I am a true-crime documentary aficionado. There is just something so fascinating about them. They are a horror movie, history lesson, and sociology lesson all wrapped up in one. And I am sure every casual viewer can admit to being unintentionally sucked into a true-crime show’s gravitational pull. Netflix’s Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is not your standard true-crime documentary and all is not as it seems. Despite being misled slightly by the trailer, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel was informative, engaging, and most importantly, peeled back the curtain and shed light on one of the oddest cases in modern crime history. 

Quick history lesson. The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel takes place at none other than the Cecil Hotel, an infamous hotel in Los Angeles. The hotel opened in 1927 and due to its location, was a hot spot for business travelers to rest their weary heads. But after the depression, the hotel became less a welcomed oasis for the businessman and more a haven for seedy types. Over the years, The Cecil has seen several murders, even more suicides, and even housed serial killers (most prominently featured is Richard Ramirez, often seen at the hotel covered in blood). The place is so notorious that Ryan Murphy even loosely based the “Hotel” season of American Horror Story on it. 

So you would think with ALL this material, the Cecil could host its own season… and yes it definitely could. But rather than focus on all the horrific happenings, Netflix zooms in on one particular case: Elisa Lam. Elisa Lam was a 21-year-old Canadian who had come to California for a little adventure. Her goal was to travel the California coast: first to San Diego, then Los Angeles, eventually making her way up to San Francisco. She came to the Cecil on January 28, 2013, and disappeared on January 31, 2013. 

Let me pause here and say that this is where things deviate from the standard true-crime documentary. Rather than focusing primarily on the case, what makes this first installment of Crime Scene interesting is that it takes a deep dive into the social environment created by the case. 

After details of Elisa Lam’s case became available, people became obsessed with the details. Hundreds of web sleuths poured endless hours into dissecting every piece of evidence available. From obsession bloom several conspiracy theories, one stranger than the next. But oddly enough, there is a degree of plausibility within each theory due to the staggering amount of synchronicities (events that appear to be related but have no obvious connection). This examination of society’s obsession with the case and the consequences of that obsession were fascinating to see. Viewers get to witness the sheer power of social media and how it can aid (or muddle) a quest for truth. 

The documentary trailer might be a tad misleading in terms of what is actually being discussed. There is a heavy focus on the mystique of the hotel and on the possibility of “dark forces” at work, causing one to think that there would be a heavy supernatural discussion. This is definitely not the case. Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel covers the case from multiple angles: web sleuths, detectives, and the Cecil Hotel manager were all interviewed to give their take on the case. Some of the reenactment segway scenes were, for a lack of a better term, lame. But that certainly did not take away from the quality information being dispensed. 

Fans expecting a classic true crime documentary might be disappointed with what they find, but I think Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel has a lot to offer. The case was strange and unusual, the attention it garnered was even more impressive. But its strongest feature is that we get to examine society’s reaction to crime, fear, and fascination with the macabre. It is DEFINITELY worth your time. And fingers crossed another installment features more of the Cecil Hotel and its sordid past, because that is something I would LOVE to see. 

Rating: 8 out of 10