Mate this thread just gave me chills. I had the exact same thing around age 7 or 8, tall grey shape standing at the foot of my bed, just sort of... watching. No face I could make out, no movement, it would just be there when I woke up in the night. I told my mum and she said it was a dream but I know the difference between being asleep and being wide awake staring at something in your room.
What always got me was how consistent people's descriptions are when this comes up. Same height, same grey tone, same stillness. Thats not something you'd expect if it was just random sleep paralysis hallucinations, surely the details would vary more?
Anyone else notice it was always near the foot of the bed specifically? Never by the door or window in my case. Curious if thats a pattern other people experienced too.