New Zealand Ghosts & Other Haunts

A Black Robed Shadow

By youngd
Date: 2007-08-10
Country: New Zealand
Category: Haunted Places

I work in security in New Zealand. Our security company got a job to provide overnight security during the construction of a retirement home. About 5 different security guards who work for the company and that have been assigned to the retirement village overnight have reported seeing a black shadow appearing and disappearing, including myself.
We were discussing this last night and were trying to best describe what it looked like and what was the closest description we could come up with to describe this shadow. The best definition we could come up with was that it was the dark shadow, which looked human like, but was dressed in a black robe. The closest thing we could relate it to was that it looked like the Grim Reaper, except with no sickle.
Most of the time, the dark shadow just stands there, watching us. Sometimes we see it move and run before it disappears. One of the security Guards freaked out when it saw it standing on the roof of one of the portacoms just standing there staring at him. He could smell a weird burning flesh type smell. When the dark shadow saw him looking at it - it disappeared.
On the same night, when the security guard went to do his patrols, he found a radio turned up really loud on the construction site. No one had been there all night so he didn't know who turned it on. He turned it off.
About an hour later he came back to do the patrol again and found it on again. So this time he turned it off and pulled out the power cord. When he did this another radio down the hall turned on - about 20 meters away. He went and switched this one off as well. He did a search of the whole place but could find no one. He was freaking out.
A different security Guard said he had seen the same black shadow appear and disappear. Later on in the night, he was sitting in his car, and had closed his eyes for about 15 seconds when he heard a loud knocking sound on the windows of his car. He quickly opened his eyes and looked to see who it was but there was no one around. He freaked out because no one person could physically knock on the window and run away in the matter of 2 seconds, without being seen.
My question is, does anybody know what this dark shadowed, Grim reaper looking thing is? Has anybody else experienced something like this?

I would say its a shadow person.

A particular kind of ghost, characterised by being the black form of a human, sometime described with a coat and hat (did you note if yours had a hat also) in black. They tend to have the habits you describe also, the watching, not wanting to be seen, eminating in some cases a uncomfortable feeling and I believe I have read in cases of more 'unfriendly' shadow people a smell like you describe.

I wouldnt be afraid of him but aware. Usually whether with good feeling or bad they are pretty passive - usually just watching.

I would be interested to know if there are any other 'symptoms' of a haunting - disappearances, moving of things - noises etc. Pictures of the site would be great

More information on shadow ghosts (shadow people or shadow men) can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_people
http://paranormal.about.com/library/wee ... 22502a.htm

Im curious to know more about shadow people ( than whats already available on the net ).
Im just curious as i've seen the robe entity in both sleeping and awake states, however i've never seen the "man with the hat". I was just wondering if the man with the hat is the same entity being seen all over the world. To me in my experience I can honestly say that they were a being that was never once human, but has the ability to mimic human nature.
I just wish there was more information out there about them but it almost seems as though the idea of them is relatively new. Which I know is not the case, however there seems to lately be a separation between ghost sightings and shadow people sightings. Possibly because theres evidence to suggest who or what ghost really are or used to be, where as shadow people may have never existed as a living entity.

I have not myself heard of any particular 'robed men' spirits..... it could be just your particular ghost that is around you.

Im also interested in learning more about shadow ghosts.....

im thinking shadow ghost as well.. but theres something more to this dark shadow.. i think there is a connection to the land that the retirement village is been built on, and the appearances of this dark shadow.. also another thing is the smell that is attached to the shadow.. perhaps he was burnt very badly and thats why the sightings are that of a black shadow? .. ive seen shadow people before, but have never smelt them about.. theres a certain smell which I associate with deceased people visiting me, and it aint the smell of burning flesh.!. a lil history on the land that retirement home is been built on, my reveal some interesting facts which may prove reliable in finding out who this creepy dark shadow really is... I cant help but think that this spectre died tragically in a fire..

hey souljah, I remember reading a post in here maybe a month back, where you mentioned shadow ghosts who wear hats.. I think im just as curious as you about them. I was on another site just the other day when a topic of interest came up, and what I read, sparked a memory of mine. I think I have encountered a shadow wearing a hat twice.. heres a lil piece of info you may find intersting.. the sightings of shadow ghosts who wear hats, are mainly always seen outside... this is based on peoples accounts on seeing them..

a shadow ghosts appearance is enough to make you run.. I Can see why the post writer and his work mates take off when they see this dude.. ive been in the same boat.. you cant help but run.. your seeing something that isnt your everday normal sorta thing.. and yes, they just seem to stand there and watch you.. it makes your heart race, you feel safe in knowing your nowhere near them, or atleast at a safe distance.. i think the info about shadow ghosts is limited because they aint the easiest things to photgraph.. A. they move fast, your only gettin a quick glimpse. B. their appearance startles you, that you run away.. who wants to stick around and take a photo of something that scares you.. lol.. it would be like walking into a forest and trying to photograph a grizzly bear.. im not saying shadow ghosts are scary like grizzly bears, just merely making a comparison on taking a photo

You're absolutely right Violet. Another interesting thing to note is that shadow people wearing hats are mostly described as being of a more benevolent or 'evil' feeling, than those without them.

Im not sure why, its just a repeditive theme that comes through with shadow person sightings.

My curiosity lies within the fact that perhaps the hat itself could give a time line to the shadow. I know people have been wearing hats for hundreds of years but style must narrow it down somehow - and why the hat anyway? There just seems to be more to it than what we really know.

very interesting.. heres my experience of the hat wearing shadow ghost... it was quite strange really.. I was having a very quiet night, I was in my lounge room when all of a sudden this image appeared in my head.. a mental image, and that of a tall man.. He was completly dressed in a black suit and black hat and he was standing in my bathroom with his head down, i got the feeling he was looking for something.. it was that clear and vivid that I was too scared to get up from my seat in the lounge to investigate my bathroom to see if there really was a man fully dressed in black standing in my bathroom. I just couldnt bring myself to go and look.. 1-2 days later I encountered a shadow ghost behind my glass pane door.. i cant help but think this aint no coincidence..

if im right and the man who was in my bathroom was the thing i saw behind the glass door, then he must of been wearing a hat.. im not sure if the 2nd encounter included a hat, i didnt stick around too long to look lmao.. i ran out of my house.. what I do know is.. I was more scared of the man i pictured in my bathroom, then I was of the thing behind my glass door.. strange huh? why was I more scared of a picture image in my head, rather than something that was physically in the same room as me..? i think the reason I was more scared of the man in my bathroom was because I was left wondering, and not knwing, if a man who I didnt know, really was in my house, it was like lookin at a photo, anxious feeling. and the situation with the shadow behind the door wasnt expected.. it just happened and I reacted..

Im not sure why, but for some reason the idea I get about shadow ghosts is the hat is a kinda 1930's brimmed one, that men would wear with an overcoat kinda.

It could be that thats the type of fabricated picture Im used to seeing with articles to illustrate their point - or something like that lol

Yeah i picture the same style of hat - perhaps from the picture shown on wikipedia or the "man with a hat" character that appears in the ghost whisperer tv show

ive been reading on the internet most of the day about other peoples experiences about shadow ghosts, and the ones who wear hats were mentioned alot! and is known as the "HAT MAN" after reading all that I have today, I can now add another shadow ghost experince to my List.. It was a like a black cloud/smoke floating about the room, and it was attached to my friend.. Due to the nature of our conversation, I beleive this is why it revealed itself.. it was feeding off my friends worries and problems. I think ive learnt alot of new info today. When you see a shadow figure full on, apparantly thats one of their deliberate intentions of really intimidating you.. they do not like to be seen, and like the cover of the dark, and I guess you could say that it annoys them when they know they have been seen, which is why they will go to extra lengths to manisfest to an intimidating size to frighten you, even allowing you to see their facial features.. some cases involve seeing red eyes, empty black hole sockets.. There was also a trend with the hats that have been seen on these shadow ghosts... Black top hats, Dick Tracy gangsta style, and even pointy witches hats.. Another interesting trend I came across during my reading today was people who suffered from OBE and sleep paralysis.. who have seen shadow ghosts after a sleep attack... I could go on, but I wont lol enough already violet haha..

Hmmmm interesting, I dont suppose you read how to get rid of them?
My first ever encounter with a shadow was when I was very young and while attempting to prove to myself that I could be a ghost hunter ( well actually ghostbuster at the time ) explored my aunties supposed haunted house late one night while staying there. I was not dissapointed, for it wasnt long before a black mist hovered down the hallway along the wall and then lept off the wall infront of me. Naturally I ran in fear.
My dreams have been haunted since. Not all the time but on occasions, some so real and with bizarre aftermath that just cant be ignored. I dreamt that a hooded figure ( whom at the time i described as death himself ) Was chasing me down the hall in my dream state, I was aware that i was dreaming because I could see that my "body" was still lying fast asleep in bed, and yet there i was free to roam the house at night. The hooded figure chased me into my brothers room, where he also lay asleep. I tried to wake him out of fear that i was in danger. He would not wake. I shook, slapped and punched, but he would not wake. I felt a tap on my shoulder, as I turned the hooded figure was behind me, it screamed. And then I woke, just like that to the morning sun streaming through the window. I got out of bed and sat at the table for breakfast. My brother entered the room looking like he'd been in a bar fight, dried blood down the front of his pj's. He claimed he had no idea, It must've just happened in his sleep.

Now you can possibly argue that I could have possibly been sleepwalking - but I've also had dreams just as real but involving friends who lived streets away that claimed to have seen an aparition of me sitting beside their beds - and I'd remembered dreaming I was there.

The latest occurance of being visited happened about a year ago on one of the nights that i'd posted previously about concerning a jewellery box.
The whole time the box was in the room I could tell that my partner and I werent alone. There was a sence that there was someone else in the room. On one of the nights I lay in bed in the dark, restless from the "clicking" noises circulating the room. I surveyed the room with my eyes but could see nothing at the end of the bed, I looked beside me - and there it was. Staring back at me with sinister eyes - I was female, i know that much. I thought at first it was my partner, the hair appeared ringlety and curley like hers. But she was in bed beside me, asleep. And as my eyes adjusted in the darkness i could make out that this woman was very old, very witch-like looking and her hair had a life of its own, swaying like she was underwater. I asked it what it wanted and It pointed at me and vanished.

My energy hasnt been fantastic since then, Im wondering if it wasnt a succubi - thats if such things really exist. I wonder if even though I cant see it whether or not its still around feeding off me, making me feel as drained as I do but since then theres been nothing paranormal at all in my life so I dont feel any reason to seek help.

ive also encountered something similar Sam.. This whole thread has proved interesting.. from what Ive read, and from my own personal experiences.. religious phrases are a good deterant.. all of the shadow ghosts experiences ive had occurred at the one house, except for one experience when I was about to go to sleep, when I felt a weight on me..I looked up and a man was on me.. he was wearing a hooded jumper, and he never had a face, i pushed him off me and he vanished, old hag, succubus maybe?.. I got up turned all the lights on and went thru the whole house switchin on lights, no sign of anyone, had it been a home intruder, our dogs would of gone NUTS!.. Im not a religious person, but I have been in some pretty frightening situations and have called on God to help me out.. Ive had dreams that have felt so real that to this day, I dont knw whether it was a dream or not.. one dream in particular where something evil was in the house and I was unable to turn the lights on to face its presence.. The next night after that dreadful night, Ive walked into my house, and those very same lights from the dream the night before, all blew out.. im talking about 6light bulbs in total, on a chandelier type fixture.. whatever this thing was didnt want me seeing it.. was this also another shadow ghost experience? I know exactly how you feel sam in regards to the drained energy, negativity.. i got that the night when I saw the black cloud like smoke hanging around my friend..

Sam your stories are almost enough to make me not look forward to going to bed! And I LOVE my bed! lol

These shadow people, hat men, shadow beings etc are so fascinating!

They are, perhaps because they're breaking away from the "ghost" label and more stories are coming out about them being more demon in origin.

I do have a more pleasant bed time story - and thats my experience with angels. Im not a religious person at all but now im a firm believer in their existance. My partner woke me up one night when we were a fairly new couple, she was sitting up in bed, fast asleep but talking away quite happily to apparently no one. She ended the conversation with a giggle and an "ok goodbye" and then she lay back down - and as soon as she did so a bright warming light filled the room, it surrounded us in a blanket, I felt so protected, there was no fear at all. I felt safe.
The next morning I asked my partner if she remembered talking in her sleep, her answer was "yes" she was infact talking to a friend of hers who had passed away a few years earlier. She told me that he'd told her not to be scared and that he would send angels to bless and protect the two of us. He'd told her to expect a bright light and a great feeling of love. Her descriptions were just like what I'd seen during the night, I'd asked her if she'd seen them too but she'd admited that she was a little scared so closed her eyes - but could see the light through her eyelids.

They've since returned on the night we brought our daughter home for the first time and on the night we'd moved into our current home.
Its a good feeling to know that perhaps we are being watched over and protected even when at times it doesnt feel like it.

They are, perhaps because they're breaking away from the "ghost" label and more stories are coming out about them being more demon in origin.

I do have a more pleasant bed time story - and thats my experience with angels. Im not a religious person at all but now im a firm believer in their existance. My partner woke me up one night when we were a fairly new couple, she was sitting up in bed, fast asleep but talking away quite happily to apparently no one. She ended the conversation with a giggle and an "ok goodbye" and then she lay back down - and as soon as she did so a bright warming light filled the room, it surrounded us in a blanket, I felt so protected, there was no fear at all. I felt safe.
The next morning I asked my partner if she remembered talking in her sleep, her answer was "yes" she was infact talking to a friend of hers who had passed away a few years earlier. She told me that he'd told her not to be scared and that he would send angels to bless and protect the two of us. He'd told her to expect a bright light and a great feeling of love. Her descriptions were just like what I'd seen during the night, I'd asked her if she'd seen them too but she'd admited that she was a little scared so closed her eyes - but could see the light through her eyelids.

They've since returned on the night we brought our daughter home for the first time and on the night we'd moved into our current home.
Its a good feeling to know that perhaps we are being watched over and protected even when at times it doesnt feel like it.

It certainly is a good feeling to have that warmth in your life - its amazing your partner has such clear memories of her experiences like that, shes lucky.

Im not religious either and dont believe in 'angels' as many people like to or choose to see them. I do believe in a good and evil balance, and think the 'angel' beings fall on the good side, just like as you say Shadow Men on the whole might fall on the bad side.