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.

i woke up in the middle of the night but i felt hazy and drugged. I couldnt move or talk and i found it very hard to open my eyes. There were balck silouettes of people standing in my room in the shadows, one of the figures walked over to my bed and climbed up on the bed. I cant remeber if i woke up or went back to sleep or what but i rfemember trying to scream and not being able to as i was so terrfied, i only managerd a slgiht murmer.

It was the most terryifiying thing that ive ever exprianced, so trust me you would not want to experiance one.

I wanted to comment on a similar experience I had when I was young but had a couple of distinct differences. First that I saw this thing after I had been awake for at least 30 minutes to an hour. I walked into me and my little brothers room to get a pair of socks and saw a dark shadow figure standing over his bead. It was very dark and was not transparent. It turned and glared at me. I was frozen in place, I can remember that it seemed to have red glowing eyes. After what seemed like long time ( probably just a minute or two) it turned and ran towards the wall closet and dissipated while it ran disappearing afterwards. I had an overwhelming feeling that I had interrupted something it was doing or going to do to my little brother. I can't seem to shake that image out of my head and I also have a feeling that I'll see it again. 

I had them as a child, haven't in quite a while.  They are called night terrors.

www.nightterrors.org/

i has had a similar experience
i failed in my maths test and everyone blamed me
blaming was irresistible
then i went tot my room and tried to sleep  after some time my uncle came to give me some comfort but i pretended asleep

later when i opened my eyes i saw a Shadow like figure in front of my window actually their's a building in front of my house and the figure was on the top of it he was standing their staring at me
i tried to shift my position but still it was staring at me

then i decided to be brave and i also started staring at the figure after some time it started to disappear
it ' started to disappear in patches i.e. first the top part then the bottom then middle then the whole body

it was a very freaky experience

Most of these experiences sound remarkably consistent with the hallucinations that often accompany sleep paralysis. 

Which doesn't make it any less terrifying when it's happening, nor any less fascinating when you finally wake up.  :)

I am willing to believe that it was a night terror if that's what it most likely was. Any ideas?

My advice to you is to assume nothing. Don't dismiss it simply as a night terror, either.

If you really want to know what was taking place there, you had better engage in a serious research. That kind of research wouldn't be limited to specific sources concerning "shadow figures". It should also include a research on Mythology, History and Religion, among other fields.