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Mysteries, horror, theories – oh my! Learning about the ways in which the minds of killers were is certainly interesting, but you know what’s even more intriguing? Unsolved mysteries, and that’s exactly what Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel gave us these last couple of weeks. Netflix has been serving up some awesome content lately with these true crime shows, and will hopefully continue to do so in the future.
While the death of Elisa Lam will always be one that is heartbreaking as it is mysterious, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still plenty of other programs out there to fill your interests. Since the limited series was only four episodes, that makes room for plenty of other TV shows, series, and documentaries for true crime fans to dive into. From Netflix to Hulu, these are some other documentaries and docuseries worth checking out.
Horror At The Cecil Hotel (Discovery+)
As The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel addresses, Elisa Lam's strange disappearance isn't the only unusual incident to take place at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. Horror at the Cecil Hotel, released In 2017, is a TV miniseries that goes over certain instances of bizarre mysteries, murders, and other interesting peculiarities that have happened over the years at the historical hotel.
Obviously, for those with an interest in Elisa Lams' story, this will surely give you a bit more background information about the hotel, but what really makes this miniseries worth watching is all the history behind the hotel. While we do get into some of it in Crime Scene, there’s so much more developed here, and you get to learn a lot more about the Cecil Hotel, and where it truly gets its reputation.
Stream it on Discovery+ here.
Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer (Netflix)
Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer is one of my favorite docuseries to come out recently. Released in 2021, this series covers how the infamous serial killer, the Night Stalker, otherwise known as Richard Ramirez, brought chaos and crime onto the city of Los Angeles, with a string of horrible murders.
Night Stalker is genuinely suspenseful and interesting docuseries. As someone who wasn’t familiar with Richard Ramirez and what he did prior to watching the show, it was interesting to see the breakdown of the mind of this serial killer, and why he did the things that he did. It’s intriguing enough where you feel invested in the case, almost trying to come up with theories yourself to see if you can track down the killer before it's revealed later on in the show. For fans of regular true crime, this is most certainly your pick.
Stream it on Netflix here.
Don’t F**K With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer (Netflix)
I put off watching this for a long time because of the title (as an animal lover), but at the same time, it’s again one of Netflix’s best recent true crime series. Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, released in 2019, tells the story of a Facebook group who came together after a viral video went around of a man suffocating two kittens in a vacuum-sealed bag, and this lead to a string of events that would cause harm and death.
Web sleuthing has really become a big part of investigating, and this show is a perfect example of that. Just like in Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, multiple people from across the world came together to try and figure out the source of these mysterious disappearances and deaths. The only difference between this docuseries and Crime Scene is that a killer was eventually caught through the power of online sleuthing.
Stream it on Netflix here.
Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix)
Well, the title says it all. Released in 2020, Unsolved Mysteries is a reboot of the classic series, showing exactly what you would expect – the stories of unsolved mysteries, and people who wish to try and find answers for the mysterious deaths of their loved ones, or disappearances that have gone unexplained.
There’s so much theorizing involved that it makes you feel like you’re in the show, constantly trying to come up with possible outcomes as to what has happened to these otherwise normal people. Most cases are with folks who don’t seem to bring any trouble, which only makes them stranger. With two seasons to watch, there’s plenty of mysteries to see if you can crack. For a specific episode, check out "Mystery on the Rooftop," which is dedicated to a crime at a hotel with a history of strange occurrences.
Stream it here on Netflix.
The Disappearance Of Madeleine McCann (Netflix)
Now this docuseries is truly sad and heartbreaking, but also fascinating to analyze. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, released in 2019, talks about the sudden vanishing of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann, who had vanished at a seaside resort in Praia da Luz in Portugal while on vacation with her family.
To this day, McCann has still not been found and has been missing for thirteen years. The series breaks into the disappearance, and what could have occurred to her, but there are plenty of twists and turns along the way that made this one of the most-covered missing person cases in history.
Stream it on Netflix here.
Casting JonBenet (Netflix)
Covering one of the most publicized murders of all time, Casting JonBenet is a great example of how crimes can sometimes get sucked in to the obsession that is conspiracy theories. This documentary film, released back in 2017, shows the process of trying to cast actors to reenact the murders of JonBenet while focusing more on the events of the murder and how it has become so entwined into pop culture.
What makes this one interesting to watch compared to others is that it really digs deep into what obsessing about a murder can do. While we all want to try and help Elisa Lam and these other folks who have died from strange circumstances, sometimes it can go a little too far, and that’s the case with JonBenet. It’s intriguing and provoking, almost making you rethink your own theories.
Stream it on Netflix here.
Also try: JonBenet Ramsey: What Really Happened? (Discovery+)
The Most Dangerous Animal Of All (Hulu)
Now, if you want to hear about a killer that’s never been caught, this is the documentary for you. The Most Dangerous Animal of All, released in 2020, takes the tale of the Zodiac Killer to new heights, where we meet a man who is on the search for his father, but after some research, comes to believe that it is actually the long-lost Zodiac Killer through police sketches, matched handwriting, and more.
The Zodiac Killer case has baffled people for years considering somehow, this man has never been caught despite having killed many people. Keep in mind that this man's father is not confirmed to be the Zodiac Killer, and the Zodiac Killer has still yet to be found. However, the theories he provides do feel like they could be realistic and give a new angle to the case that has remained unsolved for more than half a century.
Stream it on Hulu here.
Cold Case Files (Netflix)
The definition of a cold case is that it is an unsolved criminal investigation, remaining open if there happen to be any new discoveries. This is what Cold Case Files is all about, a series that has been around since 1999 but has since been picked up by Netflix to keep online to watch.
Again, for fans of the unsolved mysteries genre, this is the perfect show for you. Investigators look into long-unsolved crimes to see if they can somehow find the truth, and the ways in which they do so are so engrossing that it makes you want to become an investigator yourself. It’s amazing what these people can do, and viewers will find themselves theorizing alongside the investigators as they watch.
Stream it on Netflix here.
Disappeared (Hulu)
Those who found themselves engrossed in the mystery surrounding Elisa Lam will want to check this one out. Disappeared, released back in 2009 and concluded in 2018, tells the tales of missing people, and the possibilities of what could have happened. Most of these people seemed to have just up and vanished, which is what makes each case so fascinating.
Every mystery they do also seems to be very different, showing different circumstances to everyday people’s lives, certain situations that might have caused them to go missing – each one is more spellbinding than the last, and really keeps you invested the whole episode. Some can be as scary as a horror movie.
Stream it on Hulu here.
The Keepers (Netflix)
For someone who grew up in a decently religious household, learning of this crime sat with me for days, and I believe all true crime fans should know about it as well. The Keepers, released in 2017, talks about the murder of Sister Cathy, an unsolved case, but it later reveals that there was much more to this murder than many believed at first – including a possible coverup.
I couldn’t look away from the TV screen when hearing about everything that happened to this poor nun and the people that were associated with the Archbishop Keough High School in Maryland. The death contains multiple different theories and conspiracies that all seem to contradict each other, something Crime Scene fans understand well with the theories around Elisa. You don’t need to be religious to watch this – it’s worth the viewing no matter what.
Stream it on Netflix here.
Unsolved (Netflix)
Okay, so this isn’t a docuseries of some sort, but that doesn’t mean it’s not of interest to true crime enthusiasts. If you’re a fan of pop culture, you need to check out Unsolved, or otherwise known as Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. The show, which was released in 2018 as an anthology series, covers different unsolved cases. The first and only season goes over the mysterious deaths of two of the biggest rappers of all time, as stated in the title - Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.
While it is a dramatized version, it’s still riveting to watch and it grips you if you’re a fan of huge-profile murders like this. Considering they were two of the biggest stars around and their deaths occurred months apart, it paves the way for some interesting theories, but it’s up to you if you want to dive down that rabbit hole too. Unsolved doesn’t have a second season yet, but it most certainly deserves one.
Stream it on Netflix here.
This makes me want to put my detective hat on, get online and start theorizing. Either way, you’ll surely have your due of criminal mysteries to keep you entertained for months on end.
