Eight years after Elisa Lam’s tragic death at the infamous Cecil Hotel, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel has reignited interest and curiosity over the mysterious circumstances surrounding the young Canadian student’s untimely passing. (If unsolved mysterious murders intrigue you, you can also check out 5 Shocking And Gruesome Murders.) The docu-series has also put the spotlight on the infamous Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, which – for nearly a century – has been linked to some of the city’s most nefarious activities. If you’ve already finished watching The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel, here are five more true crime documentaries you should check out.
1) Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer
In the summer of 1985, panic gripped the residents of Greater Los Angeles as a serial killer left a series of murders and sexual assaults in his wake. At a time where absolutely anyone could fall victim to the Night Stalker, Detective Gil Carrillo from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and legendary homicide investigator Frank Salerno are on a race against the clock to stop this nocturnal monster. Here’s something you probably didn’t know – Ramirez was rumoured to have stayed at Cecil Hotel for a few weeks in the ‘80s.
2) Unsolved Mysteries
A reboot of the iconic crime documentary series, Unsolved Mysteries is back with 12 new episodes to explore and attempt to solve more unexplained disappearances, tragic events, and bizarre occurrences. What happened to the French aristocrat who disappeared after murdering his entire family? Did the sudden loss of lives in Japan’s 2011 tsunami result in supernatural encounters? Put your thinking caps on and make your deductions with some help from the detectives, journalists, and family members’ intriguing theories on what could have happened.
3) Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist
Was pizza delivery man Brian Wells an innocent victim caught in a convoluted plot, or a co-conspirator who placed his trust in the wrong people? In 2003, a robbery gone wrong and a terrifying public murder in a small town in Pennsylvania captured the nation’s attention. What followed was a complicated web of conspiracies on top of a bizarre cat-and-mouse game between a collection of Midwestern outcasts and the FBI, culminating in the arrest of a former town beauty-turned-criminal mastermind. 15 years on, Evil Genius seeks to prove that there is more to the conspiracy and murders than was ever thought.
4) American Murder: The Family Next Door
The tragic story of Shannan Watts and her two young daughters broke hearts worldwide when it first made headlines in 2018, and this documentary seeks to finally give a voice to the victims. Told entirely through archival footage that includes social media posts, law enforcement recordings, text messages, and never-before-seen home videos, director Jenny Popplewell pieces together an immersive and truthful examination of a police investigation and a disintegrating marriage.
5) Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
For years, Ted Bundy’s personality, good looks, and social graces masked the fact that he’s a serial killer, allowing him to hide in plain sight as he sexually assaulted and brutally murdered more than 30 women before being caught in 1978. Directed by Joe Berlinger, who also helmed Crime Scene: The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel, this documentary brings the infamously twisted mind of a monster who defied serial killer-stereotypes through exclusive, never-before-heard interviews.
Catch these gripping true crime documentaries and more, only on Netflix.
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