Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be absolutely terrified after watching latest episode of Uncanny

157 replies

Notafraidofthedark · 17/02/2025 18:57

Been catching up on iPlayer with final episode of Uncanny- the latest one about the shadow man in Crofton.

AIBU to be completely freaked out by this one? At first I thought it was the most easily explained until we found out his friends and family had all seen the shadow man around him.

don’t want to put any spoiler alerts in, but the post mortem podcast has seem even more scary revelations which could explain it, but are not reassuring in the slightest.

Can Anyone shed any light on what this shadow man can be? ( no pun intended!)

OP posts:
x2boys · 18/02/2025 17:12

I only watched the Hollymount farm one because I used to go to Hollymount school in the late 70,s early 80,s it is a spooky place with lots of history.

Keepingthingsinteresting · 18/02/2025 20:09

Velvian · 17/02/2025 20:01

Yes that was a good one was it room 611?

Show quote history

Bloody hell Ken!

CurlyhairedAssassin · 18/02/2025 20:16

I'm just listening to the uni room one now as I'm cooking a (very) late meal. Not finished it yet, but the thing that always strikes me about these things is that people seem to be able to see in the dark. It's always "It was late at night, the dead of winter, I/we had settled down to sleep. I suddenly saw a dark silhouette, as black as anything."

I mean, what gave them the power to see in the dark?

A friend of mine had a weird experience once. She told me about this face she could see leaning over her at night. I asked her how she could see it if the light was off, and she couldn't tell me. I did start to wonder then if it was in her head or if she was having some kind of waking dream each night. (I've had those myself, and they feel very real).

CurlyhairedAssassin · 18/02/2025 20:25

The Hollymount farm one I'm confused about. I can only find a recent date for that being shown on TV. End of Jan this year. But I definitely saw it before that. Like a couple of months back.

Now, either I'm in some kind of time slip, or it has been shown elsewhere before that.....?

Sodthesystem · 18/02/2025 21:59

CurlyhairedAssassin · 18/02/2025 20:16

I'm just listening to the uni room one now as I'm cooking a (very) late meal. Not finished it yet, but the thing that always strikes me about these things is that people seem to be able to see in the dark. It's always "It was late at night, the dead of winter, I/we had settled down to sleep. I suddenly saw a dark silhouette, as black as anything."

I mean, what gave them the power to see in the dark?

A friend of mine had a weird experience once. She told me about this face she could see leaning over her at night. I asked her how she could see it if the light was off, and she couldn't tell me. I did start to wonder then if it was in her head or if she was having some kind of waking dream each night. (I've had those myself, and they feel very real).

Just because the light is off doesn't mean you can't see anything.

Moonlight, outside lights etc...

Usually you can make out outlines in a dark room.

If someone is standing right next to you in the dark, peering over you, you know they are there. Even if you were blind you'd have instincts for that.

TheAverageJoanne · 18/02/2025 22:10

I know the people who now live in Julian's house. I can well imagine that talking with them would have helped him tremendously.

GreyCarpet · 18/02/2025 22:15

OP, I'm baffled!

I'll admit that I do like Uncanny but I listen to the podcasts in the dark to fall asleep to. I have my favourites and listen to then in repeat (the Room 611 ones, Harry Called and the ones with the Scottish bothy).

I can't imagine actually being scared by them though.

HRTQueen · 18/02/2025 22:21

The most unnerving story told to Danny’s is the one with Jason Manford

GreyCarpet · 18/02/2025 22:22

You'll like this one though.

Last night I woke up at about 3am because I heard my partner get up to use the en suite (we were staying away from home).

I was awake but couldn't see well because it was dark. I rolled over to see him (i assumed - there was no other man in the room but it was dark and i couldnt see him well) standing by the side of the bed smiling and waving at me. I couldn't tell if he was talking because I had earplugs in (he snores...) I smiled and waved back and tried to focus because he was wearing a t shirt and I couldn't see which one it was - black with white writing. I was squinting and concentrating more confused than anything because he sleeps naked.

I closed my eyes, rubbed them aiming for one last concentrated look... and when I opened my eyes, he was fast asleep beside me.

Tiredness, sleep, the middle of the night and the dark play tricks on us.

I did tell him this morning though that I was off to email Danny 😁

crowstreet · 19/02/2025 09:03

CurlyhairedAssassin · 18/02/2025 20:16

I'm just listening to the uni room one now as I'm cooking a (very) late meal. Not finished it yet, but the thing that always strikes me about these things is that people seem to be able to see in the dark. It's always "It was late at night, the dead of winter, I/we had settled down to sleep. I suddenly saw a dark silhouette, as black as anything."

I mean, what gave them the power to see in the dark?

A friend of mine had a weird experience once. She told me about this face she could see leaning over her at night. I asked her how she could see it if the light was off, and she couldn't tell me. I did start to wonder then if it was in her head or if she was having some kind of waking dream each night. (I've had those myself, and they feel very real).

Might have been sleep paralysis. I had it for the first time as a young teen, a few days after a silly take on a séance on the last night of a summer camp. Woke up in a state of panic, unable to move and seeing a dark, menacing figure leaning over me and growling. Scared the sh*t out of me.

KimberleyClark · 19/02/2025 09:22

Sodthesystem · 18/02/2025 21:59

Just because the light is off doesn't mean you can't see anything.

Moonlight, outside lights etc...

Usually you can make out outlines in a dark room.

If someone is standing right next to you in the dark, peering over you, you know they are there. Even if you were blind you'd have instincts for that.

Show quote history

Human night vision is actually not very good at all though - the worst in the animal kingdom. So it’s not surprising that people usually see dark shadows in their room at night, rather than in broad daylight.

Loopytiles · 19/02/2025 09:30

Loved ‘Bloody hell, Ken!’

Agree with @BananaSpanner. Annoying that the show/podcast skeptics skirt around the most likely non paranormal explanations of psychology.

For example the DC with deceased father ‘involved in the occult’ more likely to believe in woo stuff due to their upbringing.

IsLarryFromSomething · 19/02/2025 09:30

KimberleyClark · 19/02/2025 09:22

Human night vision is actually not very good at all though - the worst in the animal kingdom. So it’s not surprising that people usually see dark shadows in their room at night, rather than in broad daylight.

Edited
Show quote history

I've been totally terrified by this episode and I'm a sceptic. Last night I was up with a fussy baby and terrified of a dark figure in the corner. It was my dressing gown hanging on the back of the door when I put my little bedside lamp on 🤣

BigBlueRhino · 19/02/2025 09:54

I saw my elderly neighbour looking out of her upstairs window while I was hanging out washing one morning as clear as day .

At midday her daughter called round to say she had died the day before.

PixieandDelilahsmum · 19/02/2025 10:07

So glad to see a thread on this episode! Thanks, OP! I haven't stopped thinking about what Julian lived through, losing his parents so young is awful enough and then this awful, demonic thing torturing him.

I think that if what his aunt said about his dad doing a ouija board (not mentioned in the programme itself but in the 'post mortem' programme) then this is the cause. I have no doubt that what Julian experienced was real, it was not grief or sleep paralysis. Even the police had to leave the house and told him 'there is something wrong with your house.' His parents saw it, his aunt saw it, several of his friends also.

I do wonder if the dads accident was caused by an encounter with the shadow man (as it actually hit the son when he stood up to it). That is just speculation on my part though and I don't suppose Julian will ever know. I am glad that he is free of it now. You could see the relief in him after he met with the new occupant of the house. I wonder about the moving of the photo albums also, it seemed as though the thing wanted him to look through the photos.

Loopytiles · 19/02/2025 10:13

Were the police and most other ‘witnesses’ interviewed for the show? If not its just hearsay.

mental ill health is by far the most likely explanation for the experiences.

BabyDream2025 · 19/02/2025 10:18

I enjoyed the Harry Called episode. I listened to it yesterday on Spotify. I did wonder if he had a stalker but I can’t explain the other part to his story.

Some episodes are great and others I find a bit far fetched that they sound made up.

BabyDream2025 · 19/02/2025 10:21

PixieandDelilahsmum · 19/02/2025 10:07

So glad to see a thread on this episode! Thanks, OP! I haven't stopped thinking about what Julian lived through, losing his parents so young is awful enough and then this awful, demonic thing torturing him.

I think that if what his aunt said about his dad doing a ouija board (not mentioned in the programme itself but in the 'post mortem' programme) then this is the cause. I have no doubt that what Julian experienced was real, it was not grief or sleep paralysis. Even the police had to leave the house and told him 'there is something wrong with your house.' His parents saw it, his aunt saw it, several of his friends also.

I do wonder if the dads accident was caused by an encounter with the shadow man (as it actually hit the son when he stood up to it). That is just speculation on my part though and I don't suppose Julian will ever know. I am glad that he is free of it now. You could see the relief in him after he met with the new occupant of the house. I wonder about the moving of the photo albums also, it seemed as though the thing wanted him to look through the photos.

It was interesting that his friend said the thing he saw had the same stance as Julian’s dad.

Loopytiles · 19/02/2025 10:24

Most likely explanation for the Harry Called story is that the protagonist made it all up.

PixieandDelilahsmum · 19/02/2025 10:32

Loopytiles · 19/02/2025 10:13

Were the police and most other ‘witnesses’ interviewed for the show? If not its just hearsay.

mental ill health is by far the most likely explanation for the experiences.

His friends spoke on the show. I don't think it was his mental state or any kind of manifestation of grief. The new occupants of the house put his mind to rest but (if I recall correctly) it was mentioned that they had also experienced a couple of strange things in the house.

CurlewKate · 19/02/2025 10:35

@PixieandDelilahsmum "I have no doubt that what Julian experienced was real, it was not grief or sleep paralysis."

It's this "I have no doubt" attitude that perpetuates the bullshit...

PixieandDelilahsmum · 19/02/2025 10:39

CurlewKate · 19/02/2025 10:35

@PixieandDelilahsmum "I have no doubt that what Julian experienced was real, it was not grief or sleep paralysis."

It's this "I have no doubt" attitude that perpetuates the bullshit...

What makes you think it's BS?

Loopytiles · 19/02/2025 10:42

For example that there’s no scientific evidence supporting the existence of the ‘paranormal’.

Fencehedge · 19/02/2025 10:45

PixieandDelilahsmum · 19/02/2025 10:39

What makes you think it's BS?

Show quote history

What makes you think it's real?

Friends' accounts can also be explained by psychological factors.

BabyDream2025 · 19/02/2025 10:53

I didn’t watch the episode with Julian - Only listened to the postmortem episode on Spotify.

Did I miss them saying how it all stopped or was it when he moved?