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Netflix viewers are obsessed with ‘wild’ true crime documentary with the ‘craziest plot twist’
Home>Film & TV>Netflix
Published 16:45 8 Jul 2024 GMT+1

Netflix viewers are obsessed with ‘wild’ true crime documentary with the ‘craziest plot twist’

The Netflix doc is based on a true story

Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin

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Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: True crime, Netflix, Documentaries, Film and TV

Michael Slavin
Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin is a Film and TV writer for LADbible. After completing an English Literature with Creative Writing degree at Surrey University, followed by a Masters in International Journalism at Salford University, he began working for the Warrington Guardian as a reporter. Throughout this though, he did freelance work about Film and TV for publications such as DiscussingFilm, looking for any excuse to get to rant about films. He has now finally got that wish.

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@MichaelSlavin98

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When it comes to true crime documentaries, there is nowhere better to look than Netflix.

Whether it be classics like Don’t F**k with Cats, or more recent releases such as The Man With 1000 Kids or Worst Roommate Ever, if you need a true crime fix and fancy something more visual than the 1,000s of podcasts out there – Netflix is the place to go.

The true crime doc has viewers obsessed (Netflix)
The true crime doc has viewers obsessed (Netflix)

Now, viewers have found a new true crime doc to obsess over now though, and it’s one that was released only last year.

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Described as ‘wild’, it features an examination viral fame, shocking twists, and murder – it has everything you could want in a true crime doc.

The documentary is called The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, and it details the story of a man who at one time went viral – before later becoming a murder suspect.

Check out the trailer here:

The titular Hatchet-Wielding-Hitchhiker is a man called Caleb McGillvary, who also goes by Kai.

McGillvary went viral after an interview clip with him described how he saw someone try and grab a woman, before he ended up attacking them with a hatchet.

At the time, he had been living on the streets, and was widely praised as a hero for saving her.

Later though, he was charged with the first-degree murder of a 73-year-old lawyer and was found guilty.

McGillvary was sentenced to 57 years in prison.

The documentary was posted in the Netflix Bangers' Facebook page, with comments calling it a 'great watch'.

Caleb McGillvary (Netflix)
Caleb McGillvary (Netflix)

One person said: “Good doc. It's a good reminder of why we should stop sensationalizing people”.

Another commented: “Interesting doco and great watch. Did not expect the story to go where it did”.

And multiple people commented the same thing, as someone else said: "This was wild’, whilst a fourth commented: “Craziest plot twist”.

A fifth said: "Total curveball. Loved it!"

The film also received positive reviews, achieving a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Caleb now finds himself in prison. (Netflix)
Caleb now finds himself in prison. (Netflix)

One review from Lee Zumpe read: “For lovers of true crime documentaries, The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker is expertly crafted and deeply engrossing.”

Another, from Christy Lemire of FilmWeek said: “It's very sad. A lot of films have explored the nature of instant, viral fame... There is always more of a story there, and that is what this cautionary tale is telling us.”

After its release last year, however, McGillvary slammed the Netflix doc, calling it a 'bulls**t smear piece' and 'filled with slander and lies', as well as claiming to be suing the streaming platform.

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