Watchlist Wednesday: The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (Netflix)

The Emerald Sleuth
Sep 2
2 min read

Updated: Sep 4

Man with bandana interviewed roadside. Text: "The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker," "Watchlist Wednesday," "One Ride, One Viral Hero," "2023 Netflix."

Streets to screens in one savage shot

Ever wonder how a single interview could turn a grim act into clickbait stardom, only to spiral into a sinister headline? That sharp sting of contradiction is exactly why “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker” (Netflix) demands your uneasy attention this week.

In this 2023 Netflix true‑crime doc, we meet Caleb “Kai” McGillvary, a nomadic drifter who went viral recounting how he bashed a man’s skull with a hatchet to protect strangers. That rambling TV moment: “Smash… smash… SA‑SMASH” became a meme, a late‑night appearance, and a cautionary signal flare.

The myth and the mirror

The doc glides from the absurd to the unsettling, sleight‑of‑handing us into Kai’s charisma before the full darkness collapses. The documentary doesn’t just show how he went viral, it shows what came next, and why that meteoric rise curdled into something far more bleak.

This one doesn’t dally. At around 85 minutes, it’s lean, no bloated series. You get interviews with the reporter who put him on the map, family members, law enforcement, even late‑night fixers.

Person in a gray hoodie hitchhiking on a forested road, arm extended with thumb up. Brown backpack, autumn trees in the background, moody vibe.

What makes it worth your time

First, it’s concise; no filler, just teeth‑gnashing tension. Second, it showcases footage such as the original KMPH interview, the meme‑ifying “hatchet tale,” Jimmy Kimmel TV clips. That clash of folklore and forensic left me uneasy. Each media talking head looked more like a vulture than a journalist.

Why The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (Netflix) made it to The Watchlist

It’s the perfect collision of viral fame gone toxic, sensationalist media momentum, and a human wreck in the middle. Watching Kai’s story unfold, I felt tangled, sympathy twisted with revulsion. It’s not flawless, some critics call it “well‑timed but mostly infuriating,” and note it only scratches deeper motives, leaving threads hanging. But that incompleteness is hauntingly purposeful, it mirrors how quickly we forget nuance when we feed on frenzy.

Join the discussion in The Emerald Order and share your take on how viral fame collided with true crime.