The eerie ride transports Guests back to the Golden Age of the silver screen, to the now-decrepit Hollywood Tower Hotel.
Arguably one of the most immersive rides that Disney has to offer — yes, even counting the famous Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and the creepy Haunted Mansion — Tower of Terror is a fan-favorite among Walt Disney World Resort Guests of all ages (as long as they’re tall enough to ride and brave enough to enter the fifth dimension, that is).
There is, however a Tower of Terror “rip-off” that Guests at Italy’s Movieland Studios Park can ride — and it is truly horrifying.
It is a free fall attraction, much like the ICON Park ride on which a teenager recently died, so Guests are completely exposed as they plummet. This is a contrast to the Tower of Terror that involves an interior drop, which can, in some ways, make riders feel safer.
Movieland Studios’ official website describes the Hollywood Action Tower ride as:
Have you ever faced a high-speed freefall from great heights?
Test your courage with this freefall tower, challenge the force of gravity and let yourself be carried away in this breathtaking adventure!
Pay attention to the letters that make up the Hollywood Tower… the unexpected is just around the corner.
Credit: Disney
The webpage also notes that riders have a panoramic view of “Main Street” as they fall, so Movieland Studios has clearly taken more than a few cues from Disney Parks. The theme park also has a Route 66 ride reminiscent of Disney California Adventure’s Radiator Springs Racers and a Space Ranger ride much like Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.
Step uneasily inside the infamous Hollywood Tower Hotel and find a dusty lobby frozen in time. Even the subdued hotel staff seems strangely out of another era.
Suddenly a television set springs to life and Rod Serling welcomes you on a journey into the Twilight Zone. He reveals that on a gloomy Halloween night in 1939, some hotel patrons were riding the elevator when a violent storm struck the building… and they were never seen again. The hotel closed down and has stood empty ever since.
Going Up?
Enter the rickety, elevator-style lift, strap yourself in and prepare to discover what lies beyond the darkest corner of your imagination.
Shriek in terror as you’re suddenly propelled up and down the abandoned shaft—unexpectedly dropping and rising—as you hear the sound of cables snapping and metal clanging overhead.
Will you make it back to the real world… or will you become a permanent resident of the Twilight Zone?
Would you ever visit Movieland Studios?
Visit the official Disney World website to plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district OR the official Disneyland website to plan your trip to Disneyland Resort’s two theme parks — Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park — and the Downtown Disney District!
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Credit: Disney
