Picture, if you will, a hotel. Once a beacon for the show business elite, its doors were closed after it was struck by lightning, an event which caused five guests to mysteriously disappear. Those doors remained shut until 1994, when they opened to welcome new visitors for a luxurious stay inside…The Twilight Zone…
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the big three when it comes to spooky Walt Disney World attractions (the others being the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean). Located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it combines the eerie mystery of the television classic The Twilight Zone with the adrenaline pumping terror of plummeting thirteen stories down an elevator shaft over and over. Like the television show that inspired it, the Tower of Terror is full of mystery and wonder. This week, we will find answers to some of those mysteries.
10. How Tall Is It?
For a time, The Tower of Terror held the distinction of being the tallest attraction in all Walt Disney World. The building stands at a monumental 199 feet. Why that number specifically? According to Florida law, a 200 foot building would have required a red light to be placed atop the structure. This would have broken with the theming, so Disney stopped just shy of the mark. Today, it is the second tallest attraction in Walt Disney World, standing a mere six inches lower than Expedition Everest.
9. How Fast Are You Falling?
This is a bit of a trick question. You see, you aren’t actually falling when you ride the Tower of Terror. Cables are pulling you down faster than the rate at which you’d fall if left to gravity alone. Two monumental motors provide the power, and when we say monumental that’s no exaggeration. Each motor is 12 feet tall, 35 feet long, and weighs 130,000 pounds. So, just how fast are you being pulled? The attraction tops out at about 39 miles an hour, which is more than fast enough to relocate your stomach to your mouth.
8. A Familiar Voice…
Inside the boiler room of the hotel, Guests encounter the voice of a young girl named Sally Shine calling desperately for help. The voice in question is provided by actress Kat Cressida, who also provides the voice for the Haunted Mansion’s Constance Hatchaway. The Tower of Terror was Cressida’s first work with Disney, but not her last. She also provided the voice for Jessie in Toy Story Mania, as well as briefly providing the voice for Alice of Alice in Wonderland and Wendy Darling from Peter Pan.
7.Lightning Crashes
According the lore of the attraction, the Hollywood Tower Hotel (the hotel’s official name) was struck by lightning on October 31, 1939. Five guests riding the hotel’s elevator disappeared when the lightning struck. In an odd case of life imitating art, the building actually was struck by lightning during its construction. To the best of my knowledge, this did not result in any additional disappearances. Today, lightning rods are atop the building as a safety measure.
6. A World of Allusions
The Tower of Terror attraction not only lets Guests enjoy stepping into their own episode of the Twilight Zone, it pays homage to many of the series classics as well. Among the episodes referenced are “Little Girl Lost,” “It’s a Good Life,” “To Serve Man,” “The After Hours,” “Nick of Time,” and “Time Enough at Last.” The allusion referencing “To Serve Man” can be found as a cookbook with the same title, and a pair of broken glasses are the reference to “Time Enough at Last.” All of this brings us to our next fun fact…
5. Time Enough to Binge
Streaming platforms like Disney+ and Netflix have transformed binge watching into a global phenomenon. However, the Tower of Terror was created well before the streaming platform revolution. This didn’t deter the Imagineers from watching all 156 episodes of the Twilight Zone as they planned the attraction. In fact, they watched the opening and closing segments of the show, featuring Rod Serling, ten times each.
4. What? No Mickey Mouse?
In addition to stuffing the attraction with references to classic Twilight Zone episodes, Imagineers also hid Disney references into the attraction. Inside the hotel library, Guests can see sheet music for the 1932 Irving Caesar song, ““What! No Mickey Mouse? (What Kind of Party is This?).” At the concierge desk, there is a copy of Photoplay Magazine which features, “Four Pages of Hilarious Star Caricatures by Walt Disney,” and the little girl who disappears in the elevator can be seen clutching a Mickey Mouse doll.
3. The Victims
As noted, five hotel guests disappeared on that fateful day in 1939. One was Shelly Shine. The others were Emeline Partridge (Shelly’s nanny), Caroline Crosson (an young actress), Gilbert London, and bellhop Dewey Todd, Jr.
2. On Closer Inspection
Inside the elevator, there is a plaque referencing the devices last inspection. It includes the number 10259 and was inspected by “Mr. Cadwallader.” The Twilight Zone debuted on October 2, 1959. Cadwallader is a character from an episode of the show entitled, “Escape Clause.”
1. A Brand New Story
Though the attraction references numerous Twilight Zone episodes, you don’t have to watch all 156 to try and find the one about the hotel struck by lightning. Imagineers crafted that story all on their own, so that Guests could have a brand new Twilight Zone experience, one that made them a part of the story and the mystery. It’s a sort of “lost” episode of the show, that isn’t complete until you’ve added your screams to the soundtrack.
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