Do you ever get that weird little itch to scare yourself? Not like full-on horror movie trauma — just a good, spooky story that sends a chill down your spine and makes you want to double-check the locks on your doors?

Yeah, me too.

So the other weekend, Michelle and I were on a road trip. After she made me sit through a podcast all about quitting sugar (ugh), I begged her to let me pick the next one — something with a little Halloween flavor. We ended up listening to a show called “Otherworld.” Super creepy stuff. Tons of strange, unexplained stories from real people. We had so many episodes to choose from, so we just picked one at random.

This one was about two brothers who grew up in an old house. When the older brother went off to college, the younger one occasionally had to sleep in his room. No big deal — until it was.

The younger brother said that both times he stayed in that room, he had the same nightmare: a man standing outside the house, staring up into the window. Then the man starts running — full speed — toward the house. First night, the brother wakes up thinking he heard someone downstairs. Second night, the man’s in the dream again… but this time, he gets closer. To the bedroom door.

Creepy, right? Just wait.

The younger brother never really told anyone about the dreams. Probably chalked it up to late-night pizza or Chinese food or something. Years later, on a different road trip (what is it with road trips?), he brought it up to his older brother. 

And here’s where things get weird.

The older brother went pale: He had the same exact dreams when he lived in that room. Same man. Same window. Same terror. But it gets even stranger: the older brother said he didn’t just dream about the man — he saw him.

Apparently, this guy in the dreams wore a tall hat and a long coat. The older brother described a kind of tunnel vision whenever the man appeared — like the world got quiet and everything slowed down.

Once, when he was in the military reserves, he was showering in one of those outdoor tents in the woods. Everyone else was hanging by the fire. As he’s getting dressed, he sees — out of the corner of his eye — this tall man step into the tent. Doesn’t look at him directly. But he knows it’s him. The man walks right past, bends down to duck out of the tent, and disappears into the darkness.

He ran out and asked the guys by the fire if anyone saw the man. They laughed it off. But he knew what he saw.

Another time, after college, the older brother was walking back to his apartment. And there the man was again — standing in front of the building, staring up at a window. Then — and this is the part that gave me chills — the man slowly turned around, looked directly at the older brother, took off his hat, and bowed.

That was the last time he ever saw him.

The podcast brought in a pastor who’d also experienced “the man in the hat” back when he was a teenager. He said this figure used to appear in his house. Over time, he started talking to other pastors and professors about it, and many of them had heard similar stories. 

Some people called the man one of the “shadow people” that a large group of folks speak of. They believe this figure isn’t just some ghost or shadow — they say it’s a demonic presence. Especially in cases where people had been involved with Ouija boards or other creepy spiritual stuff.

Apparently, there are tons of sightings of this “man in the hat” online. Same tall silhouette. Same cloak. Always the hat. The weird part? In all the stories the pastor had ever heard, the man never tipped his hat to anyone — like he did to the older brother. And once that happened, the man never came back.

Make of that what you will.

True? Imagined? Spirit world crossover? Whatever you believe — admit it — it’s got you looking over your shoulder just a little bit.

Wishing you a spooky, weirdly entertaining, and sugar-loaded Halloween. 

Just maybe don’t listen to podcasts about cutting sugar – that’s the real nightmare!

Happy Halloween!