12 scary documentaries on Netflix for Halloween 2022

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

Another Joe Berlinger docuseries on the list is Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. This is one of the creepiest and most disturbing true crime stories I’ve ever learned about, and that’s because so much of it is unknown. This could’ve served as an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, but I’m glad Netflix made it its own series. There’s just so much to cover.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel follows the case of a young woman named Elisa Lam. Traveling from Canada to California, the 21-year-old was young and impressionable, looking for adventure. She ran a Tumblr blog where she would often post photos and quotes. During her trip, she visited popular tourist attractions like the Conan O’Brien Show and the San Diego Zoo, but things took a turn when she checked into Los Angeles’ Cecil Hotel.

Lam’s body was found in one of the hotel water tanks up on the roof, and her death was determined an accidental drowning. The story is no doubt upsetting, and what makes it so peculiar is the elevator footage that was released of Lam prior to her death where she acted extremely unusual. Of course, there have been many theories about her death, some of them very convincing.

With Halloween right around the corner, which documentary will you be watching on Netflix?