When I was very little - either four or five years old - I had one of the scariest experiences of my life. The experience itself probably looks pretty mundane in writing, but I can't really do justice to the feeling of fear that it caused in me.

In short, I woke up one morning to find that I was alone in the room - at this time I still slept in the same room as my mom, though she often woke up before I did - and I felt afraid for no discernable reason. I just knew that there was a malevolent presence outside the bedroom and that it was intending to come in. (This will sound incredibly corny and cartoonish, but remember that I was a child, okay?) The evil presence that I sensed in the hallway started speaking to me from beyond the bedroom door in a very low, deep, resonant voice; I have no recollection whatsoever of what it said to me, but I do remember that it laughed at me in a very sinister way. I remember trying to mimic certain voices - I tried to talk like a witch and a ghost, etc. - in an effort to make it go away, but again I cannot recall what I said or precisely how I tried to convince it to leave. Anyway, it did come into the room despite my best efforts - it was a black silhouette and it appeared directly in front of the door (which was closed). The room wasn't too dark and I saw it distinctly in front of me, though only for a mere handful of seconds - it caused me such a shock that I reflexively shot up in bed and screamed (only time that's ever happened), but the dark figure was already gone and everything appeared to be normal.

After that I was always afraid to go to sleep at night, and for years I feared a repeat of the experience. It never happened though, and now it's just become a very distant memory. I've heard that it might have been a night terror - apparently some people regularly experience paralysis upon awakening and they see either a black figure (as in my case), an old hag, or aliens. Those are the most common manifestations, anyway. However, I only had it the one time and I don't recall being paralyzed at all. Nonetheless, I am willing to believe that it was a night terror if that's what it most likely was. Any ideas?

My friend's mom says she's had several terrifying experiences of shadow figures standing in front of her bedroom door, though they've never spoken to her.

Actually, the same thing has happened to me a few times.. it never speaks, but I totally know what you mean.. there are strange figures when I wake up from the "semi-concious" not-quite sleep.

Actualy, many of the callers on Coast to Coast AM talk about seeing "shadow people" in their house at night. I've never seen one, but I want to...

Actually, the same thing has happened to me a few times.. it never speaks, but I totally know what you mean.. there are strange figures when I wake up from the "semi-concious" not-quite sleep.


How often has it happened? Are the strange figures just black silhouettes without any features?

How often has it happened? Are the strange figures just black silhouettes without any features?


Generally, it's just featureless shadows, yes.. sometimes they're much more defined, and I swear for a brief flash, they have definition and detail.. but it's so short I can hardly tell..

It tends to happen about 2 months out of the year, once every 2 weeks during that period. Usually a week or so after a period of major stress.. like, they've been appearing lately, and I just finished exams.

It might have been some kind of dream related experience but no it wasn't a night terror. I have become somewhat of an expert on these as my fiance suffers from them, and they are pretty horrible to experience as an observer. The major thing that makes your experience differ from a night terror is that when you wake up from them you are completely calm and relaxed and have absolutely no recollection of what it was that was freaking you out.

Mine was a black shadow woman

Got a black shadow woman
Got a black shadow woman
Got a black shadow woman, got me so blind I can't see
That she's a black shadow woman
And she's trying to scare the devill out of me

Mine was a black shadow woman

Got a black shadow woman
Got a black shadow woman
Got a black shadow woman, got me so blind I can't see
That she's a black shadow woman
And she's trying to scare the devill out of me



I thought it was "Black Magic Woman"?

Shadow people are freaky. They make me shudder. I think I saw one once, by my bed, I KNEW I saw somebody but nobody could have been there.