The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the
Anaheim/Disneyland version of the popular themed attraction that exists
in Florida. This 183-foot joy ride in what appears to be an
elevator but is really a vertical conveyance device, moves faster than
the speed of gravity, dropping quickly to create a sense of
weightlessness.
Guests entering the courtyard and lobby
of the ride hear music that was chosen for its haunting, timeless
quality. Ushered through a once-grand lobby of a hotel, notice the
period props and furniture selected to create a bygone era of Hollywood
splendor. Magazines and newspapers from 1939 are strategically placed
where guests left them. There's a set of luggage at the front desk, left
by someone ready to check in. On a table are a deck of cards, a cribbage
board and two glasses of wine, the only clues to quick departure or
disappearance from those who left in a hurry and never came back.
As your group is led into a library by
one of the hotel's bellhops, a Twilight Zone video is shown while you
peruse relics and antiques taken from the Twilight Zone series. A screen
mounted high on the wall displays a black and white video of Rod Serling
created for the ride. The episode from which Serling's appearance was
taken entitled, "It's a Good Life," is the story of a boy who can read
minds and control people. In The Library, props include miniature
spacemen from "The Invaders" that featured Agnes Moorhead and a fortune
telling machine known as The Mystic Seer from the "Nick of
Time" episode that featured William Shatner and Patricia Bresling.
Leaving the library, you are led through a
boiler room and series of queues similar to the Haunted
Mansion, finally arriving at a service elevator where you wait for the
door to open so you can enter and sit in an
apparatus that seats 21 passengers.
The Twilight Zone Tower
of Terror, the tallest attraction at Disneyland Resort, is visible
throughout the theme park and is located in the southeast corner of the
Hollywood Pictures Backlot.
Landscaping for the surrounding grounds
includes Chinese flame trees, magnolias, a coral tree and palm trees
with dead fronds to indicate years of neglect.
