Guide to Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Opened on July 22, 1994, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida offers a thrilling simulated freefall drop. This iconic attraction draws its inspiration from The Twilight Zone, the classic anthology television series, with Rod Serling (voiced by Mark Silverman) serving as your host. Promotional materials for the ride even suggested it was based on a previously lost episode of the beloved series.
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Upon its release, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was an instant classic, opening to rave reviews and quickly becoming one of Disney’s most popular attractions. Its widespread appeal even led to a 1997 TV film adaptation, making it the first theme park ride to inspire a movie.
The premise of the attraction invites guests to explore the abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel. Once a vibrant retreat for Hollywood’s elite, its grandeur ended abruptly on October 31, 1939, when a catastrophic lightning strike caused several wings to vanish and sent an elevator plummeting, killing five people. Now dilapidated and shrouded in mystery, the hotel has seemingly reopened, beckoning guests to relive the events of that fateful night aboard a service elevator, stepping directly into their own episode of The Twilight Zone.
Guests step into the Hollywood Tower Hotel through its main entrance, seemingly to book a stay for their vacation. The outdoor queue winds through the hotel’s overgrown gardens, where eerie 1930s jazz music drifts through the air, before leading into the dust-laden, cobweb-filled lobby. Here, remnants of guests’ belongings from that fateful night decades ago lie scattered.
From the lobby, guests are then directed to the hotel’s library, told their “rooms are still being prepped.” As they wait, a thunderstorm rages outside, visible through the window. Suddenly, lightning strikes, and a television set flickers to life, seemingly of its own accord.
The opening sequence from Seasons 4 and 5 of The Twilight Zone begins to play, with the narrator then explaining the tragic events: a main lobby elevator, carrying Carolyn Crosson, Gilbert London, Dewey Todd, Sally Shine, and Emeline Partridge, plummeted after a lightning strike, causing all five to vanish into the Twilight Zone. He then extends an eerie invitation for guests to board the maintenance service elevators, the only ones still operational in the decaying hotel.
With that, the television abruptly cuts out, and a hidden wall in the back of the library slides open. Guests then exit the library, making their way into the boiler room to await their turn.
Once aboard, the elevator ascends through various show floors as Rod Serling’s narration guides riders through the hotel’s bizarre, unsettling nature. Guests journey beyond the real world and deeper into the “5th Dimension.” At a pivotal moment, Serling informs them they’re about to experience what befell those five vanished individuals. This triggers the ride’s drop sequence, where the elevator accelerates downward faster than gravity, creating a thrilling sensation of levitating out of your seat. After the drops, guests exit the hotel through basement passageways, leading to the ride photo viewing area and the gift shop.
At one point in the ride the elevator doors open and you’re able to see out over Disney’s Hollywood Studios park. Just as the elevator begins to drop again, your photo is taken! You can see the photo after you exit the ride vehicle and head towards the gift shop.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has been open for 31 years today. Do you enjoy this spooky attraction?
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