‘Monsters Of God’ Slithers Onto HBO: Reptilian Docuseries From ‘Tiger King’s Eric Goode
HBO has launched Monsters of God, a five-part documentary series from Tiger King co-director Eric Goode that turns its lens on the shadowy world of exotic reptile dealers. The show profiles collectors and smugglers whose passion for rare snakes, lizards, alligators and turtles has often crossed into illegal territory, shedding light on what HBO describes as a "billion-dollar criminal enterprise" trading in endangered species.
The series draws on Bryan Christy's 2008 book The Lizard King and features figures including Tom Crutchfield, his rival Hank Molt, and Malaysian exporter Anson Wong, dubbed "the Pablo Escobar of reptiles." Christy, who consulted on the project, praised the producers for persuading such a wary group to appear on camera, while two contributors, Crutchfield and Mike Van Nostrand, have both previously served prison time for reptile-smuggling offences, including a 2022 conviction linked to trafficking Florida turtles abroad.
- HBO's Monsters of God explores illegal exotic reptile trafficking networks
- Made by Tiger King's Eric Goode, based on Bryan Christy's 2008 book
- Featured dealers include convicted smugglers Tom Crutchfield and Mike Van Nostrand
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Exotic reptiles such as rare snakes, lizards and turtles can fetch enormous sums among collectors, and demand for the rarest species has fuelled a trade that often slips into smuggling and other illegal activity. This hidden world of dealers, breeders and traffickers is the subject of a new HBO documentary series, which HBO itself describes as tapping into a "billion-dollar criminal enterprise" built around endangered animals.
The series is made by Eric Goode, best known for co-directing Tiger King, and draws on journalist Bryan Christy's 2008 book The Lizard King, which first chronicled this underground scene. Central figures include long-time reptile dealers Tom Crutchfield and Hank Molt, along with Malaysian exporter Anson Wong, who has been given the nickname "the Pablo Escobar of reptiles" because of the scale of his trafficking activities.
Some of the people featured have real criminal histories rather than being distant subjects: both Crutchfield and fellow contributor Mike Van Nostrand have previously been imprisoned for reptile-smuggling offences, including a 2022 case involving turtles taken illegally from Florida. That backdrop matters because it shapes why persuading such secretive, legally exposed figures to speak on camera is considered a notable achievement for the filmmakers, and why the series is being framed as a rare window into wildlife crime rather than a straightforward nature programme.