Similar to what The Travel Channel did with The Holzer Files back in 2019, which re-opened the case files of America’s first ghost hunter, Dr. Hans Holzer, Discovery Channel has announced it will reexamine the recently uncovered case files of renowned cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson in “Lost Monster Files.”
Premiering Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel, the series features a team of experts who gained exclusive access to Sanderson’s detailed research – including the evidence and artifacts from his most compelling hunts for cryptids or legendary and unknown species – and will use it to reinvestigate his most prominent unfinished cases. The team will focus on present day sightings such as the Abominable Snowman and Chupacabra to determine if modern science and technology can bring them closer to answers for these mysterious creatures.
Biologist Ivan Sanderson, a founder of Cryptozoology – the study of unknown and legendary species – amassed the most extensive collection of unexplained creature research on Earth. Following his death in 1973, the archive was kept hidden. Now, the team will apply long-hidden insights and clues from Sanderson’s physical specimens, journals, and audio recordings to new field investigations, using tools and evidence unavailable in Sanderson’s day.
“Ivan Sanderson’s cryptozoology case files are by far the largest of its kind,” said Howard Lee, President of Discovery Networks. “It’s a treasure trove of fascinating information that the public has never seen before in this capacity – in fact, it’s the first time it will ever be showcased on TV. This series is full of history, science, government secrets, gritty field adventures, and exciting discoveries, topped off by the unexplained – the perfect mix for our audience.”
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 by documenting one of these legendary creatures for the first time.
In the premiere episode, the group investigates a series of strange livestock mutilations in the Smoky Mountains that locals fear could be tied to the infamous Chupacabra, which has terrorized the Southwest for decades. Using journals and evidence from Sanderson’s archive, the team investigates a rash of deadly encounters in North Carolina to try and document this killer canine…and the possibility that the creature could be migrating east. Additional cases explored this season include the Abominable Snowman, the Kodiak Sea Monster, the Wildman of Minnesota, the Thunderbird of Pennsylvania, and the Ozark Gowrow.
Check out a sneak peek of the new series below:
