Sony Pictures buys horror movie script based on UBC student who died in Los Angeles water tank

Barely a year after she disappeared, Sony Pictures has reportedly purchased a movie script based on the death of 21-year old Vancouverite Elisa Lam in Los Angeles.

The website Deadline.com has recently learned that a horror movie script written by Brandon and Phillip Murphy, tentatively titled as The Bringing, will be filmed at the actual location of Lam’s death as well as the real series of events.

The University of British Columbia psychology student was in California traveling alone for the holidays and was last seen on January 31, 2013 by the employees of Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles’ skid row. She was reported missing after her family lost contact with her for a week.

Her decomposing body was found 19 days later inside a large water tank on the rooftop of the hotel. Los Angeles police performed a thorough search of the building but were unable to locate her. Days later, her body was found after hotel guests had been complaining about weak water pressure in the 15-storey building.

After the grisly discovery, local city health officials ordered a do-not-drink order for the building’s water supply until the hotel drained, flushed and sanitized the water pipes.

Police initially suspected foul play, but the coroner ruled the death as “accidental due to drowning” and said no traces of drugs or alcohol were found during the autopsy. The coroner’s report noted that her bipolar disorder was one of the factors in the incident.

However, it is not known how she gained access to the roof as the only access to the rooftop was through a locked door that was accessible only by employees and a fire escape that sounds an alarm if opened.

Police reports that contain elevator surveillance footage show Lam behaving bizarrely on the night of her disappearance. A four-minute video posted on YouTube shows Lam hiding and pressing all of the elevator buttons.

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