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Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
Looks interesting. It is going to drop on February, 10th on Netflix. I'm very interested in anything such as this, and I have read a lot about this on Wikipedia. The Cecil Hotel has a very interesting and creepy history. The most popular case is probably that of Elisa Lam, and the footage of her in the elevator is disturbing to say the least.

Apparently she had Bipolar Disorder and her death could have been attributed to that. I know that it can cause delusions in some cases. There is just many more odd things about it that don't add up on a closer inspection.

 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
I remember reading about this, ages ago

Definitely give it a watch
For sure. I would really recommend everyone to take a read of the Wikipedia pages if you're at all interested in this case. I imagine the Netflix documentary won't cover everything. So it's always worth it.

It's a rabbit hole I spent a number of nights just reading up on. There is no chance I would ever sleep in Cecil Hotel.

Such a weird history:

List of deaths and violence at the Cecil Hotel
Death of Elisa Lam
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
It’s a very odd case. The footage of her freaking out was very disturbing. Not sure if it turns out no one was after her, if freaking out like that is a symptom of bipolar disorder, seems more like paranoid schizophrenia to me. But I don’t know enough about bipolar disorder to say.

My initial feeling after reading a bit about it was that she wasn’t murdered and it was some type of a psychotic break, but I’m interested in seeing what the documentary paints and what if any new info it has.
 

Peggies

Gold Member
The moment you suggest anything paranormal I’m out. If you’re going to present something as a documentary, don’t try and feed me a load of shit. It’s already going to be full of filler and padding and have a wholly disappointing conclusion, I don’t need more reasons to not watch it.
Accept Schitts Creek GIF by CBC
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
Must admit I'm not super big on believing the paranormal stuff, but they have to keep it interesting somehow. I've had a couple of weird experiences in my life, but don't believe in Ghosts. Despite that, you still wouldn't catch me sleeping in that place. Not a chance. Maybe if I was paid a handsome sum as a dare, but I'd still have to think long and hard about the decision.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
If you want a weird case, look up Noah Donohue. Guy went missing, was eventually found dead in like a storm drain type thing. That's not the weird part. Law enforcement was able to track his movements via a series of cameras and he was found riding his bike and between each piece of camera footage he ditched something on his person. A bag he had with him. Then a jacket, then pants, etc. Eventually he was last spotted naked, and eventually his body was found.

Body had no signs of physical trauma so they don't think he was murdered. Possible psychotic episode, but no history whatsoever of mental illness.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
There was speculation(I’d you believe in the paranormal) that Elisa was playing the elevator game.

Which is a purported paranormal game involving an elevator and perhaps another dimension?

Wow :messenger_tears_of_joy:
Would I Play?

No. The elevators in my building always get stuck, so I’m scared enough of elevators.
I didn’t realise alternate dimension access required fully functioning machinery when they overrode it anyway

Thanks for the laugh, this stuff’s great
 
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Peggies

Gold Member

Pallas

Member
Oh My God Omg GIF by swerk

Get out of here! I'm so into this shit.
If one day my kid wakes me up in the middle of the night saying "There's a ghost in my room", I'll burn down my apartment and run for my life.
There are a lot of paranormal games that are supposedly true and dangerous. I personally don’t believe it, but Elisa Lam’s death is really strange.
I did a lot of reading and watching about unsolved/unexplained deaths and disappearances about a year ago, and hers was one of the more interesting ones. Crazy thing is that there’s a movie that’s similar to how she died that predates her death, called Dark Water.

One more creepy coincidence, there was a tuberculosis outbreak in the general area and the testing kit was named “LAM-ELISA”
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
I’d class Sleep Paralysis as the paranormal and I can tell you from experience it is 100% real.
Is that where you sometimes see things but can't move? Yeah, no thanks.

giphy.gif


Sleep paralysis sounds absolutely terrifying. I have pretty terrible nightmares when I do have them, so who knows what sort of stuff my mind would cook up.
 

bitbydeath

Gold Member
Is that where you sometimes see things but can't move? Yeah, no thanks.

giphy.gif


Sleep paralysis sounds absolutely terrifying. I have pretty terrible nightmares when I do have them, so who knows what sort of stuff my mind would cook up.
Yeah, I think the best way to describe it is that you’re paralysed and it feels like you’re trapped between two worlds, the living and the dead.

Freaky as fuck.
No going back to sleep after seeing a ghost in your room that prevents you from being able to even move your own head.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, I think the best way to describe it is that you’re paralysed and it feels like you’re trapped between two worlds, the living and the dead.

Freaky as fuck.
No going back to sleep after seeing a ghost in your room that prevents you from being able to even move your own head.
I honestly wonder how many people have just had sleep paralysis in the past without realising it. Especially when it wasn't really known. Some people have really freaky paranormal stories, and it makes you wonder how many are just experiencing that.

I know if I had that, it would make question reality.
 

Pallas

Member
I have sleep paralysis on occasion. Visual and audible hallucinations, a lot of weight on top of you. You try to talk but all that comes out are mumbling and whimpering. It’s where I saw a shadow person as well. Though rather it’s paranormal or not I can’t say. I just know it happens when your REM sleep is interrupted, you either get as you wake up or falling asleep.
 

showernota

Member
I’ve had sleep paralysis once. It was early in the morning and I was drifting between being asleep and awake. I opened my eyes at one point and realized I couldn’t move any other part of my body and freaked out, it’s a really unpleasant feeling. Fortunately I realized what was happening right away, and I think that kept me from hallucinating.

On the topic of paranormal stories, I found this one on demon possession recently and was surprised by the eye witness evidence.

Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson, who received reports about the incident, ordered that Clarita be brought to the city morgue so that he could see for himself. Within 15 minutes of sitting beside next to her, bite marks appeared on her index finger and neck. Lacson said that he saw the marks of a human teeth where Clarita had been bitten, and that "they were not made by her". Lacson was holding her hands when she was bitten. Clarita had been examined and was declared as mentally sound.[4
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
I have sleep paralysis on occasion. Visual and audible hallucinations, a lot of weight on top of you. You try to talk but all that comes out are mumbling and whimpering. It’s where I saw a shadow person as well. Though rather it’s paranormal or not I can’t say. I just know it happens when your REM sleep is interrupted, you either get as you wake up or falling asleep.
Jesus, that sounds terrifying. It takes me a while to recover from the 'falling dreams' I have on occasion.

I had no idea you could have audible hallucinations also. It kind of makes a question I was going to ask moot. Would a sleeping mask and earmuffs help at all? I'm guessing not. It seems like it'd be a logical step, but of course the mind works in strange ways.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I’ve had sleep paralysis a handful of times. It’s such a weird feeling. For me I tried to get out of bed but I couldn’t move. I tried to talk but couldn’t. Every time I’ve gotten it, I fell asleep with background noise like a radio or TV so maybe that interrupted my sleep and caused me to go into that zone where you’re half sleep and awake.

I’ve also had instances where I know I’m sleeping and I want/need to get up to do something and I’m trying to force myself out of bed but I can’t get out of bed and eventually I crawl out of bed like this force is trying to prevent me from getting up and I crawl my way to the other room, and then eventually I’ll wake up and none of that actually happened. It was just me dreaming it did, but it felt real.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
I’ve had sleep paralysis a handful of times. It’s such a weird feeling. For me I tried to get out of bed but I couldn’t move. I tried to talk but couldn’t. Every time I’ve gotten it, I fell asleep with background noise like a radio or TV so maybe that interrupted my sleep and caused me to go into that zone where you’re half sleep and awake.

I’ve also had instances where I know I’m sleeping and I want/need to get up to do something and I’m trying to force myself out of bed but I can’t get out of bed and eventually I crawl out of bed like this force is trying to prevent me from getting up and I crawl my way to the other room, and then eventually I’ll wake up and none of that actually happened. It was just me dreaming it did, but it felt real.
That reminds me of false awakenings. It has rarely happened to me, once that I can recall with clarity, but I know it tripped me out the first time I experienced it. Essentially the dream is so vivid that you feel like you've woken up. You are still dreaming, and it feels so real. Such a confusing experience. Made me question reality for a bit after that.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
That reminds me of false awakenings. It has rarely happened to me, once that I can recall with clarity, but I know it tripped me out the first time I experienced it. Essentially the dream is so vivid that you feel like you've woken up. You are still dreaming, and it feels so real. Such a confusing experience. Made me question reality for a bit after that.
This happens to me a lot. I don't know what happened to me, but all of my dreams are extremely vivid and have been for a decade. I even got to a point once where I could control them. I had this recurring nightmare where Jason Vorhees would break into my home and I'd run upstairs, climb out the top floor window, jump down to the ground outside and then run down the street crying for help... and eventually my legs would stop working as Jason would approach and I'd literally have to try and pull myself with my hands to get away crawling on the concrete. I probably had that dream like 50 times starting in my teens. One time, maybe my brain recognized it as a dream because I've had it so many times that when I was running away eventually I realized within the dream that it was a dream. And I realized that since it was a dream Jason can't hurt me. So I stopped running and I turned around and beat the hell out of Jason and killed him.

Once I had that experience I have been able to control my dreams. Not every time, but frequently. For example during a nightmare I'll realize it's a nightmare and I'll be able to manually teleport myself out of any situation by closing my eyes and when I open them(within the dream) I'll just be somewhere else. For example one time I had a dream that I was in a burning building and couldn't escape and I was like no way this is real and I closed my eyes and then teleported myself out of there.

I've googled this and apparently it's uncommon to be able to do that.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
This happens to me a lot. I don't know what happened to me, but all of my dreams are extremely vivid and have been for a decade. I even got to a point once where I could control them. I had this recurring nightmare where Jason Vorhees would break into my home and I'd run upstairs, climb out the top floor window, jump down to the ground outside and then run down the street crying for help... and eventually my legs would stop working as Jason would approach and I'd literally have to try and pull myself with my hands to get away crawling on the concrete. I probably had that dream like 50 times starting in my teens. One time, maybe my brain recognized it as a dream because I've had it so many times that when I was running away eventually I realized within the dream that it was a dream. And I realized that since it was a dream Jason can't hurt me. So I stopped running and I turned around and beat the hell out of Jason and killed him.

Once I had that experience I have been able to control my dreams. Not every time, but frequently. For example during a nightmare I'll realize it's a nightmare and I'll be able to manually teleport myself out of any situation by closing my eyes and when I open them(within the dream) I'll just be somewhere else. For example one time I had a dream that I was in a burning building and couldn't escape and I was like no way this is real and I closed my eyes and then teleported myself out of there.

I've googled this and apparently it's uncommon to be able to do that.
Never dreamt about Jason Vorhees, but I have definitely had a Freddy Krueger dream. I woke up before anything bad happened. Put me off wanting to re-watch the movies for a while.

I can also control my dreams at times. Although, not to the extremes you described. That is next level. It often does feel like I'm making the choices, I have vivid dreams quite frequently. Lots of things I can remember and pick out the next day. Which is funny because I have no mind's eye and can't picture images in my head whilst awake. You'd think they would be connected, but they're not.
 

Pallas

Member
Jesus, that sounds terrifying. It takes me a while to recover from the 'falling dreams' I have on occasion.

I had no idea you could have audible hallucinations also. It kind of makes a question I was going to ask moot. Would a sleeping mask and earmuffs help at all? I'm guessing not. It seems like it'd be a logical step, but of course the mind works in strange ways.
Well it’s like any dream, you see and hear stuff in dreams that aren’t real. Sometimes stuff in our surroundings, like random noise from a TV or someone talking etc, can affect dreams, this is no different.

It’s literally dreaming while awake/aware. This is going a bit off topic though...

I’m really interested in this Netflix documentary on the Cecil hotel. Definitely going to watch it.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
Never dreamt about Jason Vorhees, but I have definitely had a Freddy Krueger dream. I woke up before anything bad happened. Put me off wanting to re-watch the movies for a while.

I can also control my dreams at times. Although, not to the extremes you described. That is next level. It often does feel like I'm making the choices, I have vivid dreams quite frequently. Lots of things I can remember and pick out the next day. Which is funny because I have no mind's eye and can't picture images in my head whilst awake. You'd think they would be connected, but they're not.
Sometimes I meditate and when I do it triggers a lot of memories from my past. Often I’ve wondered how many of these are my real memories and some were memories from dreams. Because they’re just subtle moments in my life, nothing significant to where I’d remember it clearly. For example, me riding in a car when I was a kid to the store or me going to the park with my parents when I was a kid. And the park will be a park that I don’t have any memory of and doesn’t resemble anything near anywhere I’ve lived so either my memory is mixed up and I’m misremembering or these memories were actually memories of dreams.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
So, what did you guys think?

I don't think it needed four episodes, a lot of padding. Part of me wishes they focused and delved in to the facts a bit more. I think the trailer looked better than the show actually is. Maybe they went a bit heavy on the production value more than anything else. Plenty of conspiracy stuff and theories, although I suppose they had to make it interesting. I think Netflix has made better documentaries. Not sure I'd recommend this, you might be able to find it covered better on Youtube in all honesty.
 

vpance

Member
Starting this now, but I see the reviews are trashing this for being padded and sensationalist. Shame.

I remember reading up it and the theories back then. Just an all around creepy af case.
 
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Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
Starting this now, but I see the reviews are trashing this for being padded and sensationalist. Shame.

I remember reading up it and the theories back then. Just an all around creepy af case.
The reviews are pretty spot on. It was an okay watch, but maybe would have been better stripped down to a single longer episode. If you're not enjoying it after the first episode, I wouldn't bother with the rest personally.
 

vpance

Member
The reviews are pretty spot on. It was an okay watch, but maybe would have been better stripped down to a single longer episode. If you're not enjoying it after the first episode, I wouldn't bother with the rest personally.

Yeah I’ll give it a chance. Too bad it doesn’t live up to the usual quality of these crime/killer shows on Netflix.
 
Watched the first two episodes and could already tell from the first episode it would be full of bullshit. They already made it clear she was naive and had to take prescription drugs at age 21.

Her parents/family probably felt bad for letting her travel alone, so they stopped talking or sharing info. This was all just a bad mistake, she had some serious mental issues that caused her to drown in that water tower. The elevator thing where she pushed multiple buttons probably caused the elevator to mess up. I worked in office buildings that were built between 2010 - 2018 and the elevators would be messing up constantly and needed repairs multiple timees a year. Couldn't imagine what it's like in the shitty "Stay on Main" building built in the 1920s.

The "web sleuths" and youtubers pushing paranormal angles have probably got some mental issues of their own. I think Netflix pushed this bullshit show to cross promote their other trash Night Stalker series.

Netlix is exploitative of people with mental illness.
 
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Peggies

Gold Member
I watched the first 3 episodes. I'm with Sidney that it could have been told in half of the time.

As someone who's never heard of that case, I was quite intrigued and spooked. But the show itself is a little dumb and I found the "sleuths" annoying.

Oh and I didn't know that Jack Unterweger stayed there.

I had a good laugh though, when evil "Morbid" entered the stage. That was funny.

All in all, thanks for the tipp @Sidney Prescott. I found it pleasantly eerie.
 
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BaneIsPain

Member
I think it should've been made for one or two episode only.
Trying to stretch this series into four-episode is a mistake imo.
Poor girl.
 

cyber_ninja

Member
If you want a weird case, look up Noah Donohue. Guy went missing, was eventually found dead in like a storm drain type thing. That's not the weird part. Law enforcement was able to track his movements via a series of cameras and he was found riding his bike and between each piece of camera footage he ditched something on his person. A bag he had with him. Then a jacket, then pants, etc. Eventually he was last spotted naked, and eventually his body was found.

Body had no signs of physical trauma so they don't think he was murdered. Possible psychotic episode, but no history whatsoever of mental illness.

I've heard about this story just recently. True Crime Garage podcast did an episode about it last month. Very weird shit indeed.
 
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Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
Thought it was ok. Maybe I'm too jaded but it wasnt spooky to me at all. It was clear to me she was having some type of reaction or psychotic episode. That made the creepy aspects feel extremely forced.

The creepiest parts were the death metal guys stuff.

It was a bit imbalanced in terms of what they decided to focus on.
The lid being off is literally the most important piece of evidence and they spent like 2 minutes saying, oh yeah btw it was actually off.
 
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Peggies

Gold Member
Just finished the last episode. What those morons did to poor "Morbid" was not cool. You can't just accuse people of murder because you find them weird. Asshole sleuths!
 

vpance

Member
Finished it up. Thought was ok, not as terrible as the reviews were saying. I found all the conspiracy stuff more funny than anything else. Overall I guess it might have been more entertaining if you never followed the case.

Last episode had some details I never heard though. So she was pretty crazy. Sad her parents let her travel on her own in her mental condition.

Also, sucks what happened to Morbid. Maybe he can take some solace in that people are getting cancelled every other day now.
 
They didn't delve into the supernatural. Thats why it sucked donkey balls. And that guy who almost cried over a woman he never met is cringy as fuck. Those are some nosy bastards.
 

John2290

Member
I’d class Sleep Paralysis as the paranormal and I can tell you from experience it is 100% real.
I wouldn't classify it as paranormal in itself, it's all happening in your head with chemicals in your brain and nobody else can see what it is you're seeing or experiencing, you can't call that paranormal anymore than you can a dream or a hallucination.

What is paranormal is the art from generations ago that show to a tee what it is that I and others have seen, if the art were made today with horror films and what not using the images of demons and old gaunt, women with no eyes and shadow people then it would make sense. It makes zero sense that the same personification of evil, demons and what not has existed in the minds of cultures and ended up in our sleep in the same way across thousands of years and separated by no cultural links the further back you go. When I found out that people in Ancient East Asia right right up to middle ages Europe to 20th century have reported the exact same shit and described the exact same experiences it gets freaky, I'm sure there is a reason for it mind, but even the art work looks exactly the same.

I'm thinking that maybe somewhere along our common ancestory our genes imprinted images of predators and coded in these fears, if Demons and hell isn't real of course :D
 
I though it was okay.
All those youtubers are pathetic, especially that guy blabbering about reading all her posts and someone even went to her grave for him and touched her grave stone so he could feel closure. What a fucking loser.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I watched 2 episodes, don’t know if I’ll finish it it’s kinda boring. I always felt it was a psychotic episode. Either she felt someone was after her through this episode of extreme paranoia and/or delusion, and went to hide and didn’t know where she was climbing...or sometimes in psychotic episodes a person can feel like they’re burning up and want to cool off.

One guy said he possibly spent thousands of hours studying this case. I don’t even know if this case has thousands of hours of material it’s not really that complex of a case. It’s bizarre, but not complex.
 
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