Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Monsters, Inc.

“We scare because we care.”

Almost exactly nineteen years ago, Disney and Pixar released the wildly popular Monsters, Inc. The film starred John Goodman and Billy Crystal as James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, respectively. In the film, monsters harness the screams of children to power their city, Monstropolis. To do this, the monsters enter children’s bedrooms at night via their closet doors and scare them. In a twist, however, the monsters are actually scared of the children because the touch of a child is considered to be toxic. When Sulley accidentally lets a young girl enter the monster world, chaos ensues and a wicked plan to kidnap children is uncovered.

Sulley and his co-worker, Mike, team up to get the young girl, nicknamed “Boo,” back home and battle the wicked Randall (Steve Buscemi), who is intent on capturing children and using their screams forever since it is becoming more difficult to scare children in modern times. Do Mike and Sulley save Boo? What truths do they reveal while attempting to save her? You’ll have to watch Monsters, Inc. to find out!

The film features a wonderful cast that includes Jennifer Tilly, James Coburn, Frank Oz, Bonnie Hunt, and John Ratzenberger. There are a number of laugh out loud moments for both children and adults as well. It’s a great twist on being afraid of the monsters in your closet and probably eased the troubled minds of a few youngsters as well.

Goodman and Crystal work well together in this film. Crystal’s frantic voice makes Mike one of the funniest characters in the movie. Goodman’s “aw, shucks” delivery makes Sulley the most lovable character in the film. Steve Buscemi has always done an awesome job as sleezy, deceptive characters, and because of this, Randall is the perfect foil to Mike and Sulley.

One of the standout characters in the film is Roz (Bob Peterson), a cranky Scare Floor worker who seems to really, really hate her job. I won’t spoil the surprise twist to her character revealed in the film, but it’s wonderful.

The movie was a real beast at the box office, earning the top spot for two weeks straight until finally getting knocked into second place by the first Harry Potter film. It has remained a consistent performer on home media and streaming services.

While it isn’t necessarily a scary film, it does have a few spooky moments. When Mike goes into a rage, it can definitely scare little ones, and the plot point involving kidnapping children in order to capture their screams is scary all on its own. Overall, though, the film can be enjoyed by all ages. It’s easily in my top ten for Pixar films and falls somewhere in my top thirty for Disney films. It’s fun to watch even as an adult.

This is my final Thirty-One Days O’Horror post for 2020. The year has been pretty scary itself, but I do appreciate any and all of you that have visited my blog, liked my posts, or left comments. I didn’t get to post about all of the things that I hoped to such as David J. Skal’s book, Hollywood Gothic (I’ll catch that in November) due to the fact that I’ve been working twelve hour days, seven days a week ever since Hurricane Laura hit, but I am glad that I was able to post on every day of October. I’m going to dial it back for the rest of the year, but I hope to throw in a few more spooky posts before 2020 is over.

As always, thanks for reading my post. I hope that you enjoyed this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror topic, Disney Horror, and all of the other Halloween goodies that I threw in throughout the month. Let me know which topics you’d like me to cover next year in the comments section and feel free to tell me which posts were your favorite as well.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Disney’s Greatest Villain

“I’ll find her! I’ll find her if I have to burn down all of Paris!”

Disney has tons of memorable villains in their films. From the first feature length villain, the Evil Queen, to characters that have been given their own franchise films such as Maleficent, Disney knows how to make a great villain. But which one rises above the pack to be crowned Disney’s greatest villain? That question is tougher than you’d think.

There are plenty of sound arguments for characters such as Scar from The Lion King or Jafar from Aladdin. Both of them wanted to rule their respective worlds and went as far as murdering others to gain power. Scar even convinced his nephew and would-be king, Simba, into believing that he was the reason for his own father’s death. To that end, Scar definitely moves up the list. There’s someone more sinister than him, however.

Then there are villains like Callaghan/Yokai from Big Hero 6 and Syndrome from The Incredibles. One is driven by vengeance and the other by jealousy, but neither one of them comes close to my personal choice for Disney’s greatest villain.

So who is Disney’s greatest villain in my opinion? None other than Judge Claude Frollo, Minister of Justice of Paris and the cruel and twisted adoptive guardian of Quasimodo in 1996’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Not only was Frollo a murderer, he raised Quasimodo to fear the world and trust only in him. He utilized his power and his station in life to manipulate others into doing vile things such as driving out the “heathen” Gypsies while at the same time harboring great lust for Esmerelda, a Gypsy woman who befriends Quasimodo.

Hiding behind religion, Frollo convinces himself that Esmerelda must be his or die for the greater good. His twisted interpretation of Roman Catholicism and attempts at legitimizing his own failures and shortcomings as the work of others reflects failures within not only organized religion, but in society as a whole. I say all of this as a Roman Catholic myself, so please don’t tell me that the Church or any of the Protestant branches do not include people like this. I have personally known people that used their version of faith as a tool to perform cruel acts in the name of God. These people, like Frollo, are hypocrites and downright evil.

Frollo abuses Quasimodo mentally and emotionally and bastardizes Quasi’s ideals about faith and religion. He declares Esmerelda to be the source of his lustful desires, passing the blame onto her so that he can remain pious. This guy is straight up bad news.

He already has power. He’s one of the most respected and feared men in all of Paris. His true desire is to rid himself of Quasimodo by hiding him away from the world in an attempt to clear his own conscious for murdering Quasi’s mother, and to take Esmerelda in all of the worst ways. This guy ticks off most of the seven deadly sins, and justifies doing so in his own twisted way. Frollo’s drive is grounded in reality: adult, selfish, and evil.

Brought to life by the voice of Tony Jay, Frollo is also the owner of one of Disney’s greatest (and most adult) songs: Hellfire. Going to great lengths to describe his desires for Esmerelda and with visuals that push the limits of a kid’s movie, Hellfire is simply great. Along with Be Prepared from The Lion King, Hellfire is one of my favorite Disney songs.

So, do you agree with me? Is Frollo the greatest Disney villain? Let me know in the comments section.

As always, thanks for reading my post. Tomorrow I’ll be finishing off Thirty-One Days O’Horror for 2020!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Making The Nightmare Before Christmas

“This is Halloween!”

The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the most celebrated films of the holiday season. It works as both a Halloween film and a Christmas film, so many families and fans (such as myself) watch it multiple times during the final months of the year. The movie is twenty-seven years old as of this writing and it shows no signs of losing its place as a holiday classic. Considering how long it took to create the film, I’m sure that Tim Burton and the cast and crew appreciate how beloved this film has become.

I’ve already reviewed this film in a prior post, so feel free to check that out here. For this post, I want to give you a little glimpse into the “making of” process that brought Jack, Sally, and the rest of the gang to life.

As far back as 1982, Disney toyed with the idea of bringing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas to life as either a television special or a short film. The basis for the project was Tim Burton’s poem of the same name. Burton initially wanted it to be a television special but as time went by, Disney lost interest in the project and shelved the idea.

Finally, Disney agreed to produce the film but only if it was done through their Touchstone property. They felt that the movie was too bizarre for the Disney name, but they could not pass up the potential profits of a Tim Burton film. Working with director Henry Selick, screenplay writer Caroline Thompson, composer Danny Elfman, and a crew that had more patience than you could imagine, the film was completed in three years.

Thirteen animators and numerous other prop and stage builders gave Jack and company a world to play in for the musical. What appears in one minute in the film took a week to produce. As many as twenty different sets were in use at one time while shooting the film. Over two hundred puppets had to be designed and created for the film as well and according to Richard Rickitt, Jack alone had over four hundred heads for filming. The stop-motion process was brutal but the end result was so beautiful.

Even though the film was produced by Touchstone, Disney attempted to set limitations on and had a few demands for Burton and Selick’s project. The company felt that the movie was just too weird for most Disney audiences but knew that they could potentially make a ton of money from the project. One of the oddest demands was that Jack needed to have eyes. Thankfully this was one battle that Burton and Selick won, as Jack would just look silly with eyes in my opinion. Disney didn’t even push the film that hard with advertising, instead slowly rolling the film out until it became so large on its own that Disney finally embraced it as one of their films.

I love this film. From the music to the set design, it’s nothing short of wonderful. I hope that you enjoyed this brief glimpse at the making of one of the most beloved holiday films around. Let me know in the comments what you think about this movie.

Thanks for reading my post. Whether you were brought to it by your love of Jack Skellington, Disney, or film in general, I’m glad that you visited my blog today.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Don’t Look Under The Bed (1999)

“Just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to get old.”

In 1999 the Disney Channel and director Kenneth Johnson stuck their necks out to produce the channel’s first true horror film: Don’t Look Under The Bed. The movie succeeded in scaring youngsters….and their parents. Parents demanded that the film be removed from the Disney Channel lineup and the movie was placed in the Disney Vault until the Disney+ streaming service dusted it off and made it available to viewers once again.

It’s a real shame that this film was shelved for being too scary, because it’s probably one of the best Disney Channel films ever made. Featuring very real dangers such as leukemia and a child’s fear of growing old, the movie deals with subjects not often found on the Disney Channel. Combine those topics with evil imaginary friends and a literal Boogeyman living under the bed, and this film is nightmare fuel for the younger crowd. It’s perfect.

In the film, Frances Bacon McCausland (Erin Chambers) has to get to the bottom of a number of strange pranks happening in her sleepy average town, Middleberg. Each event that occurs points to her as the culprit and she quickly finds herself battling the town and an apparent Boogeyman with a vendetta against her. To help her fight the Boogeyman, an imaginary friend named Larry Houdini (Ty Hodges) appears. While attempting to capture the Boogeyman, Frances’ little brother, Darwin (Jake Sakson), is captured and taken to Boogeyworld, a literal bizarro version of the space under a child’s bed. Filled with giant toys, old gym socks, and other things one might find in a child’s room, Frances and Larry have to team up in order to defeat the wicked Boogeyman. Do they prevail? You’ll have to watch the film in order to find out!

The film features some genuinely scary moments. The creature effects are amazing, especially when one character begins to slowly transform into a Boogeyman. I can definitely see where younger children would have been scared by this film in 1999. The special effects are somewhat dated, but for a 1999 made-for-tv movie, they are pretty good.

The cast is brilliant. Erin Chambers carries the film as its heart and soul. She battles with the realization that she is getting older and is responsible for her brother losing his imaginary friend. She struggles with the fact that she didn’t want to donate bone marrow to help her little brother during his battle with leukemia even though he nearly lost his life. Ty Hodges provides most of the film’s funnier moments, especially the silly ones geared towards the younger members of the audience. He also provides a few of the film’s scarier moments as well. Steve Valentine is wickedly wonderful as the Boogeyman. Speaking in rhyme and able to grow his nails out to sword-like lengths, he’s a creepy monster sure to make any youngster hide behind the couch. The rest of the cast do superb jobs as well. The always reliable Stephen Tobolowsky and Robin Riker portray Frances’ parents and the school counselor is played by Mary Parker Williams. Williams provides some excellent adult humor during one moment in the McCausland home. You’ll have to be quick to catch it.

With credits that include V, The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, and the television series Alien Nation, it’s no wonder that Kenneth Johnson was the perfect choice to direct this film. Johnson guided this film along the fine line of being “scary but not too scary,” a direct request from the Disney Channel. Unfortunately he did his job too well, and as a result the film was denied to thousands of viewers for years after its initial release. The film wasn’t even released on home media of any form officially, but a few bootleg copies are floating around for purchase on the web. I recommend watching it on Disney+, as that’s the best version available.

Thanks for reading today’s post. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever seen this film or any of Kenneth Johnson’s other work. I was a massive fan of most the television shows that he worked on while I was growing up, so it’s no surprise to me that I love Don’t Look Under The Bed. See you tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: All Hail The (Evil) Queen!

“Mirror, Mirror On The Wall…”

In today’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror entry I decided to pay homage to the original bad girl, the first villain to ever grace the big screen in a feature-length Disney film: Snow White‘s Evil Queen. Scaring children and adults alike since 1937, the Evil Queen has appeared in multiple Disney productions, live and animated, over the years.

Originally voiced by Lucille La Verne, the character has since been voiced by at least six other women including June Foray (The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show) and Janet Waldo (Josie And The Pussycats). Live versions of the character have been portrayed by a number of actresses over the years including Jane Curtin (Coneheads) and Kathy Najimy (Hocus Pocus).

One of the more recent versions of the character was on Once Upon A Time, the ABC/Disney fantasy series that featured new twists on classic Disney versions of many of the company’s most popular characters and other fairy tale characters as well. Portrayed by Lana Parilla, this version of the character has come to be my favorite not only for Parilla’s wonderful acting skills, but also for her amazing beauty.

The original look and design of the character in 1937 is said to have been influenced by a number of women both real and from film. While there is no definite agreement on exactly which women truly influenced her, most agree that Helen Gahagan’s portrayal of Queen Ayesha from 1935’s She was the primary inspiration.

Since her first appearance in 1937, the Evil Queen has gone on to become one of Disney’s most feared and beloved villains. Rivaled only by Maleficent and Chernabog, the Evil Queen is one of the company’s most recognizable villains. She has appeared in stage plays, films, television, books, video games, board games, and more.

The Evil Queen has appeared in her queen and witch form as toys, on clothing, as statues, Funko Pops!, jewelry, and more. At the Disney theme parks, she appears in shows and is available for photographs as well. Have you ever met the queen at a park? Do you own any merchandise or collector’s items featuring the character? Is she your favorite Disney villain? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading my post. Tomorrow I’ll be taking a look at an older Disney Channel film that caused a bit of controversy when it was initially released.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty….”

Way back in 1979, director Ridley Scott and writer Dan O’Bannon brought science fiction horror to another level with Alien. Starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley and an ensemble cast that featured Yaphet Kotto, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, and more, the film became an Academy Award winner and launched a franchise that is still successful to this day. It also inspired Disney Imagineers to create their own terrifying alien experience: Walt Disney World’s ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter.

Designed as a theater-in-the-round experience, ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter featured dozens of sensory overloading visuals, sounds, and direct contact with the audience. It used lights, animatronics, sound effects, water, pressure effects, and air-filled tubes to trick the audience into believing that an alien was on the loose in a darkened room.

As with any Disney theme park attraction, the story is set up in the line queue. For the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, a story about the X-S Tech Corporation is told in which the audience learns about the company’s newest technological advancement: teleportation. The audience then sees a somewhat successful use of the technology and then they proceed to the theater.

Once inside the theater, the audience meets Spinlok and Femus (portrayed by Kevin Pollak and Kathy Najimy), who, along with Clench, the company’s chairman portrayed by Jeffrey Jones, decide to give the audience a demonstration of their technology using the tube at the center of the theater. Clench decides to teleport himself to the audience but during the teleportation, Clench is teleported to another location and a giant alien joins the audience instead.

A glimpse at the alien. Clear images of the creature are notoriously difficult to find on the web.

The alien goes on a rampage in the room. The lights go out and the creature runs through the crowd, breathes on them, attacks X-S Tech workers, and drips and sprays blood or saliva (both if I remember correctly) on the audience members. Eventually the alien is returned to the tube and destroyed, saving the audience.

The experience was originally supposed to feature a Xenomorph from the Alien franchise, but Disney shut down the idea due to the fact that the experience would be too scary for younger audience members. That being said, the eventual end result of the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was actually very scary. It was also extremely fun. I had the opportunity to experience the encounter myself with my wife on our honeymoon. It was a highlight for both of us on our visit to the Magic Kingdom.

The experience officially ran from 1995 to 2003 with a soft opening in December of 1994. It was replaced in 2004 by Stitch’s Great Escape which I’ve also had the pleasure of experiencing. Stitch’s Great Escape is essentially the same story but with a toned down experience that includes farts, snot, and other Stitchy things. It catered to children and focused more on light comedy instead of sheer terror. The show proved to be less popular than its predecessor and was closed in 2018. Disney permanently shut down the attraction in July of 2020.

There are videos of the alien encounter on YouTube and other sites if you would like to check out the experience for yourself. I really enjoyed the attraction and was saddened to hear that it closed down. I liked the Stitch version of the attraction also, but the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was, at least in my opinion, a far superior experience.

In case you’re wondering, there was one Xenomorph located in the park. At Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, the alien (along with Ripley) was featured as part of the Great Movie Ride. I also experienced this ride on two of my trips to the park and, sadly, it was shuttered in 2017. It was an amazing attraction, especially for hardcore film lovers such as myself. For a real treat, check out this article featuring the staff of slashfilm.com recounting their own memories of that attraction.

Were you one of the folks lucky enough to experience the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter or even the Great Movie Ride before they were closed? Let me know what you thought about them or even Stitch’s Great Escape in the comments section.

Thanks for reading my post. More Disney spookiness is headed your way tomorrow!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Famous Monsters Speak

“You are the one who wants to know everything…be brave!”

In 1963, Wonderland Records released Famous Monsters Speak on vinyl. Produced by Jim Warren of the magazine Famous Monsters Of Filmland, with a script written by Cherney Berg, the album features Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster in a pair of recordings roughly twenty minutes each.

Voicing both of the characters is Gabriel Dell, an actor who appeared on Broadway with The Dead End Kids, starred in multiple East Side Kids films, and eventually made his way to The Bowery Boys films. I’m especially fond of his work with The Bowery Boys, as I find those films to be hilarious. Dell might have also voiced Boba Fett in the Star Wars Holiday Special, although that hasn’t been confirmed yet and the character’s voice actor was not listed in the show’s credits.

Gabriel Dell, top center, with The Bowery Boys.

Both of the stories are surprisingly well done. Dracula’s story, told to a reporter hoping to learn about the monster, features the murder of a young woman and a frightful chase through the streets. The story of Frankenstein’s monster features the creature talking about revenge, stalking victims, and struggling with Dr. Frankenstein. Of the two stories, Frankenstein’s monster is my favorite, but both of them feature crystal clear audio with amazing sounds that help the listener visualize the action as it unfolds. Some of the audio is extremely graphic and violent, only adding to the overall creepiness and terror of the recording.

In June of 2011, Rockbeat Records reissued the album on compact disc. I recently purchased the disc as the vinyl is both difficult to find and very expensive. The stories are also available on YouTube and other free video sites.

Thanks for checking out my post. More horrific awesomeness is coming on Monday!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Disney Halloween Decorations

“Life’s no fun without a good scare!”

While the theme parks of Disney decorate year round, Halloween seems to be a special time when the parks really go all out. From fall colors scattered throughout the park to Disney costumed characters with spooky twists to their attire, nothing is as beautiful as a Disney park celebrating Halloween.

Of course, Disney is well aware that its littlest patrons are also its biggest fans, so there’s nothing too scary about any of the decorations in the parks. Obviously Jack Skellington and his friends have a larger presence during the fall than they do throughout the rest of the year (with Christmas being a slight exception), but Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and the rest of the gang get into the festivities as well.

I’ve personally never visited any of the parks during Halloween, but the web is littered with official posts from Disney, articles by personal bloggers such as myself, and tons of other websites featuring beautiful images of the parks. On top of that, there are tons of Disney decorations, custom and mass produced, that can be purchased at stores and online or created at home.

What are some of your favorite Disney decorations? Have you visited any of the parks during Halloween? Do you have any custom decorations that you display each year? Let me know in the comments section!

As always, thanks for reading my post. I’ve got a special treat for everyone tomorrow. It features two legendary monsters and I’m sure that you’ll be delighted to see what’s in store!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Now That’s What I Call Halloween (2015)

“Dig Through The Ditches And Burn Through The Witches….”

I decided to throw in a quick review of 2015’s Now That’s What I Call Halloween. I’ve been wanting a decent Halloween album for a little while now and whenever I saw this one, I decided to give it a go. To be quite honest, it’s hit or miss.

Released by Universal and Sony Music, you’d think that this album would be loaded with some great Halloween themed tunes, especially considering Universal’s horror legacy. Instead, we get a hodgepodge of great tunes mixed in with a few questionable ones.

I understand that getting the rights to some of the more ideal tracks for this compilation might have been difficult and/or expensive, but I wish that Universal and Sony would have put a little more effort into this release.

Here’s the track listing:

1. Halloween Theme: John Carpenter
2. Dragula: Rob Zombie
3. O Fortuna: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & Chorus
4. Tubular Bells (Theme from The Exorcist): Mike Oldfield
5. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper: Blue Oyster Cult
6. Devil Inside: INXS
7. Bad Things (Theme From True Blood): Jace Everett
8. Werewolves of London: Warren Zevon
9. Ghost Town: The Specials
10. Dead Man’s Party: Oingo Boingo
11. Monster Mash: Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers
12. This Is Halloween: The Citizens of Halloween
13. Season of the Witch: Donovan
14. I Put A Spell On You: Nina Simone
15. Beetlejuice Main Title/End Title: Danny Elfman
16. Ghostbusters: Run DMC
17. A Nightmare On My Street: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
18. Somebody’s Watching Me: Rockwell

There are a few obvious tracks on the album that sound great such as This Is Halloween and music from the films Halloween, Beetlejuice, and The Exorcist. Then there are a few tracks that fit in perfectly with the Halloween theme like Dragula, Ghost Town, Nightmare On My Street, and Dead Man’s Party, all of which are excellent tunes in their own right. In fact, some of the best tracks on the album are pop and rock tunes from the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Unfortunately there are a few songs that, while they sound perfectly fine, are a little out of place. INXS’ Devil Inside is an awesome song, but just because it has the word “Devil” in it doesn’t mean that it’s a Halloween track. The same goes for songs like O Fortuna which, despite being used in a few horror movies over the years, is more associated with comedies these days.

My favorite tracks include Bad Things (True Blood theme) by Jace Everett and Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon. Donovan’s Season of the Witch has never been a favorite of mine, but it does fit in with the album’s theme. My biggest gripe is with the inclusion of Run DMC’s Ghostbusters. While I have no personal issue with the song, I seriously wonder why this track was chosen over the much more popular Ghostbusters theme song by Ray Parker, Jr.

Almost the entire album is listenable, but a few questionable additions and one major missed track (the Ray Parker, Jr. version of Ghostbusters) throw off the rhythm of the entire album. Apparently another Now Halloween album was released in 2018 and features sixty tracks including many of those featured on this album. That might be a better choice in the long run.

I hope that you enjoyed this look at Now That’s What I Call Halloween. What are some of your favorite Halloween tracks? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for checking out this post!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror (Disney Theme Parks)

“You’ve Just Crossed Over….”

Narrated by Rod Serling, Disney World’s The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror is one of the most popular rides in the Orlando park. An accelerated drop dark ride, the Tower is the second tallest structure in all of Walt Disney World and features a 130′ drop that is randomly adjusted by the controller to give riders a unique experience.

The ride takes place at the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel where a terrible accident occurred in 1939. The tower is struck by lightning causing five people to mysteriously disappear and apparently die. Their ghosts supposedly haunt the now damaged hotel which has fallen into disrepair.

The line queue for the ride is scattered with all sorts of memorabilia from The Twilight Zone and cobweb-covered rooms. The narration video features manipulated footage of Serling voiced by Mark Silverman. Both Silverman and the rooms that riders walk through do a wonderful job of building an eerie and suspenseful feeling.

Riders are then placed into a “maintenance elevator” and are lifted up. While lifting, more scenes are shown to riders as the elevator doors open at seemingly random intervals. The final scene shown transports riders into the fifth dimension and the drops begin. The drops are random, but one of them opens up to show the riders a beautiful (and short) view of the entire park. It’s both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror is a really fun ride. The set up makes it very creepy and the anticipation of the first drop and each following drop gives riders and their hearts some breathtaking moments. Other versions of the ride have opened in other Disney theme parks, but the Walt Disney World version seems to be the most beloved and popular of the bunch. A television film was also released based loosely on the ride featuring Steve Guttenberg and a young Kirsten Dunst. I haven’t seen that film yet, but I’d like to catch it one day. It’s only available on DVD as far as I know.

If you’ve taken a ride on the maintenance elevator at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, let me know what you thought about it in the comments, especially if you’ve ridden one of the versions of the ride that isn’t at Walt Disney World. If you’ve seen the movie, let me know what you think about that as well.

As always, thanks for reading my post. More towering terror awaits tomorrow!