Monsters of God – Review | HBO

MONSTERS OF GOD on HBO Max is a new HBO docuseries from the director of Tiger King and Chimp Crazy. It is wild and absolutely brutal! As always, these true crime documentaries are scarier than horror. Read our full Monsters of God docuseries review here!

MONSTERS OF GOD is an HBO docuseries about the extreme crime taking place in the reptile business. Yes, reptile. As in selling various exotic reptiles to people and even zoos. Just when you think it can’t get any crazier, there’s a new layer exposed. As always, these types of documentaries are scarier than horror.

Of course, it should also be noted that this new HBO Docuseries comes from the director of Tiger King and Chimp Crazy. I mean, do you really need to know more before deciding to watch this?! I didn’t, and I watched all five episodes for this review. It is absolutely wild – and awful as well!

Continue reading our Monsters of God docuseries review below. Start watching on HBO Max on August 6, 2026.

Human beings are the real monsters

While the title of this docuseries, Monsters of God, is said in reference to the amazing and exotic reptiles, it is very obvious that human beings are the real monsters in this story. Aren’t we always, really? Especially in relation to animals.

In this HBO Original five-part documentary series, you will hear directly from some of the biggest reptile smugglers in the world. Actually, not some of, but rather “the biggest reptile smugglers”. It is big business, so while these men claim to love reptiles, they clearly love money much more.

The five episodes in this docuseries do get more extreme and darker along the way, which is probably a good thing. By the time you get to episode 5, you’ll have an understanding of these smugglers and their desire to have anything rare. Their love of money is now very obvious, while their love of reptiles is clearly about power and fame.

In that sense, it is exactly like watching Tiger King or Chimp Crazy. These people claim to love and adore animals, but treat them terribly. All to be able to keep them or (as it’s usually the case) make a profit off of them. They all belong behind the same bars that they keep their “beloved” wildlife behind.

In other words, give them the Furious treatment!

Watch the Monsters of God docuseries on HBO Max

Filmmaker Eric Goode has already given us amazing true crime docuseries about people who keep tigers and chimpanzees in captivity and/or as pets. This was in the hugely successful docuseries Tiger King and Chimp Crazy, respectively.

However, his first love was actually reptiles. As such, it makes perfect sense that this latest docuseries is about the smuggling of reptiles, which is apparently a huge industry. The kind where exotic reptiles (snatched from the wild), wild amounts of cash, and trunks full of drugs go hand in hand.

And yes, as always, we hear directly from those who “did the deed”. Participants in Monsters of God are the reptile dealers Tommy Crutchfield, Hank Molt, Anson Wong, Ray and Mike Van Nostrand, Mario Tabraue, and Beau Lee Lewis. They all have lots to tell – both about themselves and each other.

Also, we get interviews with author Bryan Christy; former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agents; reptile collectors; federal prosecutors; customs agents; reptile handlers; former DEA agent Larry Loveless; zoo officials; snake breeders; and investigative journalist Steve Chao.

This is an HBO Documentary Films production made with Goode Films Production and A24.

MONSTERS OF GOD premieres on HBO Max on August 6, 2026. The fifth and final episode debuts on September 3, 2026.