THE HAT MAN | Why Thousands See the Same Ominous Figure in Their Bedrooms!
Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Darren Marlar
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 February 2026
⏱️ 70 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*
Take the Weird Darkness Survey: https://take.supersurvey.com/QGZCRXPVS
IN THIS EPISODE: Thousands of people across dozens of countries have reported waking paralyzed in the night, staring at the same featureless figure in a wide-brimmed hat standing in the corner of their room. The trail of documented evidence behind who he is — and where he came from — runs through classified government files, unexplained refugee deaths, and a common allergy medication sold at every pharmacy in America. (The Hat Man: Why Thousands See The Same Ominous Figure In Their Bedrooms) *** Scientists are strapping heart rate monitors on haunted house visitors, equipping them with skin conductance sensors, and running them through chainsaw-wielding pig-men in abandoned factories — and what they're finding about why humans deliberately seek out terror is reshaping how we understand fear, anxiety, therapy, and the human brain itself. Turns out the people walking voluntarily into the dark may be onto something the rest of us haven't figured out yet. (Fear For Fun: What Scientists Are Learning Inside America's Haunted Houses)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Short Announcement
00:00:20.531 = The Foreboding
00:02:19.899 = Show Open
00:04:08.301 = The Hat Man
00:27:25.805 = Fear For Fun, Part One ***
00:42:12.608 = Fear For Fun, Part Two ***
00:59:36.509 = Show Close
*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad break
HELPFUL LINKS & RESOURCES…
https://WeirdDarkness.com/STORE = Tees, Mugs, Socks, Hoodies, Totes, Hats, Kidswear & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/HOPE = Hope For Depression or Thoughts of Self-Harm
https://WeirdDarkness.com/NEWSLETTER = In-Depth Articles, Memes, Weird DarkNEWS, Videos & More
https://WeirdDarkness.com/AUDIOBOOKS = FREE Audiobooks Narrated By Darren Marlar
SOURCES and RESOURCES:THE HAT MAN: Why Thousands See the Same Shadow Figure in Their Bedrooms: https://weirddarkness.com/hat-man-shadow-person-science/
FEAR FOR FUN: What Scientists Are Learning Inside America's Haunted Houses: https://weirddarkness.com/haunted-house-fear-science/
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(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)
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"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46
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WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.
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Originally aired: February 27, 2026
EPISODE PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/HatMan
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: #WeirdDarkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all things strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold cases, conspiracy theories, and more. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “20 Best Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a blend of “Coast to Coast AM”, “The Twilight Zone”, “Unsolved Mysteries”, and “In Search Of”.DISCLAIMER: Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is sponsored by Awful Movie Reviews on YouTube. |
| 0:03.6 | I've been a fan of awful movie reviews for a couple of years now, and I never miss an episode. |
| 0:08.8 | Every Friday, you get a new comedic video covering a gosh, awful, horrible, terrible, wretched, |
| 0:13.9 | or just plain boring movie in the horror or sci-fi genre. |
| 0:17.6 | B-monster movies, films directed by notorious names like Ed Wood or Roger Corman, |
| 0:22.4 | flicks made on budgets lower than your monthly grocery bill, special effects you'd swear |
| 0:26.6 | were created by someone who's colorblind, cinematography so shaky, you'd swear a three-year-old |
| 0:31.0 | was trying to hold the camera, audio recording in the film that, well, you see where I'm going |
| 0:35.6 | here. They even take requests for awful movies you'd like to see them review in the future. You'll probably learn about flicks you've never even heard of while laughing along with the host. You can find awful movie reviews on YouTube by simply searching for awful movie reviews. I've also placed a link to them on my sponsors page so you can find them easily. And if you're like me, at the end of each |
| 0:54.5 | awful movie review, you'll be saying it aloud with the host, what an awful movie. |
| 1:02.0 | When police officer Matt Klein returns to the quiet coastal town of Marshport, he hopes for a |
| 1:07.6 | fresh start with his family. But a series of brutal, inexplicable deaths begins to unravel the town. |
| 1:15.0 | At the center of it all is an ancient evil bound to a seemingly harmless gift of an antique Advent calendar, |
| 1:22.6 | a relic, counting down to the night when the light of Christmas goes out. |
| 1:27.5 | As the days slip by, strange voices whisper through the walls. |
| 1:32.1 | People go mad, and reality itself starts to crack. |
| 1:36.4 | The deeper Matt digs, the closer he comes to facing an evil that has been waiting for him for years. |
| 1:42.8 | Now, with his wife and two young sons in peril and the final door of the calendar looming, |
| 1:48.4 | Matt must find a way to stop this holiday horror, or risk losing everything and everyone he loves. |
| 1:56.6 | 24 days, 24 doors, all leading to one unholy Christmas Eve. |
| 2:05.9 | Advent of Evil, the new novel by Scott Donnelly, based on a concept by Weird Darkness host, |
| 2:11.3 | Darren Marler, is now available in full audiobook form, as well as Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback |
... |
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