10 Best True Crime Documentaries Of 2021 (So Far)

3. The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel

John Wayne Gacy Netflix
Netflix

Some reviewers haven't been kind to Netflix 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing At Cecil Hotel', but it's still worth your time for the sheer mystery of it all. In 2013, the body of 21-year old Eilsa Lam was found floating in a water tank on the roof of the titular Cecil Hotel in LA.

CCTV footage from beforehand showed a clearly-distressed Lam hiding in an elevator and acting strangely; that will be most people's introduction to the case, because clips of that went viral online before the release of this four-part documentary investigation into Lam and the unsettling history of the Cecil.

Tragedy and conspiracy theory mix to great effect here - nothing seems to be normal about the hotel. The filmmakers did a nifty job of setting the scene for Eilsa's disappearance by exploring the Cecil's past, then Lam's death is a hammer blow that'll leave you stunned.

Ignore the negative reviews and give it a chance if you're into mysteries and conspiracy theory.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.