Elisa Lam Documentary Nearly Fully Funded

Elisa Lam, the subject of one of the strangest unsolved cases in recent years, will be getting her story explored in What Happened to Elisa Lam?

I’m a sucker for unsolved mysteries. And not just the classic Robert Stack TV series (which I’ve been binging on Amazon). I waste quite a bit of my free time researching still-unsolved cases, coming up with my own theories. The weirder the case, the better, because it only makes things more interesting.

Such is the case of the sad story of Elisa Lam. Elisa’s unexplained death has been baffling everyone who looks into it since it happened in 2013. And reading every single detail available about the case will only confuse you more.

In February of 2013, Canadian college student Elisa Lam booked a ram at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. There, she had apparently turned up missing, with only a strange security video to use as a clue. In the footage, an elevator camera records Elisa fumbling with the buttons in an elevator, which appears to be malfunctioning. And things get much, much weirder from here.

While waiting for the elevator to respond, Elisa appears frightened by something in the hallway outside. She attempts to hide in the elevator, desperately trying to get it to work. When it doesn’t, she exits and re-enters the elevator, making very odd gestures with her hands. She eventually wanders away, and just moments later, the elevator suddenly starts working again, descending to another floor.

It’s difficult to put into words, so just take a second to watch the creepy clip:

Just don’t plan on getting a full night’s sleep after watching it.

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This case gets even stranger. After a couple weeks, hotel maintenance investigated a water tank on the roof due to complaints about the water. Inside was the body of Elisa, most likely in there since the day she disappeared. This only raises tons of other questions. How did she get on the roof without tripping any alarms? How could she have lifted the heavy lid for the water tank to get inside?

Theories on the case range from paranormal explanations, foul play, and mental illness. As of today, nobody has really managed to figure it out. But that’s going to be the goal of What Happened to Elisa Lam?, a documentary fully exploring the case. It’s currently seeking $30,000 for funding on Kickstarter, having passed $20,000 in funds raised so far.

Here’s a synopsis of the film:

"This feature-length documentary will explore the mysterious case of a young woman who was found dead on the roof of an infamous hotel in 2013. The film will trace three competing narratives that seek to explain what happened: the police and those who believe Elisa died from a tragic accident resulting from bipolar disorder; web sleuths, friends, and conspiracists who believe Elisa was murdered; and paranormal experts who suggest Elisa was possessed by a dark force from the Cecil Hotel’s past. At the heart of the film remains the pulse of a creative but deeply troubled young woman whose online writings and struggle against depression continue to resonate with thousands of people across the world."

Elisa Lam – Courtesy of LAPD

Will we ever learn the truth about what happened to Elisa Lam?

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This is a documentary I really want to see get made. The Elisa Lam case is the most perplexing unsolved mystery I can think of. Maybe looking at it deeply from every possible angle can help us get closer to the truth.

To chip and and help this movie see the light of day, you can contribute on Kickstarter.

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