FILMRAGE magazine-
"the world's most exclusive exploitation film journal"
asked me to write and article for their vol 2 #12th issue.
i decide to write about my current film production...
THE DARK WATERS OF CECIL
THE DARK WATERS OF
CECIL~ IN PRODUCTION~ RICK CASTRO
It’s been a long time since I made a film.
My last project
was a documentary about the furry subculture, (people that adore & admire anthropological
animals) called Plushies & Furries, (2001). Prior to that I co-directed and
wrote the cult~ classic~ HUSTLER WHITE, (1996), with Bruce Labruce.
Then the lean years took place. I had an injury that set me
back… way back. Once recovered my priorities shifted to areas other than film.
I published a few photography books, and open the world’s first fetish art
gallery called Antebellum.
So in a sense my life was full.
The news hit on February 19th, 2013. Once again
life proved to be stranger than fiction . Guests at the Hotel Cecil in downtown
Los Angeles were complaining about low water presser when taking a shower. The
water was black and tasted funny. “It had a sweet, sickening flavor, said one
of the guests, with a long putrid aftertaste. “
Maintenance workers were called to check on the rooftop
water tower. Hotel Cecil was one of the few left that had their own water tower.
Something common in 1924, the year “she” opened.
Climbing up a wooden ladder and unlatching the tower lid, a maintenance
man made a startling discovery. The decomposing body of a young woman.
Her name was Elisa Lam. She had been missing for two weeks. Checking
into the Hotel Cecil on January 26th. and never checking out.
There were so many unanswered questions. How could this
happen? Why did it happen? Why did Elisa Lam come to LA in the first place? She
didn’t know anybody here. Why did she decide to stay at the hotel Cecil? How
did she get on the roof? The rooftop door was locked and had an alarm attached.
How did she get into the water tower? There was no ladder, and lifting the lid
would be way too heavy for one small girl. It took an entire crew to get Elisa Lam out of the water tower.
What or who drew her to the Hotel Cecil? Who or what drew
her to the rooftop water tower? The unanswered question list was endless.
Guess who became obsessed with this story?....... Me!
I threw myself into this event and the Hotel Cecil’s
notorious past.
Here’s what I found out….
Hotel Cecil opened in 1927 as competition for the two reigning queens in downtown Los
Angles the Biltmore and Alexandria luxury hotels. Hotel Cecil would be a lower priced competitor catering to a
business crowd. Since day one Cecil failed to garner a fan base. The era of
grand hotels was coming to an end, and the great depression was kicking in. The
behemoth 700 room Hotel Cecil remained for the most part, unoccupied. As the 2nd
world war came to an end, Hotel Cecil struggled to stay afloat. Then a phenomenon
took place that somehow set a precedent for the Cecil. Around January 1947, a young woman by
the name of Elizabeth Short was seen spending time at the hotel Cecil bar. No
one is sure if she ever actually stayed there, but she most definitely drank at
the Cecil’s bar. On January 15th, 1947 Elizabeth Short’s body was
found in what is now Leimert Park. She had been cut in half. She came to be
known as “The Black Dahlia.”
The vortex had begun. During the 40s & 50s the Hotel Cecil
fell into a state of disrepair. The rates had been lowered to attract business.
The location became transient and the tone of the venue went dark.
From now on~ suicides and murder were de regular at Hotel
Cecil. From 1954 thru 1964, three separate women jumped to their deaths at the
Hotel Cecil.
On June 4th, 1964 a long term resident~ Goldie”Piegon”
Osgood, was found bludgeoned to death in her room. She had been strangled,
stabbed and raped. “Pigeon was given that nickname for her fondness of birds,
every day she would feed the pigeon’s at nearby Pershing Square.
During the mid- eighties Richard Ramirez called the Hotel Cecil
his home. In the early nineties Austrian serial killer jack Unterwerger checked
in, only because read that his idol~ Richard Ramirez had lived here the decade
before.
The discovery
of Elisa lam’s body in the water tower high atop the roof, is the latest of a
history of misfortune at the hotel Cecil.
Needless to say I was obsessed and decided this would be the
topic of my next film.
For approx. one
year I did my on & off research and preparation.
Inspired by the immediacy of the digital- DIY-
(do-it-yourself) mantra of the 21st century. I decided to create
this film with whatever medium was available. That became digital and cell
phone footage. My budget was a
great big- zero. Everything and everybody donated their time and efforts to
complete this project. In fact my
dear friend Kathleen Mcconn became my personal no budget “Irma, (instead of Irving)
Thalberg. She financed the room,
parking and our food budget.
The “Dark Waters of Cecil.” crew was very tiny. It was I as
director, producer, location scout, casting director and costumer. Zae Gaines as my cinematographer,
editor and sound engineer. That was the extent of my crew.
Zae Gaines has been part of Antebellum since he moved to
Hollywood in 2011, from Alaska. Over the years, Zae has worked for Antebellum,
we’ve created films together for Antebellum and I recently gave him his first
solo exhibition.
We are both well versed in pirate productions. The
definition of pirate is when you run in and shoot without anyone knowing you’re
doing so. It is hit & run.
This production is “PIRATE VIDEO” at it’s finest.
Antebellum has many artists, models and esoterics. It was
thru Antebellum’s collection of people that I chose my cast.
Auralynn When is Antebellum’s intern. She is also an artist
model and Ikebana master. She is
both bold and sensitive, so I knew she would be perfect to recreate the doomed
heroine that was Elisa Lam.
Due to schedule conflict, I was forced to shoot Auralynn’s
scene early- on February 6th, 2015.
We shot her scenes on the rooftop staircase and then the
hotel cafeteria. Only because we got kicked out of the staircase. I was in a tizzy because Auralynn had
cut her hair in a very short bob. Although it looked adorably fetching in real
life, it was nowhere close to the style of Elisa lam. I would have to impose
the cinematic suspension of disbelief.
I placed my own
personal red sweatshirt on Auralynn. It was uncanny how much she looked like
Elisa Lam on her last night on this realm. We made a beeline thru the lobby and enter the elevator. The
same elevator posted on social media of Elisa lam looking distraught, befuddled
and haunted.
This footage has become viral and is now legend and source
for conspiracy theorists to analyze worldwide. In a sense that is what my
project is a part of; my theory of what has happened at the hotel Cecil from
1927 till 2013. I present this
film with a heap of irony, satire, and a post~ surrealistic eye.
As we filmed Auralynn as Elisa Lam~ pushing the buttons of
the elevator, looking scared and distant, descending into darkness, it felt
like I was witnessing what had occurred on Jan 19th, 2013.
I can’t find the words to express this feeling dear readers.
What I can tell you is, it’s possibly the closes thing to moving thru
dimensions, in real time. We had created a temporary autonomous zone.
So Auralynn aka Elisa Lam was spent and finished. As they say in the industry, “it’s in
the can.” We walked her to her car on a lonesome dark street near skid row, in
downtown Los Angeles, and said goodbye.
Since we were here I decided to also shoot the scene of
Richard Ramirez.
This beautiful portrayal was achieved by Antebellum
assistant~ Ricardo Carranza. Ricardo lives in Watts, so it was a hip-hop, skip
and a jump for him to meet us at Hotel Cecil.
The performance of Richard Ramirez was a reprisal that I had
Ricardo recreate for my most recent film- ANTEBELLUM2015.
Richard Ramirez was an American serial killer, rapist and
burglar during 1984-85. Ramirez’s crimes terrorized Los Angeles, before he was
finally captured and convicted of 13 murders. He lived on the Hotel Cecil's top floor in a $14-a-night
room as he slaughtered his victims.
An avowed Satanist, Ramirez was sentenced to death in a gas
chamber in 1989.
On receiving his
sentence he showed no remorse, flashed his hand-made pentagram and stated:
"Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in
Disneyland."
Ricardo met us in the alleyway of the Hotel Cecil. I dressed
him in a heavy metal ripped t-shirt and beige button down shirt. The idea was~ after his killing spree evening,
Ricardo aka Richard would lurk down the back alley of the hotel Cecil, he would
deposit is now soiled shirt in the dumpster and wily enter the back entrance of
the hotel Cecil. The real Richard Ramirez would do this throughout his stay at
the hotel Cecil. Ricardo has a sweetie disposition so this was a real stretch
for him to achieve this sinister allure. Let’s just say he was not successful,
and Ricardo’s portrayal was more that of a dainty Satanist.
Never the less we did get the shot in the can, and Ricardo
did his best at being a menace to society. We were a wrap for that evening. I
gave Ricardo his costume to hang onto and told him we would be shooting
Ramirez’s drive by killing spree evening using my 67 mercury cougar as his car.
This would be shot in the near future. Always the unprofessional, Ricardo
decided to cut his hair, so we are now waiting for Ricardo aka Richard
Ramirez’s death-rocker hair locks to grow back. Needless to say I am annoyed.
February 19th,
2015, was the two-year anniversary of the discovery of Elisa Lam’s decomposed
body in the water tower, high atop on the roof of Hotel Cecil. On this date a very small crew and myself descended on the Hotel Cecil.
I had come by three days earlier to check out the rooms and
book one that would be picture perfect.
This means it would need to be on the 15th floor, facing Main
Street, original walls, no fussy hipster renovations would work. I booked room
#1537 on the 15th floor.
(Supposedly the
room where Pauline Otton had a fight with her estranged husband~ “Dewey.” On October 12th, 1962,
Pauline was so distraught she threw herself out the window. At that exact
moment, pedestrian George Giannini was walking up Main St, in front of the
Hotel Cecil, minding his own business and reading the newspaper. The falling body of Pauline Otton
struck him. They were both killed instantly. )
So the first “curse” of Cecil started early. Even though I
had booked room #1537, three days prior and paid in advance, they had given the
room away! I was not happy. I was forced to book another room on the 9th
floor. This would have to add to the continuation of the cinematic tradition ~
the suspension of disbelief.
February 19th~ 11am~
Our first “actress”~ Antebellum’s official photographer~
Natuta Bagrationi arrived right at her call time~ 12am. Natuta would portray “Pigeon” Osgood, the sweet Cecil resident
that had a fondness for pigeons and birds in general. Everyday Pigeon would
walk to Pershing Square and feed the birds. Many times she would bring her own
left over bread crusts. Being from the country of Georgia, Natuta knew how to
create the look of a babushka. She even brought her own bread crusts. What a
pro she is. Zae Gaines captured
some poignant footage of Natuta AKA “pigeon” feeding the birds with wide shots
of Pershing Square. Our second scene was grimmer. The discovery of “Pigeon’s”
stabbed, bludgeoned and raped body in her room at Hotel Cecil. Ever~the~trooper,
Natuta brought her own theatrical blood.
Natuta also created a duo role as Julia Moore.
On February 11, 1962, Julia Moore climbed out of her eighth
floor room window and landed in a second story interior light well. She left no
note, just a bus ticket from St. Louis, 59 cents in change, and an Illinois
bank book showing a balance of $1800.
Natuta’s portrayal and Zae Gaines’s cinematography created a
very doomed romantic piece.
The second we finished this scene; we had Antebellum diva,
Violet Talea in the room ready to take on her role as Pauline Otton.
On October 12th, 1962, Pauline was so distraught
about the fight she had with her estranged husband~ “Dewy,” she threw herself
out the window. At that exact moment, pedestrian George Giannini was walking up
Main St, in front of the Hotel Cecil, minding his own business and reading the
newspaper. The falling body of
Pauline Otton struck him. They were both killed instantly.
A trained opera singer, Violet Talea was a perfect choice to
play out this -skid row version of
a Greek tragedy.
Violet Talea was spot on with the melodrama. She even can
cry on demand, with a little help from Bausch & Lomb.
Talea also created a duo role, that of Helen Gurnee.
On October 22, 1954, Helen Gurnee, stepped from her seventh
floor window and crashed to her death atop the hotel's marquee. She had
registered as Margaret Brown a week before.
Our PIRATE video production was moving swiftly. We then ran downstairs to greet my
friend, Chris Sloan who was excited to take on the part of George Giannini.
J. Christopher Sloan
is the only one of our bohemian production that is a trained actor. He has been
in numerous local theater and plans to follow~ “ The Great White Way.” It is a
shame that is part is the smallest part in my film. What could I do? George Giannini had no lines.
On October 12th, 1962, George Giannini was in the
wrong spot at the wrong time. As he walked passed the Hotel Cecil, Pauline Otton
had just hurled herself out the 9th floor window. She landed smack on top of George Gianinni, and
both were killed instantly. Since no one saw Pauline jump, police initially
thought they had a double suicide on their hands--but on closer examination
they realized what had happened.
We had to be very quick to get this shot. I took creative
license and placed Chris aka George’s body face down, directly across the
sidewalk engraving which read~ HOTEL CECIL. Still intact since 1927. The engraving is under the hotel awning so it would’ve been
impossible for Pauline to have landed on George back in 1962. Unless the hotel
didn’t have an awning at that time?
More research!
I then placed Talea AKA Pauline across George, sans her
shoes. Zae Gaines shot this so quickly nobody even reacted to two bodies on the
sidewalk. It seemed downtown Los Angeles is just as jaded as downtown,
Hollywood.
We were done with that scene in seconds. Talea & Chris were
a wrap.
I had a pillow, (from the hotel) which I placed a black
dress over. This was my stand-in for Pauline’s falling body. I tossed it up and
down a few times as Zae Gaines took some B role. It was fun. A little exercise
in the middle of the day.
During my last pillow toss, up the street walks Antebellum fluorescent
artist, John Hale. He would be
portraying the role of Jack Unterwerger.
Austrian
serial killer Jack Unterweger stayed at the hotel in 1991 for five weeks.
He
chose Hotel Cecil specifically because Richard Ramirez stayed there in the mid-eighties. During Jack’s time at Hotel Cecil, he murdered
three prostitutes.
This
occurred after he had been jailed and released in Austria for similar murders.
He was released as an example for rehabilitation and was hired by an Austrian
magazine to be a crime writer in Los Angeles.
Jack
Unterwerger is believed to have been paying homage to his idol, Richard
Ramirez, when he beat, sexually assaulted and strangled the women with their
own braziers. Ironically Jack was accompanying the LAPD on their nightly beat
as a journalist reporting on crime in Los Angeles.
John
Hale took his role very seriously, perhaps too much so. As we filmed him in the
lobby and streets of Los Angeles leering at women, John aka Jack seemed to have
unsettling body chemistry. If I wasn’t so enthralled in my production, I
would’ve alerted the authorities about the demeanor of John aka Jack.
Jack
was a wrap and left stalking down the dark streets of Main St, Los Angeles.
Immediately
Zae Gaines and I are in the Hotel Cecil bar with “The Black Dahlia.”
Elizabeth
Short was said to have spent time at the Hotel Cecil bar during 1946- 47. On
January 15th, 1947 Elizabeth Short’s body was found in what is now
Leimert Park. She had been cut in half.
She came to be known as “The Black Dahlia.”
One of the many original thinkers that
pass thru the doors of Antebellum is Splink Raven. She is a writer/provocateur, and does a great rendition of
the Black Dahlia. This is actually
a reprisal of the role she played in my last film-
ANTEBELLUM2015.
So Raven is at the bar looking resplendent in her
finest Dahlia attire. Zae Gaines and I sit across from her in
a booth. We have to place Dahlia
just so, to crop out an unwanted treadmill that stands poking in the corner. Much
to my dismay, the Hotel Cecil has been renovated since 1927.
Zae Gaines is handholding a digital camera and cell phone
camera at the same time. His tripod is the lens cap. I am crouched low to the
table. Reading Raven her lines, (since they have not been memorized). This, dear reader is PIRATE VIDEO at it’s finest.
Not surprisingly this scene takes the longest, but we get
thru it and our PIRATE video at the Hotel Cecil is a wrap at 7pm. Zae Gaines runs out the door to return
the rented lights. Unfortunately he forgets the lights and has to come
back. Everybody says their
goodbyes, and I stand alone in the haunted lobby of the Hotel Cecil. I am deep in thought wondering if anyone
but I know this is the one year anniversary of the discovery of Elisa Lam’s
body atop the roof of the Hotel Cecil.
Floating silently in the dark drinking water for two whole weeks, with
unsuspecting guests showering, brushing their teeth, and drinking~ THE DARK
WATERS OF CECIL.
John aka Jack Unterwerger lurks back up thru the darkness of
Main Street and greets me in the lobby. I have the room for one night, so
together we paint the town red.
Rick Castro is a filmmaker, photographer, blogger and
curator living in Los Angeles his entire life. “The Dark Waters Of Cecil” is
his first film production since 2001.
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