Vanished: The Heather Elvis Case doesn’t attempt to break the mold established by most true crime documentaries. It fits the formula pretty well, but it has something that not all true crime docuseries have: reenactment scenes that help the viewer go through the bizarre case of the young woman’s disappearance. Although this could be seen as a distraction from the most compelling testimonies and real footage that it also has, directors Michael Bayer and Jeff Dean understand the balance, and they manage to stay away from the frequently generic approaches seen in true crime-exclusive TV channels.
The docuseries follows the case of Heather Elvis, a 20-year-old woman who went missing in South Carolina in December 2013. As the documentary reveals, Elvis had been involved in a relationship with a married man named Sidney Moorer. As the days went by and Heather did not show up, suspicions fell on her boyfriend.
Up until this point, Vanished: The Heather Elvis Case doesn’t exactly offer something new in terms of true crime tropes. However, what followed soon after was something so strange that you will find it hard to believe. Heather Elvis’ case was heavily exposed in social media, and for some reason, online users drew their attention to Heather’s family. While the internet and social media are a cesspool where people get to literally satisfy their darkest desires, this twist is a weird reaction by a community where usually sleuths do their best to help victims’ families find some answers. Nevertheless, this time, the tables were turned because suspects of Heather’s disappearance tried to turn the attention elsewhere.
Vanished: The Heather Elvis Case is a solid true crime documentary series that offers enough information to draw your own conclusions. Most importantly, the docuseries never exceeds its reenactment content, and you never feel distracted from what deserves the attention. There was a social media blitz, but that should only be secondary to the mystery of what happened to Heather. Her family deserves closure, and an online community of trolls is not helping. This irrational behavior from those who have the ridiculous idea that they are wise enough to solve crimes needs to stop. If we add the fact that some internet figures make money from this, it becomes bloodcurdling.
With most true crime documentaries, the mystery is often jarring, and some of them even make you lose your sleep as you navigate the most important parts of the case over and over again. With Vanished: The Heather Elvis Case, you will inevitably join the search for the truth about what happened to Heather. However, you will also witness one of the most bizarre social media campaigns linked to a real crime. Not only were the Moorers involved in the disappearance of the defenseless woman, but they also tried to cover their tracks by unleashing a relentless monster that hides in the darkest corners of the internet. None other than the vicious collective actions of online trolls who couldn’t care less about the real victims, morals or human decency.
Film critic. Lover of all things horror. Member of the OFCS. RT Approved Critic.
