The Real American Horror Story – Cecil Hotel

Haunted Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles

The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles was the inspiration for American Horror Story: Hotel. Built in 1924 on Main Street, the Great Depression would happen five years later. The street would eventually be renamed Skid Row, housing many homeless people. Throughout the years there have been many suicides and homicides, as well as drug overdoses. It is believed by many that all 700 rooms were haunted, now down to 600 rooms. It is believed to be the last place the Black Dahlia was sighted. It was home to serial killer Richard Ramirez aka Night Stalker, and fellow killer Jack Unterweger. The hotel has even been featured on popular shows such as Ghost Adventures, as many ghost hunters claim it is LA’s most haunted building.

The Death of Elisa Lam

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Cecil Hotel is that of Elisa Lam’s death. It has been part of nationwide debates and theories as to what happened. The daughter of Hong Kong immigrants, she was a 21 year old Canadian student who was traveling in California before she disappeared. She was reported missing on January 31th, 2013. On the morning of February 13th, 2013, her body was found in the water tank at the roof of the Cecil Hotel. Five days prior to discovering the body, the LAPD released a video of the last time she was seen. This video went viral on the internet. It shows Elisa going in and out of an elevator, and appearing to hide inside the malfunctioning elevator. Experts claim it appears she is hiding from someone. Others believe something paranormal is occurring. Some even assume she is having a bi-polar episode. See for yourself below.

https://youtu.be/cJ_E6l1P86U

Theories About Elisa Lam’s Final Days

Elisa’s body was found in the water tank on the roof. This area was only accessible by employees or via fire exit. It is doubtful that hotel residents would be aware of this. This adds to the strange events that occurred. It is also believed difficult that such a petite girl could lift the lid of the water tank, slide in, and then close it. So one has to wonder if hotel employees murdered Elisa? Let’s explore the theories.

There is the theory that she had a mental disorder and hallucinations caused her to take her own life. Toxicology reports claim there were no drugs in her system. The elevator footage caused some to believe she may be bi-polar.

Some claim that it might of been tied to the Illuminati. She had posted a tweet about a Canadian company selling the Pentagon cloaking technology. Maybe she knew too much? It is believed there is a minute missing from the elevator video tape. Could the tape have been tampered because the assassin was in this portion of the video? In the days prior to her death, a handful of Facebook profiles were created with her name. One of them only containing one friend, a Male from the US Military. Since then the profiles disappeared.

Some claim possession due to the numbers she pressed. In the video, it is believed she pressed the following numbers. 14, 10, 7, 4 and B. These may relate to verses in the bible that mention water. John 4:7, John 4:10, and John 4:14 all mention water. Some believe the way she behaved in the elevator displayed the paranoid that those possessed typically express.

Lastly, some believe she may have been playing the elevator ritual. It is considered the most dangerous game in the world. It claims to take you to another world. The rules are simple. You require a building with more than ten floors. Once inside an empty elevator from the first floor, you must press the 4th floor. Once there, you have to press the 2nd floor. Then the 6th floor. Then the 10th floor. Finally you press the button for the 5th floor. It is believed once here, a young lady will enter the elevator. You are not allowed to look at her or speak to her. You press the 1st floor button, and if the elevator goes to the 10th floor instead of the 1st, you can get out of the elevator safely or remain inside. However if it does not, you must get out immediately and do not look back or speak to the woman. If you did choose to leave the 10th floor, the woman will ask you where you are going, and one cannot answer or look at her. It is believed at this point if you have reached the other world, you are the only person present in it. Some people believe once you reach the other world, you may pass out and wake up somewhere else. This is what some people believed happened to Elisa Lam.