You think you’re watching a doc about reptile collectors. Then come the Cocaine Cowboys, 300,000 baby iguanas, and a Malaysian wildlife kingpin.
Trailer for “Monsters of God”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Ray Van Nostrand’s reptile truck had snakes below and Cocaine Cowboy drugs hidden above. And who wants to search a truck full of venomous snakes?
- Hank Molt offered to hide Tommy Crutchfield’s endangered Fiji iguanas—then killed them, preserved them in jars and handed them to the feds as evidence.
- Mario Tabraue’s crew allegedly murdered informant Larry Nash, chopped up his body and burned it. A former DEA agent says he was told they even played soccer with Nash’s severed head.
Watch “Monsters of God”
You can find the latest streaming options for “Monsters of God” on JustWatch. The series is on HBO Max and is also available through Hulu with the HBO Max add-on.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 92/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: Eric Goode directed this five-part series. He’s the same filmmaker behind “Tiger King” and HBO’s “Chimp Crazy.” But reptiles are actually Goode’s first love. The production collected about 1,500 hours of footage and interviewed around 100 people.
Release Date: 2026
Other Unique Stuff
- Before Hank Molt became a major reptile dealer, he sold cheese. He eventually traded cheddar for cobras and ran the Philadelphia Reptile Exchange.
- Tommy Crutchfield got his start at a Florida tourist attraction called the Snake-a-Torium. He went on to become one of America’s biggest reptile dealers.
- Ray Van Nostrand died during filming, just shy of 80. He had dementia, making his interviews both fascinating and sad as he tries to piece together his wild past.
Wrap Up:
I loved how the story keeps changing under you—just when Ray seems like the main character, Mike takes over, and then suddenly we’re chasing a reptile kingpin in Malaysia.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc