Tower Of Terror is easily one of the spookiest and most thrilling rides in all of Walt Disney World. It’s located in Hollywood Studios, which is one of the four Disney World theme parks.
This ride is so fun! It pushes you up and pulls you down. It’s in the Hollywood Tower Hotel.
It follows the story of five people who went missing in the hotel on the night of October 31, 1939. The five people are child star Sally Shine, Emeline Partridge (Sally’s nanny), singer Carolyn Crossman, and the bellhop Dewey Todd.
When they boarded the elevator, lightning struck the hotel causing their elevator to never make it to the Sunset Room.
There are some really cool Tower of Terror facts that I’m going to share with you about this ride!
1. There Are Pre-Recorded Screams
Have you heard the screams coming from the ride when you aren’t on it? It really sounds like there are people currently screaming on the ride.
The screams are actually a recording they play from speakers near the attraction to make it sound like there are people screaming in while riding it.
2. All The Clocks Are Stopped At The Same Time
Every clock in the Hollywood Tower Hotel is stopped at 8:05. There’s a reason for this.
The five people who went missing that night in 1939 boarded the elevator at exactly 8:05.
The hotel is basically stuck at that time as the missing people are stuck and can’t seem to get on with their lives.
3. A 13 Minute Wait Is A Good Thing
Have you noticed that sometimes Tower of Terror has a 13 minute wait? There are only a handful of rides that ever have this and it’s actually a really good thing.
It means there’s no wait for the ride and it’s a walk-on! Instead of saying 5 minute wait like other rides do, this spooky ride says 13 minute wait since 13 is an unlucky number and it goes with the theming of the ride.
Haunted Mansion is the other Disney World park that sometimes says 13 minute wait. Spooky, right?
4. Disney Was Close To Doing Something Illegal With The Ride
Florida has a law that buildings over 200 feet tall must have flashing red lights on them for low flying planes. Red lights obviously don’t go with the vibe of The Hollywood Tower hotel though.
Disney didn’t want to do this, so they made the height of the hotel 199 feet tall. This way it’s still really tall, they aren’t breaking any laws, and they don’t need red lights on the top.
5. It Can Be Seen From EPCOT
The back of the Tower of Terror ride can be seen from EPCOT’s Morocco pavilion. It is 199 ft tall, making it stand out quite a bit.
Imagineers wanted it to blend in a little and not stick out like a sore thumb for people looking at it from the Morocco pavilion. They added Moroccan elements to help it fit in a little better.
6. It Used To Only Have One Drop
When the ride first opened up on July 22, 1994 it only had one big drop. A second drop was added in May 1996 and a third drop in March 1999.
The Ride Has Four Drop Sequences
Disney changed the ride in December 2022 to have four different ride sequences with different drops.
This is how it still is today. When you get on the ride you don’t know which ride sequence you’ll get. It is randomized and each sequence also has different special effects.
7. Imagineers Watched The Twilight Zone Multiple Times
They watched every episode of the show The Twilight Zone several times to make sure they captured the right aesthetic for the ride and got everything perfect.
8. Imagineers Drew Inspiration From Real Hotels
The Hollywood Tower hotel was inspired by other hotels. The look of the outside was inspired by the Mission Inn in Riverside, California. This was to help it blend in with Morocco.
The Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California is where the inspiration for the lobby came from.
9. You’re Not Falling
It feels like you’re falling, but you’re actually not. Your ride vehicle is being pulled down. This is faster than it would fall on its own.
10. You Go Really Fast
The top speed of this ride is way faster than I realized. It’s 39 miles per hour!
The way that the ride goes up and down makes it feel so different from rides like roller coasters that push you forward at a high speed.
11. Disney Was Going To Make It A Real Hotel
The original idea was for this ride to be a real hotel and an attraction. It ended up being too expensive, so they scrapped the idea.
I’m not sure staying there would be very restful, so I’m not sad this idea didn’t come to life.
12. The Cobwebs Are Glue
It’s no surprise that the cobwebs aren’t real cobwebs. They’re made from a hot glue gun that’s called a Cobweb Spinner.
Disney goes in to redo the cobwebs every now and then so they look good again and don’t have so much dust on them.
13. The Lobby Is Full Of Cool Details
There are hidden Mickeys and other things, but the Easter egg I think is the coolest is the Mahjong game.
It was setup and professional Mahjong players started playing a game, then left it mid-game. The imagineers had them do this so it would look abandoned and also look like a real game was being played.