Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. This week, I’m sharing my review of Jason Offutt’s non-fiction book Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among Us.

Darkness Walks: The Shadow People Among Us was published in 2010 by Anomalist Books and is 200 pages long.

What’s it About
Darkness Walks explores the eerie and enigmatic phenomenon of “Shadow People” — dark, humanoid silhouettes that reportedly appear in peripheral vision, in the corners of rooms, or during sleep paralysis.

Characters
There aren’t any characters as such. The book is primarily laid out in the form of supposed real-life testimonials, told by those who have witnessed shadow people.

Writing Style
The writing is straightforward, readable, and avoids heavy jargon, making it approachable for curious readers.

It’s not quite the book I expected. I was hoping it would be more of an exploration of sleep paralysis and the way many people experience the same, or very similar, hallucinations during an attack, but it reads more like a paranormal textbook with religious overtones. Scientific or psychological angles (e.g. sleep paralysis, hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations) are mentioned but not thoroughly evaluated.

The book is structured into chapters where “shadows” are groupd into types such as “Benign Shadows,” “Red-Eyed Shadows,” “The Hat Man,” “Shadows That Attack,” “When Children See Shadows” and most of those chapters are filled with anecodal passages wherein people relate their alleged experiences with particular shadow beings.

I must say, though I don’t believe in the paranormal, the “real life” stories are incredibly eerie and more than once I felt a shiver down my spine.

That being said, because of the book’s anecdotal style, it can feel repetitive. However, parts of it are interesting nonetheless.

Final Thoughts
Darkness Walks functions well as a primer on Shadow People folklore—a casual, approachable introduction filled with curious tales. Offutt succeeds in gathering diverse testimonies and acknowledges multiple perspectives, making it suitable for readers intrigued by the paranormal.

However, if you’re seeking a more rigorous exploration—one that weighs scientific explanations or delves into psychological profiles—this work may feel surface-level. The frequent narrative shifts and anecdote-heavy format may also detract from deeper engagement.

I’m giving Darkness Walks a 3/10.

Have you read this one?

Thank you, as ever, for reading my review.

Until next time,

George

© 2026 GLT

Categories: Book Reviews, Reading

Tags: book review, paranormal, review, shadow people, shadows, sleep paralysis, supernatural