On July 22, 1994, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida debuted the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a dark drop-shaft ride standing 199 feet high, the first thing guests see when entering Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios). The experience begins with riders queuing up in the decrepit Hollywood Tower Hotel, giving them a chance to enjoy the eerie ambiance and creepy elegance of the abandoned lobby covered in dust and cobwebs.
In the pre-show film, directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Small Soldiers), The Twilight Zone’s legendary host Rod Serling tells them about Halloween night 1939, when five hotel guests aboard the elevator vanished after it was struck by lightning. The hotel closed after that fateful night and the five unlucky souls were trapped in the fifth dimension.
In 1997, Disney brought back The Wonderful World of Disney, a weekly series that aired every Sunday night on ABC, which began in 1954 and has seen multiple eras since then. When the studio decided to make an original made-for-TV movie based on Tower of Terror, they went to kid-friendly horror extraordinaire D.J. MacHale, co-creator of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, to write and direct. This was Disney’s first movie based on a ride, though it was soon followed by several more titles that would overshadow it, such as Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and of course, Pirates of the Caribbean.
MacHale was tasked with expanding the pre-show story into a feature-length film, all while trying to “emulate the ride experience.” Unable to close down the actual ride for filming, the production team, including production designer Phil Dagort (American Horror Story) and set decorator Archie D’Amico (Ugly Betty), had to replicate the hotel lobby in a Los Angeles warehouse, taking a quarter of the already small budget.
The movie opens with the basic premise of the ride. It’s Halloween night, 1939. Panning around a table covered in melting candles, random trinkets, and a spellbook, we hear an unseen person reciting a mostly indistinct spell. Outside the Hollywood Tower Hotel, it’s all thunder and lightning (sans rain). Inside, there’s a hopping party with big band music and swing dancers at the Tip Top Club on the 12th floor.
Amid flashing cameras and busy bellhops, five passengers board the main elevator — Shirley Temple-esque child star Sally Shine (Lindsay Ridgeway) and her scowling nanny Emeline Partridge (Wendy Worthington); actor-singer Carolyn Crosson (Melora Hardin), actor Gilbert London (Alastair Duncan), and cheery bellhop Dewey Todd (John Franklin). But before they arrive, the elevator is suddenly struck by lightning, zapping them into thin air.
Sixty years later, we meet disgraced journalist Buzzy Crocker (Steve Guttenberg) working for a tabloid magazine a la The National Inquirer. With the help of his teenage niece Anna (Kirsten Dunst), Buzzy stages fake alien and ghost photos for his articles. Years ago, the once revered journalist wrote about a corrupt mayor that turned out to be false. He lost all credibility and his job at the Los Angeles Banner, where his ex-girlfriend Jill Perry (Nia Peeples) still works as an editor.
There’s at least one person who thinks he’s the man to solve a decades-old mystery. He’s approached by Abigail Gregory (Amzie Strickland), an elderly woman who lived at the hotel 60 years before. According to her, the accident was the result of a botched curse cast by Emeline Partridge, a witch who tried to damn young Sally to hell for no apparent reason other than hating the girl. Since that night, their ghosts have been trapped in limbo and Abigail wants to set them free.
As someone who makes their living faking supernatural encounters, it’s no surprise Buzzy is a skeptic. But writing about the infamous mystery could be his big comeback, so he jumps at the opportunity to redeem himself. He enlists the help of the hotel’s caretaker Chris “Q” Todd (Mike McShane), a descendant of Dewey Todd and sole inheritor of the property. But because of his great-grandfather’s odd stipulation in his will, the hotel cannot reopen until the mystery is solved.
Buzzy loves the idea of a true story but can’t help himself when it comes to photos. He has Anna don a Sally dress and puts an ad out for an actor to play Partridge. Claire Poulet, who we immediately recognize as ghostly starlet Carolyn Crosson (Hardin), shows up looking radiant.
Meanwhile, the other specters go full Beetlejuice trying to scare them off. Sally appears in a green-hued phantom rain, singing and tapping to a haunting rendition of “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” (from the ride’s pre-show). There’s a headless man in a tuxedo holding a meat cleaver and a bellhop with a noose. The alleged witch nearly pushes Anna into a fiery elevator shaft.
As an adult viewer, old Abigail is sus from the get-go, and the more they investigate, the less her version of events makes sense. Thanks to Jill’s solo investigation, we find out that this sweet elderly woman was the spellcaster all along. Her totally logical reason for intentionally murdering Sally (and accidentally killing the others)? Abigail was jealous of Sally, her famous little sister, enough to want her to suffer for eternity. Plus, no one remembered Abigail’s birthday on Halloween.
Why try to redo the curse 60 years later? Well, Abigail had been in a sanitarium since she was 10 and just recently earned out privileges. Other than “the accident had a profound effect on her,” there are no details about her mental health, who let a child be committed to a sanitarium, or why a 10-year-old was dabbling in black magic. Her obsession with condemning their souls to the underworld also seems unnecessary. So many unanswered questions.
However, the joke’s on Abigail because ghost Sally tells Buzzy how much she adored her big sis and couldn’t wait to see her at the Tip Top Club’s Halloween soiree in 1939, which was Abigail’s surprise birthday party. Whoops! Still, she gets a happy ending along with everyone else. Sally forgives her, breaking the curse. Even though Abigail is very much alive, the sisters’ spirits unite and float away.
If there’s any Disney movie that deserves a remake, it’s Tower of Terror. Thankfully, one is in development with Scarlett Johansson attached as a producer and Taika Waititi as a director, which is still happening as of 2023.
Disney’s Tower of Terror is a family-friendly mashup of The Shining and Ghost Ship, the perfect gateway into the horror genre. While the low-budget made-for-TV movie has its flaws, the creepy imagery, intriguing mystery, and golden age of Hollywood setting make it a Halloween staple that continues to hold up.
Unfortunately, Tower of Terror isn’t streaming anywhere, not even on Disney+. Your best bet is tracking down a DVD at your local library or purchasing it online.
