Unbelievable... Sony is producing a horror film about Elisa's death

[findinganatta]

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/74...and-frightening-tale-big-screen#axzz2uZ5mIl1H

It doesn't get much more tasteless than this, but it's certainly no big surprise given the nature of this story and Hollywood's total lack of respect for anything but profit: Sony is reportedly producing a fictionalized horror movie about Elisa's death created for pure entertainment. The fact that they aren't even waiting a few years just makes it worse. I feel really bad for her family, who no doubt are going to be heavily impacted if this film actually gets made (I added that last bit because Dread Central sometimes puts sensational headlines ahead of fact-checking; but they're accurate most of the time--and this appears to be from a legit press release).

 

[eileenhawkeye]

It is true. This website is very reliable for Hollywood news

http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/son...g-mystery-revolving-around-l-a-s-cecil-hotel/

 

[findinganatta]

Despite my previous comments, I'm a big horror movie fan, so I can understand the obvious allure of Elisa's case for filmmakers: it's a very creepy story involving a cute girl, a disturbing piece of video, a death that is right out of a Japanese ghost film, and the obvious visceral reaction people have to the 'water tank corpse' aspect of it. On top of all that, the whole thing takes place in this hotel with a crazy, frightening history. It's the kind of situation that makes horror filmmakers or authors drool, quit frankly. If I weren't so personally invested in the case, I might even be able to look forward to the film on some level.

But I really hope they have the sensitivity to change up enough details that it isn't an account of Elisa's actual death for pure entertainment. Undoubtedly they will be fictionalizing certain aspects of the story that benefit their movie, since 'mentally ill girl drowns due to misadventure' doesn't really maximize the creepiness factor. But I really hope they change not only the main character's name, but also her race, nationality, the details of her life, etc... all of those details that are ultimately irrelevant to the 'horror' aspects anyway. This is one case where I hope filmmakers don't stick to the facts. It's also one case when I would actually encourage anyone who can't resist watching the film to do so through one of the many 'unofficial' methods that are available online... most of us in this sub-forum are/were very close to this case, so the least we can do is avoid rewarding these people if they exploit it.

I wish this was a tasteful documentary or even a mystery film instead of a horror film. As much as I love horror, the genre label virtually guarantees maximum exploitation of EL's tragic death.

 

[Conductor71]

More on the plot here. Looks like it is going to be told from the perspective of a guy investigating her death who stumbles into a "nightmare". Sounds like they are going strictly with the supernatural angle.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614627/news

Quite honestly, given how lackadaisical law enforcement seemed in their investigation, and how not one media outlet in the state bothered to investigate or even fact check, this news is not at all surprising. There was so much misinformation and general lack of info that it left her story wide open for exploitation.

 

[Montjoy]

I'm not at all surprised that there is a movie being made about Elisa -- there has been no shortage of unsubstantiated, out-there theories about her death as well, considering how strange and eerie the elevator video is.

As for 'lackadaisical law enforcement' -- I've never seen or read anything to support that claim; it appears groundless. Do you have a link to any MSM to substantiate it, or it just a potshot at LE?

 

[findinganatta]

I'm not at all surprised that there is a movie being made about Elisa -- there has been no shortage of unsubstantiated, out-there theories about her death as well, considering how strange and eerie the elevator video is.

As for 'lackadaisical law enforcement' -- I've never seen or read anything to support that claim; it appears groundless. Do you have a link to any MSM to substantiate it, or it just a potshot at LE?

I agree with your comments. When all is said and done, people will make of this event what they want to make of it, regardless of whether the police throw out some more ambiguous details. This is obviously a contentious topic, but I feel like the LE ultimately supplied solid supporting by evidence, and I wouldn't have expected much more given the nature of the case.

I think the catalyst for this movie is simple: the elevator video. That video turned this into a viscerally realistic 'true ghost' story in the eyes of many--a rarity in an age when rationalism and science have demystified urban myth. Add the creepy and disgusting water tank element, and the story is tailor made for Hollywood. But even if it's just another straight-to-video horror flick in the west (fairly likely, in my opinion), it will probably find success in Asia. Which would be unfortunate for her family.

 

[InsulinJunkie72]

So in a roundabout way, this is going to an unintentional remake/re-imagining of the original Japanese DARK WATER from a decade or so ago (never saw the American remake w/ Jennifer Connelly, I believe it was).

 

[findinganatta]

I'm glad to see this film is receiving backlash from various directions:
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...turn-elisa-lams-water-tank-death-horror-movie

It deserves every bit. Sounds like it's slated to be a major release, as opposed to one of the countless low-budget horror flicks (many of them 'true life' accounts, like serial killer biopics) that hit the direct-to-video market every year without receiving much attention. That's very unfortunate news. Hopefully the backlash will give them cause to reconsider aspects of the film.

 

[findinganatta]

"Film Industry Condemned for Turning Grizzly Story into Supernatural Thriller"

Nice! Knowing how influenced by public opinion the entertainment business is, I see this headed in potentially positive direction. They're getting their 'test audience' reaction up front (At the same time, if there is a relatively significant amount of investment to be lost if they make major changes, I doubt they'll change anything other than the marketing style).

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/elisa-lam-...zzly-story-into-supernatural-thriller-1438791

 

[Nickfalzone]

"Film Industry Condemned for Turning Grizzly Story into Supernatural Thriller"

Nice! Knowing how influenced by public opinion the entertainment business is, I see this headed in potentially positive direction. They're getting their 'test audience' reaction up front (At the same time, if there is a relatively significant amount of investment to be lost if they make major changes, I doubt they'll change anything other than the marketing style).

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/elisa-lam-...zzly-story-into-supernatural-thriller-1438791

This is an industry that has put out countless "torture *advertiser censored*" films like Saw and Hostel to significant monetary gain. The only way they're changing this story is to make more money and avoid lawsuits. Based on the initial description of the project, it sounds a bit like 8MM mixed with Dark Water.

 

[thesetup85]

This is not cool. Very disrespectful Ms. Lam and her family and friends.

But what can I say... such is the world we live in.

Profit > Everything else.

 

[findinganatta]

This is an industry that has put out countless "torture *advertiser censored*" films like Saw and Hostel to significant monetary gain. The only way they're changing this story is to make more money and avoid lawsuits. Based on the initial description of the project, it sounds a bit like 8MM mixed with Dark Water.

Well as someone who has spent 20+ years as a ridiculously big horror fan, I can tell you that this just feels very unusual and tasteless, even in the context of horror. Even those crappy 'torture *advertiser censored*' movies are just silly entertainment at their core... no real people are directly victimized by them.

In fact, I can only remember a few instances of films that involved recent deaths (mostly low-budget fare), and those pretty much always involve serial killers. The important distinction is that in those films, there was a real-life villain and public disgust/outrage toward that villain, and the films focused on that villainy. This kind of film really dilutes the films' focus on actual victims.

This Elisa film, on the other hand, is directly focusing on the very recent, tragic, accidental (officially, anyway) death of a very sympathetic young girl... there is no real-life 'villain,' so the filmmakers have no real-life public outrage--only real-life sadness and sympathy for her and her family. They're just going to exploit her accidental death as a central theme of their trivial, nonsensical fiction. All while Elisa's loved ones are still in the thick of mourning, and just over a year ago she was walking around living her life.

I don't often get shocked by horror film concepts in this day in age, but this one stood out as tasteless even when I thought about it from the perspective of someone who only seen the case casually in the newspapers. The one other film I can think of that is as tasteless in this regard is the 2007 film 'Stuck', which used a disturbing 2001 killing as fodder for a 'dark comedy'.

 

[Swampthing]

Just heard the news about this today... I thought the picture taken by Koston was bad enough for the anniversary. Seriously. Having trouble seeing human decency of late, as normally a movie like this would have to wait years before it was not considered untactful. I have taken the time to document everything I know and have uncovered in regards to Elisa's death and have a 130 page document in which I try to outline all possible scenarios based on physical reality and known evidence. A lot of which I have taken aspects and ideas everyone has pointed out on the various feeds for for 2hip2bsquare, conductor, montjoy, and everyone else that has taken the time to investigate and bring new thoughts or documents to light, thank you.

If anyone would potentially be interested this is my first attempt at a "crime" novel of sorts and would glad to get any feedback or edits if interested. My ultimate goal is to release the book so people who are actually interested in reading about Elisa's life and her trip are not constantly bombarded with paranormal crazy murder theories. Additionally I want half of the proceeds generated to go to a charity or fund that Elisa would have approved of, as well as her parents. I am really unsure on how the publishing will occur and how to approach the family to get approval since I am not doing it to just profit of their daughter but want to show that she was a wonderful, interesting, intelligent girl.

Please email me if you have any advice or would like to help out

 

[December]

If you look at the official timeline and the facts (released to the public), there are huge gaps. The police might have filled some in that we don't know about, but since she was traveling alone there still WILL be gaps. The only thing to fill those gaps is speculation which makes this event unsuitable for a movie.

For example, how did Elisa get to the roof? There is more than one way to do it. We really do not know how she got there. But, since that is where she drowned, then she obviously did get there. It just goes on and on with this case in that vein.

 

[Scout66]

Episode one of the new season of, America Horror Story, is supposed to be based on the Elisa Lam case.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Read it to the end, it's surprisingly touching:

https://medium.com/matter/haunted-947d642a6d59#.qx5xr1ny3

 

[dotr]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ragedy-turned-american-horror-story-1.3295239
rbbm.

"Of the thousands of theories circulating about the death of Elisa Lam, the one best worth considering comes from the case's lead investigator.

Los Angeles police Det. Wallace Tennelle gave his thoughts in a deposition.

The veteran detective was answering questions posed by a lawyer for the notorious Los Angeles hotel where the 21-year-old passed her final hours.

Tennelle took the call in February 2013 about a Canadian national who was missing from the Cecil. And he had peered into the open hatch of the rooftop water tank and seen Lam's lifeless body.

"My opinion is that she fell off her medication, and in her state, she happened to find her way onto the roof, got into the tank of water," Tennelle told the lawyer.

"At the time, I think that water tank was maybe full. But as people used the tank, used water, unknown to her, the level was dropping to a point where she could no longer reach out and escape, and she died that way."

snip>

"The B.C. student's fate has inspired movie screenplays, an episode of Castle and — most recently — the fifth season of American Horror Story."

 

[dotr]

Read it to the end, it's surprisingly touching:

https://medium.com/matter/haunted-947d642a6d59#.qx5xr1ny3

Thanks for posting this very good article ( with references to Ws.) and great pics too!

 

[Springrain]

I've never heard of Elisa Lam until today. But I found it just sickening that all these poor souls' deaths are made into Hollywood profit. Elizabeth Short "The Black Dahlia" is another example of this...sickos that can't let victims rest in peace.

RIP Elisa Lam. Can't imagine how her family feels.

 

[Userid]

Read it to the end, it's surprisingly touching:

https://medium.com/matter/haunted-947d642a6d59#.qx5xr1ny3

Thank you, this was a very good read.