Or could it even have been something supernatural? Photo illustration by Slate. The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recastagain. By signing up, you agree to Pedestrian Group's Terms of Service and consent to our Privacy Policy. hitType: 'event', After three episodes of unpacking the mysterious She gave birth in the hotel and threw her newborn out of panic, believing that he was dead. 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Whether the hatch to the water tank where Lams body was found was open or closed is a major point of contention. It's also possible that a hacker managed to take over the account and write posts. Its surprisingly self-aware, and occasionally very smart about the intersections of local history, public interest and the infinite possibilities of the internets involvement. padding-left: 16px; eventAction: 'render' Jack Unterwegerwas an Austrian serial killer, who stayed at the Cecil while visiting Los Angeles in 1991. }); One of the biggest sites of mystery in the United States is what was formerly known as the Hotel Cecil. And while the four-part docuseries covers a lot of details about the famous California hotel located near Skid Row, as well as the details of the Elisa Lam case, there are some facts it leaves out. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. For nearly a century the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles has been linked to some of the citys most notorious activity, from untimely deaths to housing serial killers, the synopsis reads. Some think its haunted but even if you reject that, its certainly been the centerpoint of some very dark activity well before Elisa Lam checked in. The mystery of why the door didnt close might not be that mysterious after all youtuber John Lordan who became obsessed with the case and visited the Cecil to try to make sense of various aspects found that one of the buttons Lam pressed was the door hold button, which would keep the doors open for 2 minutes. },false) Cecil Hotels nefarious past is back in the spotlight thanks to Netflixs latest true-crime documentary, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. Read Next: Unprisoned Star Kerry Washington and Showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser on How the Show Is an American Story About Healing, How Streaming TV Turned the Premier League Into a Great American Pastime, FIFA, Qatar and Cowardly Hypocrisy Has Sucked the Joy Out of Watching the World Cup, Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Is a Spinoff Without A Purpose: TV Review, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,. In January 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam was staying at the Cecil when she suddenly vanished, igniting a total media frenzy. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is available to stream on Netflix now. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Even though it makes gestures towards investigating the hotels unique place at the intersection between LAs rapidly gentrifying downtown and Skid Row, for the most part, its more interested in relaying shocking stories of violence and homeless people snapping at bystanders than detailing a more nuanced history. } } dm.AjaxData.push({ et: et,d: d,ssid: ssid,ad: ad}); The aspiring actor was apparently spotted at the Cecil bar in the days before her murder. if (typeof window.onload != 'function'){ The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox three times a week. It's irresponsible and dishonest, indulging conspiracy theories that put already vulnerable (AP Photo/Nick Ut) ASSOCIATED PRESS. The report issued a finding of accidental drowning and suggested her bipolar was a significant factor, though lots of online sleuths were unhappy with this verdict, because the circumstances were so strange and there were so many unanswered questions. So, what were the unspeakable crimes at the Cecil? That same year, Hail the Sun, a post-hardcore band, wrote a song called "Disappearing Syndrome," which was inspired by her story as well. But it's par for the course with Cecil Hotel, a documentary that takes an insane, slam dunk story and somehow makes it not just boring, but borderline offensive by providing a platform to a group of people who actively derailed the case and hurt people. Ramirez is the subject of the four-part Netflix series,Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer,which is streaming now. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), These shows were part of the movement that made true crime more accessible and attractive to a wider, perhaps more sophisticated, audience. The unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short is easily one of the most shocking cases in Los Angeles history. 17 hours ago, by Samantha Brodsky While Purcell was initially charged with murder, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The video, released by LAPD in 2013, is the last known sighting of Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old Canadian tourist who disappeared while she was staying at the Cecil Hotel While in L.A. on a reporting assignment, prosecutors eventually found, Unterweger hadkilled (opens in new tab)three sex workers. But it's not. The upgrade isexpected (opens in new tab)to be completed this October, after which only time will tell whether the hotel has finally been given a fresh start. (Tune in next month for Murder Among the Mormons.) More than two weeks after Elisa was last seen her body was discovered in a water tank on top of the hotel, after guests at the hotel reported a drop in pressure and discoloration of the water. hitType: 'event', By stripping back and intently focusing on the facts and the victims, these shows can build a foundation from the already compelling and mysterious stories to create something inherently engaging without needing to try and trick us with conspiracies and exaggerated eeriness. Photo: Netflix. Here's a rundown of the Cecil Hotel's sordid past, from its opulent beginnings in the 1920s to its involvement in the Black Dahlia and Night Stalker cases. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. eventAction: 'click_adunit' } But not for the reasons you might expect. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Without them, there is no documentary, so theyre not being inserted where they dont belong. eventAction: 'click_ads' The Cecil was the site of many other disturbing crimes, especially as room prices continued to decline alongside the hotel's changing neighborhood. The so-called Night Stalker was regularly seen around Skid Row during his mid-'80s crime spree and, as a then-night clerk at the Cecil told theL.A. Times (opens in new tab),reportedly checked into the hotel for several weeks in July and August 1985, shortly before his arrest in late August. That is to say, even if she was behaving strangely in the lift, and even if she was just being a bit weird by herself, that doesnt mean she was or was not in contact with someone else before her death. }); Lam travelled to the US by herself in January 2013, visiting San Diego before she arrived in LA, with plans to go to Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Indeed, many TV series have used the tragic event at Cecil Hotel as inspiration for their episodes. '&l=' + l : ''; But when does it become a problem if, to make the fan base feel more involved, people who would otherwise be part of the shows audience are needlessly inserted into the narrative? } This four part docuseries from Joe Berlinger, who made the excellent documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, delves into the case in a way that is sensationally un-sensationalist. The autopsy report on Lam's body just raised more questions. } Definitely don't follow him on Twitter. // console.log('Changed ' + all_links.href); }); Apart from being a features writer and critic at ScreenRant, Debopriyaa is a news writer at /Film. Cecil Hotel has a long history with criminal activity. Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel is the latest obsession from Netflix for true crime fans. Believing the child dead, she threw it out the window and returned to the room, never telling Levine of the incident, according to the testimony, the newspaper read. She was naked, and her clothes were in the tank with her as well as her watch and room key. However, having these strange sleuths (one asked a friend to record himself touching Lam's gravestone) dissecting them uncritically on camera is a step too far. If the stories are to be believed, the Cecil housed notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez, who terrorised Los Angeles from 1984 to 1985. In the following years, the hotel fell faced hard times and it became the site for suicides and violent murders. (Its worth noting that The Staircase also includes loopier aspects of conspiracy such as the notorious owl theory, but at least these elements were explored by the subjects and included in the trial as genuine possibilities, not just foisted on from the outside like the conjectures in Crime Scene.) Before we get into it, heres what you need to know about the show. There Was A Ghost Sighting At The Hotel. /* ]]> */ All Rights Reserved. Jan. 28: Lam checks into the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. pg.acq.push(function() { document.links[t].removeAttribute('target'); First up wasThe Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (opens in new tab), which investigated Richard Ramirez's yearlong crime spree across California in the '80s, and now, Netflix is taking a deeper look at another crime that not only took place in the Golden State but also, interestingly, has ties to Ramirez. Cecil Hotel, or Hotel Death as its otherwise known as, was my first foray into true crime history. Some of these facts wouldn't add much to the story, but they are interesting to know nonetheless. After stumbling across a YouTube video of him documenting a stay at the hotel, internet sleuths took it upon themselves to accuse Morbid of murdering Lam and dumping her body in the water tank. When it comes to true crime, we need to be challenged, not flattered. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel delves deep into the details surrounding the Elisa Lam caseand the cryptic security footage of her that was released, which prompted numerous conspiracy theories surrounding her death. There's a limit here and Cecil Hotel breezes past it. Crime Scene then introduces the central mystery of Elisa Lam, a 21 year-old traveler who disappeared at the Cecil in 2013. In September 1985, just 12 hours after the Los Angeles Police Department issued an all-points bulletin identifying him as their prime suspect in the slayings, Ramirez was chased down and beaten by a mob of civilians as he tried to steal a car. The boy reportedly suffered from nightmares after seeing the image, which aligns with conspiracy theories about the building being haunted by spirits. In California, she visited the San Diego Zoo and posted photos on social media. These sleuths spend hours dissecting footage, digging through Elisa Lam's social media accounts, making outrageous claims on YouTube channels. Become a home entertainment expert with our handpicked tips, reviews and deals. After three episodes of unpacking the mysterious disappearance of Elisa Lam, the infamous Cecil Hotel in which she was last seen, the fraught history of downtown Los Angeles, and even several truly confusing web sleuth theories about what might have happened, the new Netflix series reaches a perhaps unsatisfying conclusion: that the simplest explanation is almost definitely the right one. change_link = true; Episode three of Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel. The Cecil Hotel can add ghost sighting to its list of curious happenings. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. From director Joe Berlinger, previously of Netflixs Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Crime Scene introduces several narrative threads without tying them together until its too late. And not just bad. Committing the bulk of his attacks in 1985, Ramirez entered homes through unlocked doors and windows. Lam's story has also inspired musicians who were fascinated with the case. Several people have been murdered or taken their own lives at the location and The Night Stalker Richard Ramirez stayed there during the time he was terrorizing LA. Was it an accident? Pablo Vergara, death metal musician by the stage name Morbid. Ahead, we've put together a timeline of Elisa Lam's disappearance and death to straighten out the facts. One of the most bizarre moments is when one web sleuth tearfully asks, Why do I feel like I just lost a friend, a sister? Later, the same man enlists someone to go and place a hand on Elisas grave so he can gain closure. Vergara, whose life was forever changed following the unfounded accusations, actually won a scholarship from the New York Film Academy for directing. The Elevator Gameurban legendis said to have originated from Korea and involves carrying out a step-by-step ritual in an elevator inside a building with at least ten floors.Players must go alone and they start by pressing the button for the fourth floor, then pushing buttons in the following sequence; second, sixth, second, tenth and fifth, whilst not getting out on any level. , Awesome, Youre All Set! } ()); The series focuses on a small online community that becomes obsessed with tracking down the source of anonymous internet videos that show a man killing kittens, and eventually, a person. All rights reserved. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ And the first mystery in How to Get Away with Murder is solved when it's discovered that the body of a missing college girl is found in the rooftop water tank. He was sentenced to death, and remained on death row until he died of liver failure in 2013. An autopsy, along with security footage from the hotel that appeared to show Lam behaving erratically in the hours before her disappearance, led investigators toconclude (opens in new tab)that her death was an accident. Crime Scene then introduces the central mystery of Elisa Lam, a 21 year-old traveler who disappeared at the Cecil in 2013. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, the latest hit documentary on Netflix, is a terrifying watch. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel explores one of the more bizarre theories to have emerged surrounding Elisa's death, which is that she was engaged in The Elevator Game, a creepy ritual that plays out as a game in order to access an alternate or parallel world. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is bloated, dull and confusing. j.src = }); Crime Scene doesnt have a solution to work toward, so it fills the space with the testimony of people whove become obsessed with the case. The Cecil Hotels dark past earned it a spot on Los Angeles tours long before a womans body was found inside its rooftop water tank. It's a true crime documentarian's dream. Cecil Hotel could have been a tight, concise mystery. The story of how death-metal musician Morbid got involved in the Elisa Lam case is a cautionary tale on what happens when people on the Internet fail to check their facts. People creeped out by the footage online have suggested various spooky theories including connections to the movie Dark Water, based on the story published in 1996 and the movie released in 2002 (they are eerily similar) and the elevator game a sort of urban legend where pressing various keys in sequence is supposed to give the player access to another dimension (heres a good explanation of the game and its heritage).