Can Orang Pendek Finally Be Proven Real? | Headlines from the Beyond Ep. 16
5/14/202610 min
This week on Headlines from the Beyond:
Will a new expedition to Sumatra finally uncover definitive evidence of the mysterious orang pendek?
Cryptohominid researcher Adam Thorn has returned to the jungles of Sumatra with a much more ambitious investigation into the legendary “little person” of Indonesian folklore. Using long-term trail camera deployment, environmental DNA sampling, footprint analysis, and primate vocalization experiments, Thorn’s new expedition represents one of the most scientific attempts yet to investigate reports of this elusive cryptohominid.
We also remember legendary Japanese horror author Koji Suzuki, the creator of Ringu and one of the pioneers of modern J-horror, whose work reshaped supernatural horror around the world.
Finally, we break down the newest developments in the ongoing legal battle surrounding the sale of the infamous Conjuring House to paranormal investigator Jason Hawes, including the dismissal of the lawsuit that temporarily halted the sale.
Three stories, one briefing on the strange, the storied, and the extraordinary.
Stay connected with us between episodes—follow Beyond the Human on Instagram and subscribe to Field Notes from the Beyond on Substack.
Show Notes:
Orang Pendek: Methods for Finding Sumatra’s Sasquatch
I Went in Search of the Orang Pendek, Sumatra's Sasquatch
Orang Pendek Expedition: The DNA Results, My Theories, the Footprints and More
Biothorn Primate Discovery Unit
Koji Suzuki, Whose Horror Novels Inspired ‘Ring’ Movies, Dies at 68
Judge dismisses lawsuit blocking sale of ‘The Conjuring’ house
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Geckner· Host0:00
[typewriter] Will a new expedition to Sumatra find definitive proof of the Orang Pendek? I'm Ryan Geckner, and I'm here with Chris Daly.
Chris Daly· Host0:10
Last week, the world lost one of the original J-horror writers. Koji Suzuki will sadly never finish his final tetralogy. What new updates are there on the Conjuring House sale? This is Headlines From the Beyond.
Ryan Geckner· Host0:23
[typewriter] All right, everybody, we're back. The end of the semester really killed us, so thank you for sticking around and tuning in. Let's just jump right into our first story. So at the beginning of this month, crypto-hominid researcher Adam Thorne headed back to Sumatra for his second expedition to collect evidence of the Orang Pendek. Now, if you don't know who Adam is, uh, he describes himself as an adventurer, jungle expert, and primate specialist. You may know of him actually from History Channel's show Kings of Pain. Um, and he's also the host of Thorne's Jungle podcast and YouTube channel, which we highly recommend. Both are very good. He is going back to Sumatra in search of the Orang Pendek, which if you don't know what that is, it's a crypto-hominid that's frequently sighted, or not frequently sighted, but has been sighted in Western Sumatra. Loosely translates to little person, and is described as a bipedal four-foot-tall hominid with various colors of fur. Now, Thorne recently launched