Interview with Jason Offutt, author of ‘Darkness Walks’
I had the chance to do a brief email interview with author Jason Offutt on his book ‘Darkness Walks’. The book has reasearch, submitted content and testimonials from people who have had experiences with Shadow People. These encounters range anywhere from mundane to downright scary. Jason does a great job in cataloging the various types of Shadows, their disposition and qualities, along with their descriptions. I have personally read this book and I found it rather fascinating and informative. Jason’s experience started with an encounter he had with a Shadow Person when he was a child, which led him to create his blog site From the Shadows. He soon realized how many people had encountered these entities and sought answers for him and his readers.
1) Are there different types of shadows? If so, can you give us a brief description/characteristic of them?
The basic characteristics that seem to pertain to all Shadow People are blacker-than night, human-shaped shadows that are either taller or shorter than a normal human. Most of the time features, such as facial features and mode of dress, are not distinguishable.The different types are Benign Shadows, Negative Shadows, Red-Eyed Shadows, Buzzing Shadows, Angry, Hooded Shadows and The Hat Man. Some of these types overlap, such as a Hat Man having red eyes.
Benign Shadows seem to take no notice of those who observe them and simply seem to be walking from Point A to Point B.
Negative Shadows take notice of you. People encountering this type feel a fear that’s quite beyond just being afraid of the unknown. People who have experienced this entity have felt it’s feeding off that fear.
Red-Eyed Shadows are always menacing and are akin to the Negative Shadows.
Buzzing Shadows: sometimes an electric sound accompanies sightings of Shadow People.
Angry, Hooded Shadows are much like the Red-Eyed Shadows and some do possess red eyes. This entity appears to be wearing a monk’s cowl. The Hat Man also fits into this category, but looks to be wearing a fedora, of all things.
2) Which type of the aforementioned shadows seem the most prevalent?
Most reports are of the Benign Shadows.
3) It is suggested Shadows are watchers. Is there any evidence to this that you have found?
Possibly. The behavior of many of these Shadow entities seems to be that of an observer. But what are they? Dimensional travelers? ETs? The Watchers of the Bible?
4) Is there a general consensus of what shadows are? Spirits? Ghosts? What are your opinions?
There is no general consensus, however many people, especially paranormal researchers, think they are ghosts. Given the appearance and behavior of many Shadow People, there may be a demonic explanation as well.
5) Are these beings good or evil? Do they impart any positive or negative karma onto people?
I have run into no positive stories regarding Shadow People. They often appear to the dying and those close to the dying, they strike terror in people, and sometimes psychologically or physically attack.
6) Does anyone know where these being come from? Do you have an opinion on this?
It was my goal to find an explanation for what Shadow People are. I found there are many explanations. These beings could come from another dimension, another planet, the spirit world or Hell. Depending on the behavior of the Shadow Person encountered, I’d say any explanation is possible.
7) Is there a history of Shadows throughout the ages?
The earliest first-person account I gathered was from a gentleman from Ohio who encountered these entities as a boy in 1949. However, since these entities exist in all the major religions in the world, I’d say they’ve been around forever.
8 ) Has your research discovered any practical evidence on Shadows? (Photo, video)
Yes, but how much can we trust photographic “evidence?” I’m pretty good at Photoshop.
9) Have you found any links between ghosts, spirits and Shadows?
Absolutely. Ghosts and spirits are some of the most common explanations and, in many encounters, that’s probably what the Shadow Person is.
10) If you have unwanted shadows, is there an easy way to get rid of them?
Prayer, singing, laughter. I’ve gathered many accounts of positive sound driving these things away. I hope I never get the chance to find out.
Jason’s book can be found though the link to his blogsite at the top of the page, which will lead you to Amazon.com.
I would like to thank Jason for his time and I hope you take the time to check out
Written by Gary Popella - Gary@ghosttheory.com
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I believe in ghosts but I’ve never seen one of these shadow people for real so I’m not sure what to make of this article. I would believe in shadow people more if I actually saw one of them with my own eyes.
It would be interesting to contact Jason, as my interest in the paranormal stems from a number of bizarre experiences I had as a child. This led me to gain an honours degree in Psychology in which my dissertation was a Parasychology study.
Anyway, the reason it would be of interest to contact him, is that one of the main experiences I had was something very much like these “shadow people”. It was a large figure, about 7-8 feet tall, blacker than night and with no discernible features.
It may be of interest to him, simply because as a child I believed this dark figure was protecting me from another “entity” within my house that would terrorise me at night. The figure used to stand next to my bed and not move, but I just felt it was warding off whatever was in my house.
Now of course, I can offer any number of conventional explanations for the things that happened to me, (sleep paralysis, infrasound etc) but it is interesting that these experiences seem shared, just thought it was strange that Jason had not heard of any positive accounts. If this thing exists objectively then maybe it was just “watching” me, but whenever it did my other experiences ( shaking bed, covers pushed down on my face, objects moved, someone breathing in my ear etc) all stopped.
These could have been purely psychological constructs, but some of those events have stayed with me all my life and still send shivers down my spine.
good write up! thx for the post! looks like i need to add to my collection!
MikeDW,
Thanks for sharing.
I can tell you that my own experience with “Shadow people” is what led me to really read more on the paranormal.
I also witnessed something that I know was not just a shadow. It was not 8 feet tall, but more like 2-3 feet.
Gary and I both have had these strange encounters, therefore we are compelled to write about them every now that then.
Good post Gary.
-Javier
These could have been purely psychological constructs…
sometimes the simplest explanation is the best one.
note the two most common theme of these “shared” experiences — they happen when the subject is near sleep (either waking up of falling asleep) and there has never been any capture of one of these experiences on film or video.
hypnagogia / sleep paralysis are far less scary and won’t sell books / TV deals — but much more likely an explanation.
Pretty good post. I just came by your site and wanted to say
that I have really liked reading your blog posts. In any case
I’ll be subscribing to your blog and I hope you post again soon!
Thank you Javier for this piece, kinda brought back realities for me as I have experienced such things far back as 1988 in the middle of the night when I was 16 and recently as of 2005, the first time I told my mother of this tall dark figure at the end of my bed, twice in two consecutive nights, I physically felt this “spirit” or dark figure place its press it’s hand into the edge of my bed and I yelled out “what you want? Who are you? Go away!” and it disappeared. My mother called the local priest and he came and blessed the house in couple of days after that incident. In 2005 I saw this dark figure once again at night as I stepped outside for a cigarette, but this time it was outside the chain link fence,standing there; I felt it staring at me as if it knew when I was going outside for me to see it, it disappeared within seconds. It was indeed darker than dark, the shape was of a tall slender man, to this day, I continue wondering what this was, what it meant for me.
Thanks for your sharing your experience, SD Guy. I definately think that for some types of these Shadows that if you ‘engage’ it and show no fear, you can get them to leave. I had two initial encounters and a third one years later and even though I was scared, I wasn’t fearful, even a bit curious. I think that lack of fear pretty much told these things that I wasn’t going to be susceptible to their ways. All I gotta say is if I see one of these nowadays it’s going to be in trouble.
A couple of summers ago I had an experience where I was wrested from my sleep and fought off frantically a hooded, shadow figure – I deemed the “Reeper” – that was straddling me. The figure itself was the size of an average man. I was absolutely convinced for a day or two that it was real, but now attribute it to a night terror. About a month or so later, I had another night terror experience where I dreamed that I was already dead and was locked in my apartment; I “awoke” trying to open my front door. I suppose the facile explanation to the above experiences are they’re purely psychological manifestions of anxiety – I am prone to hypochondria, but that doesn’t explain the experiences of others who are completely awake.
Ive seen only one in my life and it wasnt exactly terrifying. It was about 4 – 5 ft tall standing beside my dresser at the foot of my bed. I noticed it when i awoke in the night, and closed my eyes and told it in my head that i was kind of scared and to please go away. I looked again and seen it creep behind my dresser and it was gone. When i awake the following afternoon my sister told me our cousin had died. maybe it was him? i dont know.
I have experienced these shadow people for quite some time. My first encounter was with the hat man. The movie “Knowing” with Nicholas Cage really scared me because the shadowy figures seen in that movie were very similar in shape and movement. The figures I see are tall, fast, and with no distinguished features. Sometimes they have hats(fedora)or hoods. Sometimes I’ll see one and sometimes I see groups. Now let me make one thing very clear-I am wide awake when I see these things. I do not believe they’re ghosts because it seems like they’re observing me, like their total interest is getting as close as they can just to look, or should I say observe me. It’s sometimes hard to explain and when I do get the nerve to explain to someone they look at me like I have frogs coming out of my nose!
Linda,
Do you see them in specific spots (around the city) or just in your home? All times of day and night? Do you perceive any bad vibes from them? I think we would be interested in hearing more if you are interested in sharing more of your experiences.
I have seen them everywhere. I see them at work, and they follow me places sometimes. When I see them during the day it’s more like out the corner of my eye thing. I can clearly see them at night. I don’t get bad vibes and when “he” is standing right next to my side of the bed I’m more surprised then scared. I feel a tingle on the back side of my head, like when your foot falls asleep, or the way your skin feels when you put ben-gay on it, right before they show up.
Linda,
You should take a look at this book, you might find it interesting. A few other people have also mentioned seeing Shadow People constantly in the book. Also, I am not sure if you want to be rid of these Shadows, but he has a section written in the back of the book about getting rid of Shadow People.
I thank you for sharing your experiences with us! If you would like to contribute more, we do have a section for submitted stories (towards the top of the page off to the right) where you could write what you wish.
My husband and I own several acres in the mountains of San Diego. Although we are close to a big city, it is a small farming town. Our street runs 5 miles from the main highway and ends in a dead end into a reservoir. Our house is almost the end, 4.5 miles down this road, with our nearest neighbor a mile away. We are used to seeing all kinds of things, mountain lion, bobcats, fox, deer, bats, whatever on this road at night. One night, maybe a year ago, we were coming home late & weren’t at all prepared for what we saw. I’ve been looking for some way to describe them since, someone else who has seen them, so was ecstatic when this interview here. Shortly after turning on to our street from the highway, we both watched a figure walk across the road in front of the car. There are no street lights or other lights around here, so the only light was our headlights. To me, I saw something very tall, perfectly shaped like a person, head down, side view, walk right across. Everywhere he walked by, he was darker BY FAR than the blacktop & all the blackness around him. We both noticeably jumped, so I asked my husband if he saw it. He didn’t see it as long or as much as me because I was driving, but he saw it. We both got a VERY uneasy feeling from it & just wanted to be home quickly. I explained it that night as, “A form of a man made out of the complete absence of light.” We had never heard of anything even close, so we started calling it the AOL (Absence Of Light). Every time I’d drive that part of the road late at night again, I’d try to recreate it, thinking maybe it was me or the way the light hit the road that night (but knew it wasn’t). Never could. Thing is, in the months since that 1st sighting, we’ve BOTH, on separate occasions alone, seen it many more times, and still see it now, mostly much nearer our driveway, property or our part of the road. The 1st time was only maybe 1/4 mile down this road, since it’s all been much closer to home. Our house has a very long steep driveway that goes up the hill our house sits 1/2-3/4 of the way up. Always at night, but never close to going or being asleep, either coming home or going to check something out. What can you tell us about this? Can I make it go away, please? I did send a copy of this to Jason’s email. I’m hoping someone can help us. It’s scary when we’re so alone, just the two of us out here.
Beatrice, I can forward this message to him, but he would have no way to contact you since you did not leave any contact information. The best way to contact Jason would be via his email address which is jasonoffutt@hotmail.com
From what you describe, it sounds exactly like you have a Shadow Person lurking about your property. Jason mentions in his interview that laughter and singing can drive these things away, so you might want to try that for starters.
If that does not work, I would try consulting a paranormal agency, but I have to state that this could be hit or miss. Try to do your research on whatever group you might decide to call. Try to find out if they have had dealings with spirits or Shadow People first.
I would like to thank you so much for not letting me feel like some sort of freak. I really want to know what the connection is with everyone that does see these things. I just feel like-I guess I don’t know what I feel. It’s indescriable. Maybe Jason should look into seeing how “we” are the same. Once again-THANX!!!!
any bed time “shadow people” can be attributed to normal brain activity.
’seeing shadow people’ outSIDE of the nightime/bedtime scenario is interesting, but i’d suggest the folks experiencing this check with their eye doctor — just to check out their peripheral vision and their ole rods and cones.
an eye disorder known as musca volitans (also known as ‘floaters’) might be to blame. there are two types — moving and stationary ones. the things appear as dark spots or areas within the visual field, very commonly misinterpreted as ghosts by the subject.
many scientists assume that this disorder is the reason behind such sightings.
just food for thought.
Funny that skeptics accounts can be as outlandish and absurd as the paranormal evidence they are questioning. I’m skeptical also, and wouldn’t know how to to classify certain paranormal events, including said shadow people, however to make sweeping statements, perhaps in a desperate desire to reduce everything to cause and effect will not magically yield better “evidence”, but some anemic argument with equally absurd outcomes.
I have had my eyes checked-their actually better than I expected. I’ve also been checked for brain tumors,blood disorders,and phsycological disorders, mental illness and just plain stress. I’m not one to be easily convinced or fooled, bellaboo if that is what your implying. I don’t mean to try to “convince” anyone with my story. I think anyone who hasn’t seen or experienced these things for themselves doesn’t or won’t understand. You know like people that have been raped, robbed, or molested can’t explain what their going through to another person that hasn’t. A person either can relate with that person or not. Even if you have experienced things another person has, the “experience” will still be different between the two of you.
any bed time “shadow people” can be attributed to normal brain activity.
’seeing shadow people’ outSIDE of the nightime/bedtime scenario is interesting, but i’d suggest the folks experiencing this check with their eye doctor — just to check out their peripheral vision and their ole rods and cones.
an eye disorder known as musca volitans (also known as ‘floaters’) might be to blame. there are two types — moving and stationary ones. the things appear as dark spots or areas within the visual field, very commonly misinterpreted as ghosts by the subject.
many scientists assume that this disorder is the reason behind such sightings.
just food for thought.
Food for thought? Um no thanks. I’m on a strict no bullshit diet.
I’m not one to be easily convinced or fooled, bellaboo if that is what your implying.
i wasn’t implying anything – i was making a statement.
fwiw, i wasn’t addressing my statement to you in particular. it was a general statement addressing the obvious “i see shadow people” trend that has appeared all over the internet, likely due to the “ghost hunters captured shadow people” trend on television these last few years.
it struck me as rather amusing that a person (jason offutt) actually considers themselves some kind of ‘expert’ on these shadow people — expert enough to write a book about it and make such glaringly ridiculous claims as numbers 8 – 10.
i haven’t read the book, but i’m guessing the author didn’t offer up any practical NON paranormal explanations or possibilities for the ’shadow people’. (like the eyesight issues)
fyi – another explanation that i just ran across the other day (new to me but likely not new to most people) is the idea that <a href="http://www.skepdic.com/infrasound.html"infrasound could be causing some of the daytime sightings people are having.
I don’t mean to try to “convince” anyone with my story. I think anyone who hasn’t seen or experienced these things for themselves doesn’t or won’t understand.
i haven’t experience nuclear fusion, but i think i have a basic grasp of the concept.
Food for thought? Um no thanks. I’m on a strict no bullshit diet.
yeah, seems like you’d rather just automatically believe it’s a ghost. can i sell you some anti-shadow-people spray??
B, the problem is though you just automatically assume Non paranormal explanations to anything and everything presented. You haven’t experienced nuclear fusion, but grasp the concept. Something else wandering around in the world is beyond your conceptual grasp? Unfortunately (for you), people don’t write books to satisfy skeptics. If that were the case, libraries would be much smaller than what they are now, and society would be much more diminished because of it.
Ooops…Anonymous post was me.
B, the problem is though you just automatically assume Non paranormal explanations to anything and everything presented.
actually gary – i consider non paranormal (and MUCH MORE likely) explanations above “oh it’s a ghost” ones.
You haven’t experienced nuclear fusion, but grasp the concept.
yeah, pretty much.
Something else wandering around in the world is beyond your conceptual grasp?
no, not really. with others’ (who are much smarter and more objective than me) scientific research, my conceptual grasp is much better than someone who thinks a demon is pouncing on them nightly.
just sayin’.
Unfortunately (for you), people don’t write books to satisfy skeptics. If that were the case, libraries would be much smaller than what they are now, and society would be much more diminished because of it.
LOL !! you’re NOT all that wrong there!
my friend and i saw one when we were about 9, which would be 1979. i’ve told it occasionally over the years as a “ghost story” when those conversations come up, but one that was always odd to me.
it seemed strange to see a silhouette (shadow-like) of a man in a fedora with his collar up kinda glide past one window then disappear before the next one approx. 2ft away. we ran outside, no one was there and we were about 5ft from the door and windows. we got there quick. the back yard was empty and enclosed, if it was a person, we would have seen him. it wasn’t especially scary at the time just weird.
so… when i heard about “hat man” for the first time a few months ago it was crazy.
i don’t know what to say really or what it was, but it seems to fit the “hat man” thing.
we weren’t asleep, it was the middle of the day. we both saw the same thing. i have a floater and would never in a million years mistake it for a guy in a fedora with his head down and collar up, and it would be 30yrs before i’d hear of anything remotely resembling “hat man”.
although i do think ghosts exist i also think that the great majority of “encounters” have non-ghostly explanations. i’m far from believing it all lock stock and barrel. i don’t take to narrow minds whether they believe everything or believe nothing.
so there it is. just putting it out there.
thanks for listening.
Thanks for sharing your experience b-side. Do me a favor, shoot me an email at gary@ghosttheory.com
I have a few questions about your experience from when you were nine, it sounds very similar to mine.
b-side, seen anything since and how old you are now?
what are the chances your friend(at the age of nine)simply pretended to see exactly what you saw out of sheer friendship or peer pressure?
so – you DO have a floater – when was that diagnosed?
bellaboo,
yeah, seems like you’d rather just automatically believe it’s a ghost. can i sell you some anti-shadow-people spray??
No not really, I just am a skeptic of skeptics.
I just am a skeptic of skeptics.
you don’t say.
you don’t say.
Mm-hmm. Since you’re obviously a skeptical person of everything but your own skewed POV, it goes without saying.
sorry i can’t throw in any tickets to some of the PRS conventions and appearances, ‘yourreality’.
those things are waaaaay too expensive for such an iffy, shoddy product.
but i’ll mark down that anti-shadow people spray for you!
http://www.skepdic.com/infrasound.html
like i posted earlier, just another possible NON paranormal explanation that deserves attention before immediately assuming that shadow people are all around us.
of course, that is if anyone is interested in NON paranormal explanations. these days, so few seem to be.
it’s much easier (and far more profitable) to write gho$t storie$, claim p$ychic abilitie$, hold paranormal convention$, and make TV $how$ about demons and ghosts and monsters, oh my.
So are you saying there could only be a non-paranormal explanation? I do believe some people do it for the money and fame, but is a non-paranormal explanation the only explanation for you?
So are you saying there could only be a non-paranormal explanation?
not at all.
I do believe some people do it for the money and fame, but is a non-paranormal explanation the only explanation for you?
imho, the non-paranormal (should we just call them normal
)explanations should be completely ruled out before anyone even considers completely unsubstantiated (by science and reasoning) “paranormal” ones.
i would think that the above ideal would exemplify how any truly objective “ghost hunter” would operate.
that’s why shows like “psychic kids” and “paranormal state” are such farces; they automatically assume demons, ghosts and “real” psychics are present and accounted for and ready to be on TV – science be damned.
want to make a bet nearly all if not all of the “most severe problems” that PRS show’s clients harbor and that these media hounds “investigate” are psychological or physiological in nature?
“paranormal state” mostly preys on families with existing psychological traumas (divorces, suicides, murders) and/or people who just want to get their “haunted” inn, bar or tourist ranch on television.
i would love to know just how many “severe cases” this show has featured which were actually cases that the college PRS group “investigated” during its initial 5-6 years of existence vs. how many cases were newly hand-picked by AE producers, prior to the show’s airing. AE actually advertised for show participants at such places as paranormal forums, craig’s list and myspace.
i smell a (yet another) misinformation rat. (another big misinformation rat is claiming that this show is “reality” or in any way a “documentary”.)
plus — did PRS use media psychics and feature paranormal pucks and telephones to the dead during those collegiate pre-TV-fame “most severe case investigations” ?
i somehow doubt it.
“psychic kids” preys on uninformed, unhappy and possibly undereducated parents who almost seem to WANT to believe their kids have “psychic powers”. (one mom featured on the show actually ran/runs a “rainbow children” website/school kind of thing even before being on the show and obviously encouraged and promoted the idea that her children were somehow psychic.)
it’s also interesting to note that several of the teenagers featured on that show have their own MONEY CHARGING PSYCHIC websites online to take advantage of their “fame” from the show.
cha-ching!
oops, apologies to the GT peeps – i went completely off topic above – i guess i forgot which article i was commenting on
Can anyone recommend a good paranormal documentary? I just watched “14 Degrees” and although it was informative, I was bored within the first 30 minutes.
I understand that the whole process is tedious and uneventful at times.
Thanks,
G
I certainly did not mean to sound defensive to anyone here. I do agree with skeptics that the book should have had some objective points, like the medical conditions bellaboo pointed out. I also believe if people have genuine psychic abilities (especially children) our goverment would have made sure to “scoop” them up first. I am definitely looking into many “normal” possibilities with my experiences. This comment session has helped more than you know!
Iam not use to writeing on a web site . iam just learnig about my specal gift i . i have this all my life. this tearfie me i get sevear anxity over this what can i do. i get photo images i dont know if you.know what i mean this verry over willmeing. i have been trying enorr what i see.but this gift is getting stronger each ….day i see red ora moveing black imges what does mean i know when earth quakes are going to hit and more..do you have.any answers for me i like to know