Judah Friedlander Hosts 'The Monster Project' on Nat Geo

Adding to the plethora of paranormal programming this month is a three-part special airing on the National Geographic Channel called “The Monster Project.” Hosted by actor/comedian and World Champion, Judah Friedlander (“30 Rock”), the first episode airs at 8 p.m. on October 26 and explores the legend of the Jersey Devil. The Chupacabra and America's Loch Ness Monster also get their turn at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The main mission of the specials is to delve deeper into the history/legends surrounding these cryptids and to look for scientific evidence of their existence. Through eye-witness accounts and the input of experts, their destination is proof.

Sound familiar? There are obviously quite a few shows that have been done on this subject but this special has a twist. Friedlander’s hosting and commentary throughout is quite entertaining and I found myself genuinely laughing out loud.

I had the pleasure of viewing the Jersey Devil episode that airs on October 26. In case you’re not familiar with the folklore, the Jersey Devil is said to be the cursed 13th child of Jane “Mother” Leeds. Born in February of 1735, the fearsome creature has the torso of a man, the head of a horse, the feet of a goat, a long serpentine tail and the wings of a bat. He roams the vast Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey and many residents have claimed to see him.

'Finding Bigfoot's Barackman on Jersey Devil, river serpents & Squatch's sexy squat

Artist depiction of the Honey Island Swamp Monster
in Lousiana. Courtesy Animal Planet

Bigfoot is big business, or at least the search for him is. The Jan. 1 second season premiere of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot drew 1.6 million viewers. Not only is this the second-best premiere for the network (after River Monsters), it is a healthy number for a New Year's Day opening. With a third season order presumably forthcoming, and because readers asked for more, we wanted to revisit Finding Bigfoot investigator Cliff Barackman.

Barackman works alongside the Bigfoot Field Researcher’s Organization (BFRO) leader Matt Moneymaker, investigator James “Bobo” Fay and research biologist Ranae Holland on the show to explore reported "Squatch" activity. He spoke with Paranormal Pop Culture before last week's season premiere (read part one here) about his field and theories on the hairy beast man. This time we wanted to ask more about other monsters that might be out there, including the famed monster. We also had to let our minds go in the paranormal potty with our final question.

The Night Shift: The Jersey Devil Riseth?

Night Shift is the diary of Fighting Owl Film's new independent supernatural-adventure-comedy of the same name currently in distribution in Mobile, AL. Over the course of the next several weeks and months, you'll get an insider's peek at what it's like for filmmakers to craft a new entry of paranormal pop culture from Erin Lilley, a producer and actress on the film.

The other night, Soren, our cinematographer, composer-in-residence, voice of Herbie the Skeleton, and just plain old friend, came over to brainstorm project ideas with Thomas. I had to head out for choir practice, so I left the boys with a pizza and wished them luck. Two hours later, I came home to a modern-day version of Your Show of Shows.

Jersey Devil sketch,
'Philadelphia Post' 1909

An open laptop displayed MS Paint sketches of winged creatures, sci-fi robots, and a host of other monsters. A desktop monitor flickered between IMDb and Google Images, and chicken scratch-covered Post-It notes lay in the scanner, awaiting their own digitization. In the middle, the boys shouted out one-liners and gags at a pace so rapid-fire that Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner would have been proud. The only thing missing from this "writer's room" was an empty pot of coffee and a haze of cigarette smoke. I plopped myself down on the couch and enjoyed the show.

This is how things get started around Fighting Owl Films. Sometimes it's just Thomas scribbling on scrap paper. Sometimes ideas bounce off of me. Occasionally, a few of us sit around the living room and riff. The better ideas get vetted to make sure they're completely original, and we didn't subconsciously use someone else's creation. I actually sat with my phone in my hand, Googling bits and pieces of story as they flew past me.

Eventually, some of these ideas will make it into the script for our next project, while others will be kept on file for future use. Most will go in the garbage, but that's brainstorming for you. Not everything that comes from it is gold, but ideas beget ideas, and you don't always know what will work until you try it out loud.

But what are these ideas for? I know I've mentioned in passing that our next project, concerning the Jersey Devil, is currently in the early planning stages, but I haven't really elaborated on it. I thought it might be nice for you to get the information straight from the writer/director himself, so I sat down with Thomas for a little interview:

So, Thomas, with The Night Shift (TNS) about to be released, what's next for Fighting Owl Films?

It feels like people have been asking “what’s next?” since the second principal photography wrapped on TNS. I’ve been kicking around several ideas since then, all of which I hope to someday get off the ground. I’ve settled on what our next potential project will be: The Jersey Devil Expedition (working title). I say “potential” because it all comes down to funding. If we’re unable to secure funding, the project could, at the least, be scaled back and, at most, get scrapped.