at us." | 24:12 | | Sarah | "They were perfectly spaced in a perfectly straight line. And they were moving... It was so odd." | 28:13 | | Aliyah | "...what looked like an angel... just looking at me, like in a loving, caring way. But it scared me to death." | 31:09 | | Ina | "She says, ‘Mom, there's a guy who stands in my doorway and watches me sleep. He's very scary.’" | 35:17 | | M | "I'd always see like a small little human like child size shadow walk by and I'd feel watched. It didn't feel malicious." | 38:04 | | Sean | "When the bell rang, I went to class, I sat down in my desk and I woke up in my bed." | 41:15 | | Becky | "They kept walking kind of slowly towards the door. And I started getting nervous because I knew about Black Eyed Children." | 46:03 | | Jeff | "It appears to show a shadow person, a child sized shadow person... standing in another room off of what looks like a foyer." | 49:23 |

Memorable Moments & Themes

• Recurring motif of “being watched”: From cemeteries to bedrooms, many callers (Carlos, Ina, Becky, M) report the sensation of unseen eyes or presence.
• Children in the paranormal: Several stories involve children — ghostly, shadowy, or inexplicably menacing (Becky’s black-eyed child, M’s shadow, cemetery tales).
• Overlap of ghosts and UFOs: Derek proposes that some mysterious orbs (Katie’s story) could as easily be “in the vein of UFOs or UAPs.”
• Skeptical but playful tone: Derek provides lore, statistics, and personal anecdotes, often grounding wild tales with rational possibilities (Starlink satellites) or humor.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:57 – Lana’s Grim Reaper encounter
• 06:46 – Fisher’s pale cryptid sighting
• 10:21 – Alice’s seance and ghostly visions
• 15:35 – Anonymous: ghostly taps in Denver home
• 19:45 – Carlos: ghost child in mountain cemetery
• 22:49 – Katie: night at the cemetery, clapping, rainbow orb
• 27:47 – Sarah: Starlink “UFOs” over Denver
• 30:43 – Aliyah: guardian angel in morning sky
• 32:50 – Ina: entity watching daughters in Denver suburb
• 37:07 – M: shadow child at cannabis facility, tragic backstory
• 40:01 – Sean: time slip/reality glitch
• 43:23 – Becky: black-eyed toddler at the sliding glass door
• 48:38 – Jeff: photo of child shadow at the Stanley Hotel

Episode Takeaways

• Colorado is a nexus for the unexplained, from cryptids and haunted hotels to the bizarre and unexplainable experiences of ordinary people.
• Many experiences have corroborating details, family and friends witnessing or feeling the same thing.
• The combination of ghost stories, cryptid sightings, UFO reports, and “glitches in reality” paint a picture of a state steeped in mystery, where the veil between worlds feels thin.
• Derek Hayes’ curation and commentary maintain a blend of skepticism, open-mindedness, and warm humor, making even the strangest stories approachable.

Keep it spooky!

(For more photos, detailed city-by-city UFO sighting stats, or to see Jeff’s Stanley Hotel shadow person photo, visit the Monster Among Us podcast show notes.)