Every Monster in Shift At Midnight — Entity, Marionette, Demented & More

Shift At Midnight has two kinds of monsters: the ones you identify at the register (Doppelgangers — full list here), and the ones that come for you when identification fails. This page is the bestiary of the second kind: every creature that can spawn during a Hunt, what it does, and what kills it.

The Entity — the main stalker

The large creature that arrives when a Doppelganger slips through.

• It is blind. It hunts by sound and contact, not sight.
• Sprinting near it is a death sentence; walking is usually safe.
• Escape aggro through the vents — crawling in breaks its tracking.
• Surviving your first Hunt (by slip-through or by reaching the first Blood Moon) earns the Still Breathing achievement.

Players describing a "fast flying ghost that follows me no matter where I hide" are almost always hearing the Entity — it doesn't need to see you to find you. Sound discipline is the whole counter.

The Marionette — the music-box boss

The community's most-hated enemy (and the subject of the "how to kill the marionette" threads everywhere):

• Appears from Night/Shift 9 onward. A jack-in-the-box chest spawns and music plays for 10–15 seconds before it emerges.
• Wind the music box in time to dismiss it — that's the intended answer.
• Damage makes it faster. Chip shots turn it into a blender; only commit if you can finish it. Flamethrower kiting works but takes minutes, and fire can catch you too.
• Running outside briefly breaks its pursuit.
• Some guides call this enemy "the Demon" — same monster, different name.

The Demented — weeping angels

• Freeze while observed — but the freeze is inconsistent; never trust staring alone.
• Best counters: bear traps and landmines. Bait them onto a trap line.
• Reports place their activity around Night 7 onward.

Shrieking Dolls

• Crawling, screaming, weak. Any melee weapon swats them. Don't waste ammo; don't let them swarm you either.

Blood Moon — the unavoidable raid

• No play prevents it. Even a perfect shift gets a Blood Moon attack on schedule.
• The second Blood Moon "brings friends" — heavier spawns.
• Strategy: accept it, pre-barricade the three exterior entrances (front, bathroom, back), stock traps, and fight it like a scheduled appointment rather than an emergency.

The Rakes — Endless-only

• Red-glowing forest creatures, exclusive to Endless Mode.
• When hit, a Rake retreats and repositions rather than dying cleanly — it swaps position and returns.
• Control space with traps and fire; don't chase into the dark.

The Dentist — the finale

• The dangerous Doppelganger of Night 13. Community documentation on its tells is still thin (the wiki page is a stub) — bring weapons and expect the worst on the final night.

Harmless Horrors (don't waste bullets)

These background figures never attack:

Quick Counter Reference

Survival tactics in depth: Hunt Guide. Identification first: Doppelganger List.

Behaviors compiled from community testing, Steam guides and the Fandom wiki. Night thresholds for some spawns remain community-reported rather than patch-verified.