Why Disney's Tower Of Terror Imagineers Watched Every Episode Of The Twilight Zone Twice
Disney's Tower of Terror has always felt like a thrilling outlier at any Disney park. Opened in Florida in 1994 (and, in the case of the California location, tragically converted into a "Guardians of the Galaxy" ride in 2021), the "Twilight Zone"-inspired thrill ride was always a little scarier than the rest of the Mouse House's family-friendly theme park attractions — in a good way.
California's Tower of Terror may have had its last ride, but the attraction remains a landmark of Disney parks across the world, with additional versions in Tokyo and Paris. As with any Disney ride, a whole lot of thought went into the original planning of the attraction, and in the case of Tower of Terror, Imagineers were actually required to become classic TV binge-watchers. According to the official D23 website, everyone who helped design the Tower of Terror watched all 156 episodes of Rod Serling's seminal anthology series at least twice.
Imagineers looked even closer at certain "Twilight Zone" episodes, studying the music, props, settings, and any other aspects that might have helped them craft a ride that would double as an homage to the show. The classic Rod Serling-style voiceover — a delightfully spooky and instantly recognizable part of the ride even for kids who have never seen the show — came from close study, with Imagineers listening to Serling's opening and closing comments 10+ times to figure out which phrases he most often repeated. The attraction's narration was actually recorded by Mark Silverman, who also played Serling in Jordan Peele's recent "Twilight Zone" revival (per the Orlando Sentinel).
The ride is full of references to classic episodes
Take a look around at any given Tower of Terror (except maybe the Japanese version, which apparently includes an unrelated mystery plot), and you'll see the fruits of the Imagineers' labor pay off. References to "Little Girl Lost," an original series episode that appears to be a clear precursor to Tobe Hooper's "Poltergeist," pop up at most Tower of Terror locations. When lightning strikes the elevator of an old Hollywood hotel, the narrator promises to transport guests to a "Fifth Dimension," which is in one spot marked with a chalk outline like the one in the show. The image of a little girl (holding a Mickey plush, naturally) that appears in the pre-show also calls to mind the frightening original series episode, making it perhaps the most-referenced installment of the show featured in the ride.
Other key "Twilight Zone" Easter eggs that have appeared at Tower of Terror attractions include the book "To Serve Man," the haunting fortune-telling machine from "Nick of Time," the creepy ventriloquist dummy from "Caesar and Me," and a flying saucer from "The Invaders," to name just a few. Hilariously, Imagineers seem to have latched onto imagery from some less-than-iconic episodes alongside the classics, as fans report having seen props nodding to the silly robot tale "A Thing About Machines" and forgettable trumpet player story "A Passage For Trumpet" alongside more familiar set pieces.
Tower of Terror gives Disney parks the spooky edge they need
One of the most unnerving "Twilight Zone" references is a callback to a season 1 episode about a literal deal with the devil. In "Escape Clause," a phobic, paranoid man trades his soul to a fellow named Cadwallader, who's later revealed to be Satan incarnate. The trade allows the man a near-invulnerability that stops all his fears in their tracks, but it doesn't make him a better person: he ultimately kills his wife by letting her fall down a tall lightwell — one reminiscent of an elevator shaft.
According to Disney Fanatic, the haunted elevator portion of the attraction features an inspection certificate signed off by Cadwallader, dated the same day as the (fictional) disappearance of a group of people on a stormy night in 1939. The story of the disappearing elevator riders was fully invented by Imagineers, but the idea of an elevator rigged to fall by some malevolent entity is still creepy. Luckily, it's all a bit of Disney magic aided by a level of imagination that can only be found in "The Twilight Zone."