The most common enemies are. They are frequently preceded by purple fog and York telling Zach , "They're here." These enemies are tougher than the average human, able to take multiple rounds without being slowed down, but their overall slow speed allows York to take care of them before they ever get close. Shadows will also sometimes bend over backwards as they move towards York, allowing him to get easier head shots when locked on. They can wield various types of weapons, such as steel pipes, guns, crow bars, etc. In addition, unarmed Shadows will thrust their arms down York's throat and crawl inside of him, resulting in instant death. Shadows can spawn from open sores in walls and floors and can be extremely effective in great numbers at close distances.

For the most part, Shadows just wander aimlessly through the area. Some female Shadows sound as though as they are crying and moaning; the male Shadows often mumble. Once the player has been seen or has shined his/her flashlight towards one, the Shadow will cry out "I saw you" or "I see you". Once York holds his breath or moves out of range, they cry out "Where are you?" or "Can't see..." If a Shadow still has a lock on York, they can teleport closer in a blurred motion to catch him off guard, sometimes crying out "I don't want to die" before or during the teleport. If the player has put a lot of rounds into a Shadow, it will cry out "'Make me die". Sometimes they will say things which may suggest the Shadows are not comprehending what they are even doing, such as "Why?", or "What did I do?"

According to their trading card, Shadows are corpses that have been possessed by evil spirits, and it's possible the corpses are the victims of the original Raincoat Killer. During the Raincoat Killer segments, the people under the control of the purple fog can be seen wearing the same clothes as the Shadows.