Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

I have very mixed feelings about this documentary. On the one hand, it is incredibly gripping, unspeakably horrifying and uniquely fascinating. On the other hand, I don't feel like this vile piece of s**t deserves any airtime whatsoever. It always disgusts me to see media outlets lavish attention on subhuman scum like the creature (I refuse to name him) featured in this story. It is exactly what these monsters want and it encourages other deviants to tread similar paths.

I was also somewhat disturbed by the two main interviewees, who both seemed worryingly excitable about the whole situation. Surely you would want to be blurred out and remain anonymous when involving yourself in something as awful as this? It seems extreme narcissism and attention-seeking isn't limited to serial killers.

Despite my distaste at these aspects of the documentary, I cannot deny being absolutely captivated by this story and the way it was told. The events are so extreme and surreal that it is difficult to believe any of it actually happened. If this was a work of fiction, I'd be commenting that it was far-fetched and unrealistic.

Yet, even though this was one of the most enthralling things I have watched in recent years, I would not recommend it to anybody. Partly because it is so traumatic (I had to literally close my eyes and cover my ears numerous times, something I've never had to do before) and could genuinely traumatise many viewers. But mainly because it gives the protagonist exactly what he wants: notoriety. A very troubling documentary that raises many difficult questions about the internet, social media and vigilante justice.

This is a gripping documentary that I have described to my friends as a real life Saw documentary. It begins with a group of people on Facebook trying to track down someone who is posting videos on Youtube of them murdering kittens. There are multiple horrific videos and some of them are explained in detail so if you're queasy (like me) then brace yourself. You don't actually see any more than the beginning of the videos but you can hear it and it's enough that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I will probably have nightmares tonight.

First I want to say, because I personally came here looking for the answer to this specific question: This IS a real documentary. For the first 10-15 min of this series, I was seriously thinking this was a mockumentary. It totally has that feel to it...at first. But I can tell you that after watching all three parts, it IS real. Without spoiling anything, I can confirm that they include actually archival news footage regarding elements of this case from CNN, various Canadian and European newscasts, as well as a brief interview with Justin Trudeau, who speaks directly about elements of the case. So yes, it's real.

But let me also say that the less you know about this story, the better. I somehow managed to live through the time period of the major events of this case (2010-2014) without ever hearing about this story. So what unfolds in this documentary is one of the most wild, insane, gruesome, and shocking series of events I've ever seen in a true crime doc.

I'm giving this doc 9 stars because the way the director chooses to tell and reveal the story is brilliant. Bits and pieces of info are given to you at precise moments that will lead you to believe you know what's happening, only for another piece of info to be revealed that will absolutely blow your mind and leave you questioning what you think you know. There is so much suspense and it never stops building. From the beginning to the end, I was absolutely gripped. It never failed to hold my attention.

This doc is not for the faint of heart. It is disturbing in unimaginable ways. But because of the way the story is told, I could not stop watching. It's hard to say I "loved" it because it is impossible to "love" a story like this. But I absolutely loved the craft of storytelling employed but the documentarians and the fact that you're kept guessing all the way to the end. One thing I think they could have improved was the way they delivered certain key pieces of information. There were moments when I wasn't sure of the facts that had been revealed, because they were presented in a confusing fashion. I had to rewind a few parts for clarity, to make sure I understood what was being revealed. Other than that, this doc far exceeded my expectations and I appreciated the philosophical question posed at the end.

It's really good, I binged the whole thing. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone sensitive. Netflix issue a warning and they don't actually show any torture or killing, but watching the footage over and over, knowing what's going to happen to them is quite enough. Even seeing it once was too much for me, I'm not good right now.

I don't usually write reviews, this might be my only one. But I felt inclined to do so after seeing a lot of people critical about the ending. I don't actually think it's about the filmmakers judging you, for me it's about self reflection - is your behaviour online contributing to something bad? It is something to think about and I don't think a bit of self reflection is a bad thing.

Anyway...That's how I think about it. I'm going to go hug my cats now, because I need to.

I'm stupefied that all this happened a few years ago and I don't remember hearing anything about it. (Leading me to wonder how much is getting lost in the vortex of awful that are our daily digital lives.)

It's best to watch this knowing as little as possible, and then you too can sit there agog as I did, mouth agape, as the three hour-long episodes unfolded with so many WTF moments that kept me engrossed until the very last frame. It was sad, thought-provoking, shocking, infuriating, and the most interesting thing I watched over the long holiday period. I definitely recommend this if you haven't already seen it.