• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
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

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)

Advert

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

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.

Advert

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'.

Advert

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”.

Advert

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.”

Advert

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.

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 UNILAD and 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.

X

@MichaelSlavin98

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
11 hours ago
15 hours ago
23 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Top five horror movies of this century have officially been decided and includes classic that gave people ‘night terrors’

    One of the movies on the list gave the lead actor PTSD

    Film & TV
  • 11 hours ago

    Netflix viewers outraged as cult classic series is leaving the platform after just one year

    Bad news if you've just started watching...

    Film & TV
  • 15 hours ago

    Netflix viewers say hilarious mini-series is a 'new binge' that should 'come with a warning'

    The creator of the show has worked on some of the greatest sets in modern Hollywood, including with Quentin Tarantino and Ryan Murphy

    Film & TV
  • 23 hours ago

    93% rated Amazon Prime show had Stephen King labeling it 'really smart' as fans binge all three seasons

    Fans were blown away by the 'unique' show, which even got Stephen King's seal of approval

    Film & TV
  • Netflix viewers praise new true-crime documentary as the ‘best to be released in a long time’
  • Four true crime Netflix series which helped in real-life cases including one branded the 'saddest thing fans have ever watched'
  • Netflix viewers rave over forgotten drama that's ‘better the second time’ and you can binge it in one day
  • 5 'eye-opening' Netflix true crime documentaries to watch after 'heartbreaking' Gabby Petito series