A lot of fans were bummed when The Holzer Files bit the dust. But Discovery Channel may have an antidote. Sort of. They’re rolling out a new series with a similar vibe. Except, instead of ghosts, demons, and hauntings, it’ll explore mysterious creatures.
Lost Monster Files premieres Wednesday, October 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel. It’s inspired by the work of biologist Ivan Sanderson.
Where Hans Holzer is known as the “father of ghost hunting,” Sanderson is one of the founding fathers of cryptozoology, a field of study that searches for animals whose existence is disputed and often unsubstantiated.
Lost Monster Files follows a team of experts who gained exclusive access to Sanderson’s archive of detailed research. They’ll use it to reinvestigate his most prominent unfinished cases in an effort to settle disputes and substantiate claims.
Ivan Sanderson’s Files
By the time Sanderson died in 1973, he had amassed the most extensive collection of unexplained creature research on Earth. But his archive was kept hidden —and, as time passed, was forgotten.
But now, over 50 years later, his recently uncovered case files will get renewed attention in Lost Monster Files. Sanderson’s physical specimens, journals, and audio recordings contained long-hidden insights and clues.
In the series, the past meets the present. The team will apply Sanderson’s data to new field investigations, using tools and evidence not available in Sanderson’s day. They’ll focus on present-day sightings of creatures like the Abominable Snowman and Chupacabra to determine if modern science and technology will reveal answers about such mysterious creatures.
Lost Monster Files Team
The team includes field scientist and tech expert Charlie Mewshaw, cryptozoologist Brittany Barbieri, predator experts and wildlife trackers Troy Lillie and Justin Igualada, and former CIA officer and FBI agent Tracy Walder.
Following evidence and theories buried away for decades and chasing up-to-the-minute encounters, they aim to bring fact to fiction. Will they achieve success and document the discovery of one of these legendary creatures for the first time? We’ll have to wait and see.
The Episodes
The premiere episode finds the team investigating a series of strange livestock mutilations in the Smoky Mountains. Locals fear it might be the work of the infamous Chupacabra, which is more common in the Southwest.
The team uses Sanderson’s archive of journals and evidence to investigate a rash of deadly encounters in North Carolina. Will they be able to document the killer canine…and prove it’s now migrating east?
As the season unfolds, they’ll also investigate the Abominable Snowman, the Kodiak Sea Monster, the Wildman of Minnesota, the Thunderbird of Pennsylvania, and the Ozark Gowrow.
Check-In
What’s your favorite cryptid? Is it one they’ll investigate in the Lost Monster Files?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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As a side note to this post, did you know there was a calendar called Legends of the National Parks? It features legendary cryptids. I spotted it at Barnes and Noble. (from Anderson Design Group – they have some interesting offerings).
I did! I have it! ADG is located here in Nashville! I thought about reaching out to them for an interview but…that’s all I did. Think about because I chickened out.
They might would like the promotion that would arise from an interview about their company. I totally blundered across that calendar as I was heading out the door and had already made my purchases. I’m still thinking about getting a copy.