How to Watch the Tower of Terror Movie at Disney's Hollywood Studios

The Tower of Terror is a terrifying theme park ride that takes guests on a ride with a free-falling elevator drop. It was previously turned into a 1997 TV movie with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst, but Disney is now ready to turn it into a big-screen movie.

Two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson will produce. Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley has written the script.

Location

Located in the heart of Hollywood Studios, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the most thrilling attractions in all of Walt Disney World Resort. It thrills thousands of guests each day on Sunset Boulevard and is full of intricate details crafted by the Disney Imagineering team. This ride is inspired by the famous anthology series The Twilight Zone and takes riders into an abandoned hotel elevator where they will experience a number of fictional backstories.

The attraction first opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1994, but it has also been recreated at Tokyo DisneySea and Paris, France’s Walt Disney Studios Park. It is a spooky, accelerated drop tower ride that ends with an elevator dropping at an unpredictable rate and presenting a variety of terrifying twists and turns.

There are numerous references to the original Twilight Zone series throughout the attraction. Among these are a number of props from classic episodes that guests can see on their way into the queue and before entering the ride. There is even a pre-show featuring Rod Serling from the original series.

In addition to bringing in the original cast members for the attraction, Disney has added some unique twists to the experience. For example, guests who enter the queue will notice an inspection sticker that reads “10259.” This represents October 2, 1959, which is the day The Twilight Zone first aired.

Another interesting aspect of the attraction is that guests will hear area music during their queue. It perfectly reflects the theme of the ride and helps to set the mood for the entire experience.

Aside from the amazing ride, there are plenty of other things to do and see around the attraction. Some of these include a movie theater and the Carthay Circle Theatre, which was the first theatre to be equipped with a Fantasound audio system.

Scarlett Johansson has been attached to produce a film based on the Tower of Terror ride, which is inspired by Rod Serling’s anthology television series The Twilight Zone. According to an individual with knowledge of the project, Josh Cooley has been tapped to write the screenplay. It will be produced by Johansson under her These Pictures banner alongside Jonathan Lia.

Height Requirements

If you want to watch the Tower of Terror movie at Disney's Hollywood Studios, you'll need to be over 40 inches. The ride is an elevator drop that combines dark and story elements with a randomized sequence of drops.

The ride was created by Disney Imagineers with help from a real elevator company to ensure that everything would be authentic. It was based on the television show The Twilight Zone, with original clips from the series playing throughout the ride and Rod Serling voicing himself on audio and video screens.

When Buzzy Crocker (Steve Guttenberg) and his niece Anna (Kirsten Dunst) are sent to investigate an abandoned hotel, they soon find themselves trapped inside a haunted hotel that collapsed 11 floors over sixty years earlier. As they try to figure out what happened to the hotel's five occupants, they begin to see ghosts and hear strange sounds.

A disgraced reporter who lost his job for publishing a fake news story, Buzzy and Anna soon discover that they've entered a world where anything goes wrong! It's here that they must fend off creepy visitors and solve the mystery of the ruined hotel.

To make this experience as realistic as possible, Walt Disney Imagineers had to watch all 156 episodes of The Twilight Zone to make sure that they were able to recreate the look and feel of each episode. You can see this in the various items you'll see in the queue and other areas of the attraction.

For instance, there's a poster for the Anthony Freemont Orchestra in the queue and a small metal robot on a ledge in the library. You'll also get to explore overgrown gardens, an old lobby, and the spooky boiler room before heading to the fifth dimension scene.

There's no way to predict what you'll see, but you can always ask a Cast Member if there's anything you're unsure about! You'll want to be very prepared and have a good camera to capture the scary moments.

Although this is a dark and scary ride, it's not as intense as some of the other rides at WDW. It's a great choice for families with young children who like thrill rides and are willing to go with the flow, but it's not ideal for those who have specific fears of heights or the dark. The ride's repeated drops can be jarring for those with sensitive backs or medical concerns.

Pre-Show Film

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the most popular attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests love the thrills, scares, and immersive story that this attraction offers each time they visit.

However, there is an incredible secret hidden behind the eerie and thrilling ride that many Disney World Guests may not be aware of! It’s called the pre-show film, and it’s one of the most memorable parts of the attraction.

As the name implies, the pre-show is a short movie that reveals the story of the Tower of Terror in more detail. The short movie is narrated by Rod Serling, who tells a story about the eerie events that happened in 1939 when a group of people were trapped in the Tower of Terror elevator.

At the end of the pre-show video, Guests are plunged into darkness and then directed into the bowels of the Hotel where they will wait in the boiler room for their "elevator" to the 13th floor. They are then guided to the service elevator where they will ride the elevator up and down until it ends with a terrifying drop!

Walt Disney Imagineering was inspired by The Twilight Zone television series when designing the attraction. They viewed 156 episodes of the show to get ideas for what they wanted to include in the final attraction.

They also worked to find a way to integrate Rod Serling into the attraction even though Serling had passed away in 1975. In order to ensure that WDI could continue to incorporate his work into the attraction, they cast Mark Silverman as the voice of Rod Serling in the pre-show film and other scenes in the Tower of Terror ride.

In the pre-show film, they take Guests back to Halloween night in 1939, when a family of six were trapped in the Tower of Terror elevator by lightning. They share that story with Guests in the pre-show movie to set the stage for their trip into the Twilight Zone on the Tower of Terror ride.

The tower of terror pre-show is one of WDI’s finest pieces of work, with all the details and details that it features being intricately worked into the theme to create an unforgettable experience. It’s one of the most fun and immersive attractions that WDI have ever created, and if you haven’t experienced it before, be sure to check out the pre-show when visiting the attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Rider Switch

Rider Switch is a little-known benefit for Disney World guests that makes it easier for those with kids who are too short or reluctant to ride an attraction. It’s a game changer when it comes to avoiding long lines on some of the most popular rides in the park, especially with attractions that have height requirements.

In the past, this could be done in an illegal way, but Disney has tightened down their policy to keep people from abusing it. Here’s how it works:

When you arrive at an attraction that offers the Rider Switch service, your group is divided into two groups. The first group (“Party 1”) gets in line and rides the attraction while the second group (“Party 2”) waits outside with the non-rider(s) to supervise them.

Once Party 1 is done with the attraction, they exit and rejoin the waiting Party 2. Now, they have a Rider Switch credential which allows them to ride again without a long standby queue.

To use the Rider Switch service, your group needs to speak with a Cast Member at the attraction’s entrance. A Cast Member will assign each member of your group an appropriate ride entitlement that can be redeemed at any time.

Your group will also need to have a valid MagicBand or MagicMobile ticket. These are important pieces of information when it comes to using Rider Switch, as they will allow the second group to redeem their pass in the future.

After the first group is finished, Party 2 waits in a designated area with the non-rider(s). Once they’re ready to go again, they return to the attraction and speak to a Cast Member to verify their Rider Switch eligibility.

Currently, there are a handful of attractions that offer the Rider Switch service in Walt Disney World. You can check out our list of attractions that offer Rider Switch to learn more about this great benefit.

The best way to know if you can use Rider Switch is to check the height requirement of the attraction. It may vary from ride to ride, but most attractions should work if you have an infant or small child who is too short to meet the required height.