The 2002 J-Horror That Eerily Predicated a Viral Tragedy Over a Decade Later

Does artwork imitate life? Or is it the opposite means round? If there was one genre of art that nobody wants their life to imitate, it’s horror. Particularly when that model of horror is as creepy and unsettling as 2002’s Darkish Water. However in 2013, a tragic loss of life occurred that was eerily harking back to Hideo Nakata’s J-horror classic. Darkish Water and the real-life tragedy of Elisa Lam share hanging similarities that had conspiracy theorists scratching their heads when the particulars of Lam’s loss of life got here out. Darkish Water is a basic within the J-horror ghost story style, and the case of Elisa Lam is simply as creepy and unsettling as any fictional story.

Koji Suzuki’s Creepy Brief Story Involves Life in ‘Darkish Water’

Darkish Water started its life as a brief story known as Floating Water in a set of tales by Koji Suzuki. Suzuki is a prolific author within the Japanese horror area, having written the massively in style Ring sequence, with greater than a dozen display screen adaptions product of his works. Darkish Water was picked up by director Hideo Nakata, who had additionally directed the massively influential Suzuki adaptation Ringu in 1998. The particulars of Darkish Water’s story need to be mentioned to grasp the odd similarities with Elisa Lam’s loss of life, so a large spoiler alert is so as. If anybody studying has not seen Darkish Water and occurs to like creepy ghost films, go watch it and are available proper again!

The movie issues mom and daughter duo Yoshimi and Ikuko Matsubara, performed by Hitomi Kuroki and Rio Kanno respectively. The pair have simply moved into a brand new condo collectively after a messy divorce, with six-year-old Ikuko beginning at an area kindergarten down the highway. The primary indicators of bother start with a water leak within the ceiling that continues to worsen with none care from the constructing homeowners. Along with the leak, Yoshimi starts to experience strange happenings in the apartment, like seeing a dark-haired woman which will or might not be actual, and repeatedly having to throw out a crimson bag as a result of it retains reappearing. The movie does an excellent job of portraying Yoshimi’s worsening stress, having to take care of her ex-husband’s persistent makes an attempt to take Ikuko from her, made all the more serious by the supernatural occasions that begin to improve in frequency. Ultimately, Yoshimi discovers that the condo above hers was once inhabited by slightly woman named Mitsuko Kawai, seeing a lacking particular person’s picture of the woman carrying a yellow raincoat, and carrying a crimson bag.

Because the leak begins to worsen, the supernatural occurrences turn into extra frequent and harmful. The constructing superintendent even fixes the leak, nevertheless it doesn’t assist. Lastly, Yoshimi has a imaginative and prescient of Mitsuko drowning within the constructing’s rooftop water tank, having fallen in whereas attempting to retrieve her crimson bag. All this time, it has been the restless spirit of a drowned little girl harassing the Matsubaras, and within the ultimate act of the movie, that very same spirit makes an attempt to drown Ikuko. It’s a unhappy, creepy, and altogether terrifying story, however not with out coronary heart or emotion. It touches deftly on themes of parenthood, abandonment, and the horrible but lovely sacrifices moms make for his or her youngsters. As highly effective and compelling as Darkish Water could also be, it goes with out saying that no one would need to expertise it in actual life.

What Occurred to Elisa Lam?

Many could know the story of Elisa Lam from the wildly in style 2021 Netflix docuseries, Crime Scene: The Vanishing on the Cecil Lodge.

Lam was born in Vancouver to Hong Konger parents in 1991. Whereas learning on the College of British Columbia, Lam began an internet weblog the place she principally posted about style and wrote about her life and struggles with psychological sickness. Lam was seemingly consumed by the sensation of wasted potential, having made this quote by writer Chuck Palahniuk her weblog’s epigram: “You are at all times haunted by the thought you are losing your life.”

Having been recognized with bipolar dysfunction and medical melancholy, Lam had a lot to say with regards to psychological sickness and had been on a wide range of drugs to assist her cope. Sooner or later in 2012, Lam started to take fewer lessons at school, and by the tip of the yr, she had determined to journey to California, planning a brief keep in Los Angeles on her strategy to Santa Cruz and San Diego. She booked a keep within the historic Cecil Lodge on January twenty eighth, 2013. Sadly, she would by no means make it out of California alive.

Lam’s final days are a topic of hypothesis to this present day, however it’s recognized that she attended a taping of Conan however was requested to go away resulting from “disruptive conduct.” Equally, the Cecil Lodge had booked her in a shared room, however later moved her after her roommates complained of “odd behavior.” Lam had no historical past of violence, and no reported historical past of suicidal ideation, however she was recognized to have points maintaining along with her bipolar medicine, which often resulted in hallucinations.The final recognized proof of Lam nonetheless dwelling is contained in a truly strange surveillance video from an elevator on the Cecil Lodge. This video exhibits the faculty pupil erratically transferring out and in of the elevator automobile, seemingly wanting down the hallways suspiciously, and waving her arms round in an odd method. On January thirty first, 2013, the day the video was taken, Lam disappeared.

Elisa Lam’s Loss of life Is Eerily Much like the Occasions of ‘Darkish Water’

Her dad and mom declared her lacking in early February, however police might discover no hint of her. Lacking particular person posters have been plastered across the neighborhood, and the elevator video was launched to the general public, however it could be the lodge’s upkeep employee who lastly discovered Lam’s physique. On February nineteenth, almost three weeks after her disappearance, Lam was discovered in the 1000-gallon water tank atop the Cecil Lodge. Santiago Lopez, the constructing’s upkeep employee, had been checking the tank resulting from complaints from company, who reported the constructing’s water tasting odd and having a blackish shade, together with points with water stress.

Lam was reported to have been nude when discovered, and postmortem examinations revealed no medication have been in her system on the time of her loss of life. The explanations behind her loss of life will doubtless stay a thriller, with authorities providing little in the way in which of solutions. The decomposition of her physique from greater than two weeks within the tank made it troublesome to find out if she had been assaulted, with some assuming she killed herself after a psychotic episode. As of 2013, the police officially determined Lam’s death to be an accident.

The circumstances of Elisa Lam’s loss of life are frighteningly just like the story of Darkish Water, with the physique within the water tank being essentially the most unsettling similarity. However even the problems with the constructing’s water, and the literal “darkish water” reported by Cecil Lodge company make the entire affair that a lot creepier. Horror in fiction is one thing that all of us get pleasure from when it stays simply that; fictional. However the premature passing of Elisa Lam provides a horrible sting of realism to re-watches of Darkish Water. It is among the spookiest coincidences in horror as a result of, not like the numerous tales primarily based on tragedies, this is a tragedy that Dark Water all but portends.

Darkish Water is accessible to stream on The Criterion Channel.

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