Some ghosts walk through halls. Others rattle chains or flicker the lights. Then there are crawlers. If you’ve ever seen one, you don’t forget it. These things don’t act like the spirits we normally deal with. They’re darker, weirder, and honestly, a lot scarier. So what are crawlers?

Get the scoop after the jump.

What Do Crawlers Look Like?

They look human but something’s wrong. Really wrong.

Most reports describe them as tall and thin with super long arms and legs. Their skin is dark gray or pitch black. No hair. No face. Just a blank, twisted shadow that moves like a spider. You’ll usually spot them clinging to walls, ceilings, or crawling out from under stairs or behind furniture.

The creepiest part? They move in jerky, twitchy ways. Fast, but not smooth. People say it’s like watching a puppet on broken strings.

Reported Crawler Encounters

Crawlers show up in places already known for hauntings. Think abandoned hospitals, old prisons, decaying houses, or deep in dark woods.

Some of the more famous crawler sightings happened at:

• Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Kentucky: Multiple teams have reported something crawling on the ceiling of the body chute. [1]
• Shepherdstown, West Virginia: A crawler was filmed crawling across a barn ceiling in an episode of Ghosts of Shepherdstown. [2]
• Personal Accounts: You can find dozens of reports on forums like Reddit’s r/Paranormal, where people describe eerily similar encounters. [3]
• Tacoma’s Tunnels: A network of tunnels runs under Downtown Tacoma, and witnesses report crawlers in former hotel and brothel basements.

They tend to show up in high-stress locations. Places filled with fear, death, or long-term suffering. That makes some investigators think they’re not ghosts at all.

Now, for an encounter submitted by a reader (with a touch of narrative nonfiction from me) …

A Real Encounter From Greenfield, Indiana

This happened during a private investigation at an old textile mill just outside of Greenfield, Indiana. The place had been abandoned since the 1960s, but locals swore it was haunted. Cold spots. Voices. Shadow figures. The usual.

Jon* didn’t expect anything unusual. Just a walk-through with the team, setting up gear. But then they went down to the basement.

It was quiet at first. Still air. Damp. A few rusted pipes lined the walls. The EMF meter blipped a little, but nothing dramatic. Kim* had my infrared camera sweeping across the room when I heard a soft tap-tap-tap from above … like fingers brushing a ceiling tile.

They all stopped.

No wind. No animals. Just the team.

Then someone whispered, “Look up.”

Dave* turned his flashlight toward the ceiling … and there it was.

A long, black shape clung to the beams overhead. Thin arms, too many joints. It moved in short, twitchy bursts, like it was glitching its way across the ceiling. No eyes. Just this featureless, stretching face that seemed to know we saw it.

And then it dropped.

Not onto them … thank God … but behind a stack of old machinery. They heard it scuttle, loud and fast, and then… gone.

The camera didn’t catch much. A blur. A shadow. But the fear? That stayed with them.

None of the team stayed in the basement after that. Even the skeptic on their team wouldn’t go back.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t just a spirit. It felt old. Sinister. And wrong.

^{*names changed to protect privacy}

Are They Dangerous?

Most people say the crawler just vanishes after a few seconds. But the fear sticks.

Some feel sick. Some hear growling. Others describe an overwhelming sense of dread, like their brain is screaming “Run!” before they even see the thing.

There are a few reports of people getting scratched or shoved, but nothing confirmed. That said, a crawler’s goal seems to be psychological. It wants to scare you. And it’s good at it.

What Are They?

Nobody knows for sure, but here are the most popular theories:

1. Non-Human Entities

Some paranormal researchers think crawlers are demonic or elemental. They’ve never been alive like us. They don’t follow ghost “rules.” That’s why they behave so differently.

2. Feral Spirits

Another idea is that they were once human, maybe someone who went through extreme trauma or died in an awful way, and they lost their identity. What’s left is just this raw, crawling thing.

3. Thoughtforms or Tulpas

This theory says crawlers are created from fear itself. We’ve imagined them into existence, and now they feed on our emotions.

4. Interdimensional Beings

Some folks lump crawlers in with shadow people and black-eyed kids. Maybe they’re crossing over from somewhere else, and we just happen to see them.

Right now, there’s no hard evidence to prove any of these ideas. But based on hundreds of similar eyewitness accounts, something strange is definitely going on.

Signs A Crawler Might Be Nearby

Here’s what to watch out for during an investigation:

• Pets acting weird such as barking at walls, hiding, or growling at nothing
• Heavy air or sudden feelings of dread
• Scratching or tapping sounds on the ceiling or walls
• Movement in the corner of your eye, especially near the floor or ceiling
• Seeing a tall, shadowy figure crawling toward you … yeah, that’s the big one

The big takeaway: Be aware of your surroundings because your gadgets won’t detect crawlers.

What Should You Do If You See A Crawler?

First off, don’t chase it. Don’t try to talk to it either.

If you can, get out of the space and ground yourself. Cleanse the area with your preferred method. That could be sage, salt, prayer, or whatever works for you. If you’re still feeling off later, talk it through with your team or someone who understands this stuff.

Crawlers seem to thrive on fear. Don’t feed them.

Final Thoughts

Crawlers are one of the strangest things I’ve come across in the paranormal world. They’re fast, freaky, and don’t fit into any neat category. That makes them one of the most unsettling entities out there.

If you’ve seen one, or caught one on camera, I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a message or leave a comment. Just… maybe keep your eyes on the ceiling tonight.

You never know.

Sources

1. Kern, A. (2020). Haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The Atlantic Paranormal Society.
2. Ghosts of Shepherdstown. Season 1, Episode 5, Destination America, 2016.
3. “Crawler Entity Experiences.” Reddit: r/Paranormal, multiple threads, 2017–2024.
   https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/

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Have you encountered a crawler? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated and take care!