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Welcome back to Drawn to Darkness, the podcast where we deep dive into our favourite horror and true crime. In this episode, we discuss Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, the Netflix documentary about the disappearance of Elisa Lam, the 21-year-old Canadian traveller whose tragic death in a Los Angeles hotel sparked global obsession, online conspiracy, and some of the strangest internet theories you've ever heard. We unpack the chilling elevator footage, the Cecil’s cursed history, the disturbing overlap of mental illness and mythmaking, and the dark side of web sleuthing. Along the way, expect tangents about the Bermuda Triangle, Richard Ramirez, and the stomach-churning horror of drinking corpse water.

Spoiler + Content Warning:

This episode covers the entire case of Elisa Lam and the full Netflix documentary, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

We discuss:

• Death, suicide, and mental illness (including bipolar disorder and psychosis)
• Violence against women and sex workers
• Murder and suicidal ideation
• Drowning and body discovery
• Serial killers, substance abuse, and unsafe accommodation

We also spoil Dark Water (2002). You've been warned.

Palate Cleanser:

• Only Murders in the Building – because haunted hotels are more fun with Selena Gomez.
• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – Elisa went to see Conan and you should too if you want to laugh. Start with the episode featuring My Favorite Murder’s Karen and Georgia and try any episode featuring John Mulaney or Bill Hader.
• We Don’t Wanna Grow Up – a nostalgia trip through 90s pop culture to scrub your brain clean after all that elevator footage.
• Peacemaker – superheroes, but not for kids.
• Arrested Development - because Ron Howard produced this documentary.

Other Recommendations:

• Date with Dateline - for reimagineactments.
• Last Podcast on the Left's episode on Richard Ramirez (if you can handle true crime with irreverence)
• Little Shop of Horrors - skid row!
• Mulholland Drive for a very creepy movie that's set in LA
• The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon (a pool with a dark history).
• The Shining – the ultimate haunted hotel and one of Annie’s all-time favourite novels.
• Room 1408 – John Cusack + hotel horror = perfect insomnia companion.
• The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James – eerie mysteries and ghosts with unfinished business.
• The Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (Netflix) – Richard Ramirez’s story, from his Cecil Hotel connection to his capture.
• Urban Legend (1998) – campy 90s horror with a killer opening scene
• Scared to Death podcast – especially the episode on The Elevator Game, the urban legend some think Elisa Lam was playing.

Homework

Next episode, we’re pivoting from real-life tragedy to supernatural nostalgia: Season 4 of Stranger Things.

Rewatch before November 26th and get ready to talk Vecna, trauma, and small-town horror. And don’t worry — The Shining is coming one of these days.

Thanks for joining us on this descent into LA’s most cursed building. And remember, if your shower water runs black, maybe skip brushing your teeth. And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t play the elevator game!