The Reel Review
Don’t F**k With Cats is the disturbing Netflix docuseries about amateur sleuths whose doggedness in hunting online for the man who posted a 2010 video of himself killing two kittens would eventually result in his speedy capture for the gruesome killing of a man two years later.
The plot twists in this bizarre story are the stuff of a wildly intricate murder movie plot, at times almost too surreal and horrifying to be believed. But they did happen, and the lengths that the online community went in their efforts to track the killer are not only impressive but also an unsettling reminder of just how easy it is to track anyone in this digital age.
Shows like these, however, often face a dilemma – their very existence is precisely the fuel for these deranged, publicity-seeking narcissists and copycats. That, combined with cheesily staged recreations and the brief but still disturbing excerpts of the kitty and human snuff videos, at times has the fascinating, three hour series crossing into tastelessness, capped with an annoyingly self-serving ending.
REEL FACTS
• Don’t F**k With Cats does not show the actual deaths of the cats or person but it does show enough beforehand (and the bodies of the cats afterwards) that there is no doubt as to what has happened.
• Early warning signs of a serial killer include: animal torture, anti-social behavior, a troubled childhood, voyeurism and difficulty holding a job.
• Police in Edmonton, Canada charged Mark Marek, the owner of the website bestgore.com, with corrupting public morals for hosting the now infamous murder video online. Marek served half of his six month sentence under house arrest. The site, which gets an estimated 10-15 million views per month, is still active.
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