INTERVIEW: ‘Lost Monster Files’ delves deep into cryptozoology
Photo: Lost Monster Files features cryptozoologist Brittany Barbieri investigating the cases of Ivan Sanderson; one of the cases involves the infamous Chupacabra. Photo courtesy of Discovery / Provided by WBD with permission.
Discovery’s new series Lost Monster Files, which premieres Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10 p.m., seeks to uncover the truths behind cryptozoology, the study of creatures like the Abominable Snowman, Sasquatch, Chupacabra and Kodiak Sea Monster. The guidebook for the investigators on the show are the recently unearthed case files of legendary cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson, a leading figure in the field.
The network has amassed experts in the field for the inaugural season of the reality series; they include 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, according to press notes. Together they head around the country, talking to eyewitnesses about their experiences and trying to separate fact from fiction. Along the way, they hear tales of the Thunderbird of Pennsylvania, the Ozark Gowrow and a host of other unbelievable beasts.
“I was approached by the network,” Barbieri said in a recent phone interview on how she became attached to the TV project. “I’ve had a good relationship with them for a long time. They know me from the space of cryptozoology.”
For Barbieri, utilizing Sanderson’s journals was a truly humbling experience because they haven’t seen the light of day in decades. The way she put it, the files were passed around and then placed in a hidden archive after Sanderon’s death in the 1970s. “I mean this was someone’s hard work and dedication and somebody I idolized in cryptozoology, so to see them was extremely humbling,” she said. “But also it was incredible. I mean the sensation was like goosebumps. … It hadn’t been actually visually seen in any kind of museum space or anything like that basically since his passing.”
In the case files was everything Barbieri wanted and more; she was not disappointed. The team was able to sift through everything, and she immediately discovered some gems among the stories. First off, Barbieri said Sanderson is credited with creating the term cryptozoology, and he used the abbreviation ABSM for one of his most impactful cases: the Abominable Snowman.
“That was the turning point for him in his fieldwork, and so immediately going to the archives, I was like, where is it?” Barbieri said as she recounted her excitement. “Where are all these files? I must see them for myself, and to see his handwriting, to see his journaling, to see the process of how his brain broke everything down is truly intimidating but extremely fascinating.”
Barbieri said she is a firm believer when it comes to some of the top cryptozoological mysteries, including the Abominable Snowman and other bipedal cases around the world, such as the Sasquatch in North America.
“I’m a firm believer [in Sasquatch and the ABSM],” she said without hesitation. “I’m a huge believer that they exist. I’m a firm believer that they basically come from a genus of their own, their own family grouping. I believe there are multiple species in different continents and regions, and I’m a firm believer that they still exist and are very elusive and are able to remain hidden from human interaction. We think the world is very small and that we’ve actually gone through every aspect on this planet, but really we haven’t. There are areas remaining untouched to date, and I think that they are aware of this. And that’s where they stay hidden.”
Barbieri added: “From my own fieldwork, yes, I believe that they are connected somehow, whether it be through a great migration or even a type of different genus. If you look at us, we traveled through multiple different years and decades to get to different locations and continue to evolve and create a new habitat or environment for ourselves. It’d be no different for any species of animal. … I believe because the way that these creatures are built and that they are of actual flesh and blood and are almost primitive in a sense, I think the strong survived, and the numbers just might be small.”
The cryptozoologist also gave credence to Indigenous faith traditions that have stories of a bipedal creature within their oral history. Barbieri seems fascinated by this melding of the scientific, speculative and spiritual.
“The one thing you have to consider when you’re looking into this type of research or investigative tactic is you have to be able to understand where did it come from,” she said. “Where did these stories originate from? And you look back at the Indigenous cultures, I mean they were prominent. … And I know what they saw was real, and how their belief system created the storyline of what they saw is really their own lineage of history and what they believe. So you have to apply that to your investigative tactics. I do love looking into that, and we have to start from somewhere. It does originate really far back. … We have to remember and look back at how largely historical the idea of Sasquatch or the Abominable Snowman really is, and we also have to appreciate that, but also bring it into modern-day science and understand that sometimes what some people think is just supernatural or folklore might actually be real. And we need to be willing to apply modern-day science to what we perceive as folklore to find the truth.”
At first, Barbieri was interested in covering each of Sanderson’s case files, but there were too many for season one of Lost Monster Files. So, that does mean there are plenty of stories for future episodes if the inaugural season proves to be a hit on Discovery.
“For me, I was like, let’s do them all, and that’s not feasible,” Barbieri said. “It was really fascinating to see he was already digging into some of these things that became relevant now, which was fascinating. He was far beyond his time, and so it was very easy to go, ‘This is the case [we wanted on TV],’ because we actually have current cases and sightings happening right now. So we can use his work, which is extensive, to almost be the foundation to bring it into the modern times and make it something special and show people that this man was diving into this type of case study probably before it was known to the general public.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Lost Monster Files, featuring Brittany Barbieri, premieres Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10 p.m. on Discovery. Click here for more information.
