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The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel – Crime Scene

Play trailer Poster for The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel – Crime Scene Feb 2021 Documentary Crime Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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54% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 28% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Los Angeles' notorious Cecil Hotel grows in infamy after the disappearance of guest Elisa Lam.
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Crime Scene — The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

Crime Scene — The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

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Critics Consensus

A sad story poorly told, Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel buries the heart of its tragic case under unsavory conspiracy theories and tasteless reenactments.

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Critics Reviews

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Olivia B. Waxman TIME Magazine 09/19/2024
The program—with its deep dive into Lam’s social media presence—raises a larger issue of whether these web sleuths help or hurt these kinds of investigations. Go to Full Review
Alessa Dominguez BuzzFeed News 04/06/2022
The third episode of the series is titled “Down the Rabbit Hole.” It could have been the subtitle for the entire series — and not in a good way. Go to Full Review
Graeme Blundell The Australian 02/27/2021
Berlinger takes us into the actual experiences of those on the internet trying to solve the mystery on their own, turning the series into more than simply a mystery but a kind of cautionary tale... Go to Full Review
James McMahon NME (New Musical Express) 07/02/2021
5/5
While The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the story of a bright, adventurous young woman going on holiday and never coming home, it's also a mediation on the true crime genre itself. Go to Full Review
Nicolás Delgadillo Knotfest 06/26/2021
3 / 5
Certainly interesting, but there are moments when it feels like the series is dangerously close to giving into sensationalism. Go to Full Review
Carolyn Mauricette View From The Dark 04/24/2021
2/5
I hope people who watch Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel look past the drawn-out run time and the garbage the internet facilitates to see the loss of humanity this world constantly glosses over. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Amanda C @Acrisp Jul 8 Man this was bad. Constantly burying the lead. So much filler. The voice over they use for the victim’s narration of her tumblr is so unlikable. Think Misa in the English dub of Deathnote. The only redeeming part was that it told the story of cyber bullying that went on. There’s a real victim and abuser in this whole thing and it’s not who you think. See more Gareth v @geewah 06/24/2023 What a poor doco-series this is. Adds nothing new on the subject and could of been an 1 hour production at best. The only takeaway from this is what a bunch of losers amateur/web sleuths are. See more Chris L @RT76579985 11/12/2022 I do not agree with the low ratings. Sure, the storytelling was manipulative, but it was coherent and engaging for the viewer without "burying" anyone. If you appreciate a well-documented series of events, and good cliffhangers at the ends of each episode (that are actually addressed in succeeding ones), this is a must-watch. See more Marc Z @TKDLife 01/06/2022 My biggest criticism of this documentary about the disappearance of a woman at the Cecil Hotel was that it did not need to be told in four episodes. True they managed to cover a lot about the history and lore of the hotel as a background to the women in the elevator's disappearance. It was good but could have been half the length. See more 12/29/2021 They should have gotten more into the "there's dark energy in the upper part of the building." Why not bring sensitives and clarivoyants there? All energy is recorded in space (akashic records). There must be more detective working with clairvoyants. They should do many shows about it's effectiveness. See more 07/08/2021 Everybody involved in this investigation kind of gets dragged through the dirt. The police mistakenly overlook the water tanks, the hotel manager is out of her depth and the internet sleuths are frothing at the mouth like the case and the hotel are some kind of haunted air bnb. Everyone gets exposed in this one but at the same time, us viewers learn how difficult it is to take care of people who can't take care of themselves or who are incapable of asking for help. As for the documentary itself, it doesn't really bury the lead, since we learn about the missing girl's problems from the beginning. It still does a good job of walking us through the events as they occurred so we can discover everything at the same pace as the investigation unfolded. See more Read all reviews
Crime Scene — The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Feb 10, 2021 Lost in Los Angeles Los Angeles' once-grand Cecil Hotel provides a nightmarish backdrop for the disappearance of Canadian student Elisa Lam; footage of Lam in a hotel elevator triggers a viral hunt. Details Episode 2 Aired Feb 10, 2021 Secrets of the Cecil Web sleuths dissect Elisa Lam's social media posts; a grisly discovery changes everything at the hotel where the Night Stalker once resided. Details Episode 3 Aired Feb 10, 2021 Down the Rabbit Hole The mystery deepens as obsessed individuals descend on the Cecil Hotel hoping to solve the case and tumble down the rabbit hole of conspiracy. Details Episode 4 Aired Feb 10, 2021 The Hard Truth An autopsy report arrives, but suspicions remain; an unlikely target speaks his mind as experts weigh in on enduring mysteries. Details
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Season Info

Director
Joe Berlinger
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Documentary, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date
Feb 10, 2021
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