1. It has you hooked right from the start, with the history that the hotel has. 

The infamous hotel has a string of crimes that have taken place there over the years – mostly gruesome deaths. This, paired with the mystery that surrounds Elisa Lam, strikes your curiosity in the first 10 minutes. 

2. It is short and perfect for a one-day binge. 

The show has just 4 episodes – an hour each, which makes it perfect binge content. Obviously, you couldn’t stop watching it once you start, no matter how hard you try. 

3. It sheds light on trial by internet, the sad reality of today’s world. 

When the police were still trying to understand how Elisa died, the internet found it convenient to blame a Mexican gothic musician, Pablo Vergara who goes by his stage name, Morbid. The proof? Morbid stayed in the same hotel a year before Elisa’s disappearance and wrote a song about the same. Being a heavy death metal musician, Morbid’s personality was considered proof enough by internet detectives who accused him of murdering Elisa Lam. Pablo confessed that he received several death threats, was persecuted by the media and written off by many. 

The result? Morbid tried to take his own life, gave up on music and his career for years following this turmoil. Thankfully, after his interview in the documentary, he admitted that he has found enough closure to begin recording again. Nobody apologised to him for targeting him, and soon forgot the nasty things they wrote about and to him, but it traumatised him. 

4. It speaks about mental health without disrespecting Elisa Lam in any way. 

The docu-series discusses in-depth the mental condition of Elisa, how she fought bipolar disorder for years and took medication for the same. But never once, does it seem like she is being disrespected or looked down for the same. The makers spoke about her condition in a way we wish the Indian media could adopt. 

5. It finally gives you answers that you needed if you’ve seen the viral elevator video. 

In 2013, the video of Elisa Lam disoriented in an elevator went viral. We remember coming across it on Tumblr or Facebook and wondering what actually happened. Well, this docu-series gives you the answers of this mystery from 8 years ago. 

Watch the trailer here:

The first of Netflix’s true crime documentary anthology, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel tells a sad and heartbreaking story, but is definitely worth a watch.