Next on Netflix : The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

If there is one thing the internet is good for, it's making an overnight sensation out of an unusual guy. This meteoric rise was never more obvious than in the case of Kai, AKA The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, after a TV station captured his candid reaction to an accident.

Now Netflix, in its latest 90 min documentary, sets out to tell the full story through eyewitnesses, well-meaning folk in the entertainment industry who tried to help (or take advantage of) Kai and eye-opening personal testimony from estranged members of his own family.

Kai shot to internet fame in February 2013. After his involvement in a Fresno accident which saw the racist driver arrested for attempted manslaughter for purposely ploughing into a group of P.G. & E. workers, passenger Kai was interviewed by a local news channel.  

In the course of the segment, Kai first offered some well-meaning platitudes to viewers, before describing in graphic detail how he stopped the driver assaulting two women with the use of his trusty hatchet. “Smash! Smash! Smash!” became his default catchphrase.  

Kai quickly became a recognisable figure worldwide, a big-haired drifter with no phone, no responsibilities, and a rather unusual perspective. From a cameo on the Jimmy Kimmel Show to urinating on the Walk of Fame, his erratic behaviour spawned memes, GIFs and many autotunes.    

Within 3 months of going viral, Kai found himself back in the headlines again, this time for less auspicious reasons. What connected Kai to the gruesome murder of 74-year-old attorney Joe Galfy at his NJ home? And how long can an internet sensation hide from a nationwide manhunt?

Kai, whose real name is Caleb McGillvey, had a difficult youth. Clearly an intelligent young man, he is a talented guitar player, songwriter, beatboxer, and performer who quoted Madame Guyon and philosophised deeply in a likeable manner. What went so wrong for Kai?

Is the tale worthy of a documentary? Absolutely. The bizarre tale begs to be told. Netflix could’ve dragged it out further, as they are known to do, to a 4-part series, yet this docu-length covers everything in good time and leaves almost no questions unanswered.

Did Kai the hatchet wielding hitchhiker lace the joint he shared with the driver prior to the near fatal accident? Why did Kai return to the scene of an alleged sexual assault? Was his behaviour at the original accident commendable or is he somehow culpable for what transpired?

This documentary outlines the pitfalls of making a viral sensation out of a key witness. Kai, once so careless and home-free, may find himself with a permanent address at a penitentiary.

One takeaway from this peculiar tale?

Don’t pick up a hitchhiker with a hatchet.

Ever.