In the early summer of 1994 I remember seeing commercials like this on TV and begging my parents that we had to go to MGM Studios (aka Disney’s Hollywood Studios). I remember being a huge fan of the Sci Fi channel and watching the Twilight Zone a lot. So this ride was exactly my number one go to destination. So in the middle of the summer my family and I went to MGM Studio and that was the first ride I went on in the park. I did not know what to expect from the ride so when I finally went inside the building and sat down in the ride. I literally had no idea what kind of ride it was. And to be honest any kind of ride that makes me feel like I am falling I am not a fan of. SO this ride I was not a fan of. Actually I was the lucky rider who when every time we were falling I would cling on to the person next to me. Even though that person was a complete stranger and I never talked to them before or after I got off the ride. That was my personal experience with the ride and I have not been on it since. However I do enjoy the overall theme of the ride. So here are some fun facts about the ride!

There was a TV special in 1994 with Kirk Cameron about the ride about the “history” of the hotel.

The first Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 22, 1994.

Other Tower of Terror rides opened up in other Disney Parks: Disney California Adventure opened on May 5, 2004 and closed on January 3, 2017. Tokyo DisneySea opened on September 22, 2006. Walt Disney Studios Park opened on December 22, 2007.

One of the ideas of the ride before it was settled on using themes from Rod Sterling’s The Twilight Zone series was to make a ride based on the Stephen King’s writing.

Another concept was to make a fake ghost tour with Vincent Price:

The Disney Imagineers watched over a hundred the Twilight Zone episodes to get a better sense of what the ride should embodied in terms of the looks and over appearance of it.

Joe Dante directed the video you watch before you actually go on the ride. He is known for directing this movie:

The exterior of the building is a homage of various Southern California landmarks. Such as the Biltmore Hotel:

A lot of the items inside the lobby of the hotel was purchased through various auctions in Los Angeles, California.

There is a clip of Rod Sterling introducing the ride is actually from a Twilight Zone episode called “It’s a Good Life.”

Have you got on this ride? If so what are your thoughts on it?

Until next time!

Source: Wikipedia, disneyparks, and mentalfloss.com