In this series, we'll be looking at details that are hidden all around you at the parks. The Imagineers do a great job placing in many hidden gems and things to try that one has to take a moment to notice, or explore. Many of these are obvious and in plain sight, and some are hidden quite well, you just have to know where to look.
Well, for those of you following, I know I did a Tower of Terror Detail last week. However, while deciding on this week's, I realized it would be my 13th post. What with Friday the 13th coming up, I felt I'd keep the Twilight Zone love going a little longer. My absolute favorite current attraction is rife with unlucky and creepy touches, many environmental, others much more... unnatural.
I'll dive into a little about the attraction itself, some hidden details that help tribute its source, as well as obvious and not so obvious touches that help to tell the story. And don't wory, I'll only reveal a few secrets; the Tower holds many more.
From a distance, the tower looms at you from the very moment you turn toward it, heading down Sunset Blvd. This attraction, while it's tall for obvious purposes, dominates the skyline from all angles, and can be seen from quite far; it makes an excellent 'Weenie', as Walt would call it. Even approaching the park, it stands almost like a beacon, simultaneously warning and enticing folks to come. The hotel has an art deco design, much like many of the hotels and structures of the age it was famous for. However, the hotel was built in 1917, according to many sources. There must have been some design work done in its 22 years of livelihood. It also has a Gothic touch in many of the details, and carries the looks of many hotels in the area; it is meant to reflect the Spanish look of the Monterrey style popularized in California about that time. The spires and overall tower inspire a colossal, formidable castle. Also influencing the tower designs is that it's tall enough to be seen from EPCOT. From almost all vantage points, it appears to be rising above the Moroccan Pavilion. To fit in, the look of the tower was designed to not be obtrusive. This also complements the inner details of the lobby, as shown later.
A little about what makes the Tower so unique and intense as a ride; it originally opened in 1994, after a very winding and random development (much like many Disney attractions). There are many guides to the development and history of the attraction, but I'll leave that to them, and lightly touch on the ride. It features a special elevator car that is actually an AGV, or Autonomous Guided Vehicle. It actually guides itself by way of electronic signals fed to it from wires on the floor. In the actual shafts, it is raised by, and then later attached to a second vehicle; the VVC, or Vertical Vehicle Conveyance. This vehicle acts as an elevator in the sense of pulleys and wires. The second VVC in the ride shaft, has enhanced propulsion that actually sends guests downward faster than gravitational acceleration; an effect that helps everything 'float' downward.
Over the years, the actual ride has changed, with gradual 'plussing' of the ride. The original, T1, ride dropped once, from a 13 story drop once at the top. This was improved with a second drop later in T2, and then more show enhancements, for T3. The current iteration, T4, was implemented on Dec. 31, 2002. This was the most improved, as it included a new computer system that actually randomized the drop sequence with jumps, drops, shakes, as well as acceleration and pauses. This prompted the new tagline, 'Never the Same Fear Twice!'. The ride will always be randomized for each drop; you could ride it many times before you get a similar ride. The actual sequence is chosen as the AGV slides into the second shaft.
The story is well developed, and is told through so many details and elements in the attraction. It's one of the reasons I love this so much. There was a long development, and it went through many changes. In the end, a leftover idea from MGM Studios opening was revived, and the Twilight Zone was chosen as the theme for the ride. Imagineers watched every episode many times for references, props, and characters. Another cool little tidbit: the intro video with Rod Serling, the perpetual host of the original Twilight Zone, uses audio of Serling's voice from original TZ episodes for his narration. The entirety of his voice for the ride, including the video, comes from edited bits and pieces of various shows, with little additions by a sound-alike chosen by his widow.
I'll give a short version of the story, as the video prologue is much better. You come across a dark, once abandoned, massive hotel along a Hollywood blvd. You find that it's recently reopened, but there's something odd; it still seems trapped in its past, and the hotel crew appears oddly eager for your arrival. You enter to stay at the hotel, but must wait for alternate transportation upstairs, as the main elevators are out. You are led to library, where a broken tv comes to life, and lets you know what happened all those years ago.
The Hollywood Tower Hotel was a notable stop for many prominent actors and celebrities, host to many events for the elite of Hollywood. On Halloween night, 1939, many folks gathered for the Hotel's Halloween ball, and to also get out of the freak storm that had suddenly brewed up. 5 individuals, including a famous celebrity couple, a child star and her governess, and a senior bellhop boarded an elevator to their rooms. At that moment, the hotel was struck many times by lightning, and opened a portal to the Twilight Zone. The elevator cars fell and crashed to the bottom of the shafts, while the occupants of the one were trapped. The two towers adjoining the elevator shafts, where the lightning struck, disappeared, leaving two gaping holes in the hotel itself, open to the elevator shafts. Everyone evacuated after the incident, and the hotel was immediately abandoned in light of the events, and never reopened, until now.
You have now become trapped at this hotel, and must escape by the same way as the lost guests; hopefully, without a detour into the Twilight zone. A service elevator will take you to the exit floor where you may escape. Once you board, you are taken to the fourth floor, where you encounter the lost guests by way of a clever use of mirrors, pepper's ghost effect, and multi-level lighting. The shaft transforms into the twilight zone, and you escape to a higher floor, where your car is pulled from its shaft as it's dragged into the opening door to the Twilight zone. You are then at the mercy of the Tower, as the lost guests beckon to you, and appear in front of you as you rise and fall. You land at the bottom, hopefully safe and sound, as the door to the Twilight Zone closes. You are free to exit from the Tower, much to the ever-delight of the bellhops, who invite you to return again.
Next, I'll cover the environment, and showcase all the details that was put in to make you really feel as though you stumbled across a deserted luxury Hotel in southern California.
Right at the front, the scene is set. Two stone towers mark the entrance of the grounds; these are replicas of the gates at Hollywood's Beachwood drive. Behind these would have been the Hollywood sign. On the left, is a plate proclaiming this to be Hollywood Hills Estates, established in 1923. Originally, the plate depicts Hollywoodland, established in the same year. It also houses the Fastpass kiosks, hidden within gardening equipment. The wait time on the wall even hides a secret: with no wait, comes the time of 13; it's ready to have you right away.
As you approach the front gates, you see beautiful wrought iron gates that have seen better years. These still serve as a barrier to the outside world; at closing time, they are bolted shut for the night. They also help to ward of scared guests not quite ready to come in. Also posted on the gates is the name of the location, and its est. year: The Hollywood Tower Hotel, 1917.
As you enter, you're treated to a lovely, but forgotten, garden that leads to the entrance. Within the queue are signs that point to various 'locations' on the grounds; for extra long days, you might see a few of these, the grounds are extensive. Once you reach the hotel's level, you come up to a dilapidated fountain, covered by trellises overgrown with trees. It's cracked, having drained of water years ago.
To the side, sits a small quiet area with two statues; each looks sad in a way, almost as if they're dismayed at the new victims coming along the path.
Through the covered path and around the corner, you come to the hotel's lobby entrance, surrounded by a columned path that overlooks the surrounding grounds. Iron lanterns hang along the path, flickering with new life. Cracked tiles line the floor, and the great columns hold a fading porch. It looks recently woken, but still in a sad state.
On the corner sits a large plaque, reading 1917 A.D. This is the year of establishment. It's also quite possible the cornerstone sits below this, as in construction tradition, the cornerstone is the first stone laid for a foundation, and is marked by the date.
As you come to the front, you're met by a beautiful balcony overlooking the plaza below. More iron lanterns, and a chandelier of smaller lanterns hang, supported by heavy chains. There's a mixture of Gothic, with the sunny colors prominent of the area. It holds a vast, grandiose air, with wide, large spaces, held aloft by large pillars. However, it shows age and disuse; all the windows and door panes have grime and dust caked on.
When you walk into the lobby, many feelings hit at once. The large, open, grand space continues into the lobby, with high vaulted ceilings, pillars, and a large fireplace in the back. There's many signs of it being forgotten; layers of dust, fading, and drapes of cobwebs cover everything. However, it still shows signs of its former glory; the beautiful hanging lanterns are ornate and filled with colored glass, opulent rugs lie on the ground. The ceiling is detailed with a Moorish design with bright colors, lines and star patterns. It's always fascinated me how striking the look of the detailed, colorful ceiling compared to the faded, dusty ground. Other details to note: the swooping owl, the wall lanterns, the molding. So many details show how this hotel was meant to be awe inspiring and classy.
Close up of the molding running along the wall, where the ceiling meets the columns. Very detailed, it continues the patterns of the ceiling with even more detailed stars. Light at the base of the arched ceiling gives a glow, much like architecture of the original region, as seen in many temples and structures in the Mediterranean and Middle East.
Here's a shot of the tall fireplace, as well as a lit view of the luxurious red drapes. Also take note of the couches; WDI looked through catalogs of furniture from the era, and contacted the companies still in business to reproduce some of their stock. These two couches were some of those reproduced for the hotel.
If you look around, there are many details that give indications that the hotel was left in a hurry; there are many signs of activities that were cut short. It appears many folks left while they were either enjoying their stay, or even coming in. On the front desk sits a man's coat and hat. On the concierge's desk is many items; half written notes, and other articles adorn the top. Another man's hat, as well as his cane and trunk, sit beside it. You'll see these within the prologue video; the man is just entering the hotel as the camera passes.
Closer detail of the Concierge's desk
Other details included an unfinished Mahjong game, as well as a tea cart, with empty tea cups and an old paper below.
At the front desk, an official U.S. Postal Service Letter Box hangs on the wall, possibly filled with old letters. Behind it, is the mail box for each room. Many letters sit in the pigeon holes, unread and waiting to be opened. Other parcels, and keys awaiting their owners also sit in the holes.
The clock on the wall has died, or at least stopped, at approximately 8:05.
Behind the desk, and once through the line, you come across the main elevators. Unfortunately, you won't be getting on these. Besides the obvious 'Out of Order', something seems amiss with each of them. Looking at the top, you see the indicator has each down at the Basement; that serves as both a foreshadow, and also a warning of sorts. Looking closer at the doors, you see they sit askew, as if something knocked them off their hinges. There's even scorch marks, from fire or electricity. Also, there's definitely a bit of damage to the grates on the doors themselves. Something happened to these doors, sometime ago.
Between the two elevators sits the directory. Here you can see many of the main floors, and entertainment venues. You'll notice letters are missing; at one time, on the bottom of the directory, the fallen letters spelled out 'evil Tower U R doomed'. It's since been destroyed.
The waiting room for the attraction is within a pair of libraries. For the most part, the libraries are identical. There are small details that are different, as well as the placement of artifacts, but for the most part, the libraries are the same. Within are dusty books and artifacts, meant to be a study and museum for patrons of the museum. Also included is a desk by a window, and a lonely, busted tv in the corner.
Along the top shelf of the library sits many dusty, possibly antique and odd articles and curiosities. There are also objects hidden among them.
The library is filled with many books. Many of them are in various languages none of them English, except for some exceptions. Here, we see a copy of a Danish history book, opened to page on ancient civilizations. It seems the patrons of the hotel must be well-read. Most of the books along the shelves contain many collections, but in various other languages. It's definitely a well stocked and diverse collection; it must have been a sight to see when it was cared for.
On one side of the library sits a desk, with a few tidbits and hidden things. A lone lamp lights a small sliver of the dark library. Behind it, a window lies shaded. This window is set to the video prologue that plays on the broken tv, with set lightning flashes to key points. Definitely eerie, even more so with the tree branches lying just on the other side casting shadows.
Once past the library lies my favorite part. As the main elevators are broken, you must travel the dark under-corridors of the hotel, in the basement, to the maintenance service elevators. Here, you see a different side, where all the functioning machinery and utilities hide in wait.
As you come in, you see very detailed furnaces, meant to provide heat for the hotel's rooms, and to boilers for steam. The detail in here in amazing. There's so much in the way of layers and levels to just tell you this is a forgotten basement, full of the living machinery that used to keep this hotel running.
Leading into the furnace is a coal hopper, with a little conveyor taking chunks of coal into the bottom. Shovels and other tools lie around, abandoned.
Adding to the creepiness, the furnaces have been turned on, and slowly glow with varying intensity, bathing the room in orange. It's almost as if the hotel is slowly coming back to life.
Some other details of the utilities and plumbing of the hotel's basement. Above, you see a boiler that is fed heat from the furnace to create steam. The one below is a General Electric boiler, attached to many valves and pipes, most likely to send steam to various machinery around the hotel.
Below the boiler is a chalk board recording safety checks. The most recent one would have been over 3 months before the hotel was abandoned.
This shot is of the queue coming into the waiting area. Here you can see the massive brick columns meant to support the hotel from below. The queue is also lined by piping, heavily worn and corroded with age. A sign hangs at the split, to let guests know either side is open; the sign is stained and faded.
On the wall are many breaker boxes and other electrical equipment. Many doors also line the wall; they all head to different areas or rooms in the bowels of the hotel.
Many real instruments and devices line the walls to add to the details of the basement. Here we see a BOSS temperature gauge, while under it is a pressure gauge. Other devices are attached to the walls to complement the environment.
One of me favorite touches is on the left queue line. Along the wall sits this steam engine, attached to a flywheel meant to power maintenance and other power equipment used by the staff. It's no longer working, but to think of the work that this used to do adds a little touch of life to the room. It's always a great sight to see.
Right as you get up to the elevator, you see an old, dilapidated electric motor and pulley system. It looks as if its seen better days, and no longer working. Of course, that's never the case; it soon crackles to life, and glows blue with electricity. It's an ominous sign, and makes guests think twice. To trust this motor with lifting your elevator, with you and all these folks? Maybe you, but you're not sure about the other folks. It might be a good idea to split up...
As you leave, you come to a bag and coat check. This is where they house the photo viewers, and usually a cast member to write down the number of your ride. The room itself is full of many leftover artifacts and items forgotten or left by their previous owners. Here they sit, wasting away, for folks to notice. Take a close look behind the desk if you get a chance. The room has definitely been left alone, and might hold many secrets. To the left, an appropriate oft-quoted line by Rod Serling marks the location; 'Picture if you will...'. To the right is a message board, with many little posts from various guests and businesses in the area. Notices, messages, and other little tidbits pinned to the board beg a closer look.
One of my favorite of the posts, a little political cartoon by one Theodore Geisel, otherwise known to the world as Dr. Seuss. He was a well known cartoonist, especially of political satire. This little number is relevant to the time period, pertaining to the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the USSR.
As you leave, there's a desk where you can buy your photos. As the front desk and concierge are upstairs, I'm not quite sure the purpose of this desk to the hotel, but it has many details to tie it in, such as the old radio and other artifacts. It definitely is a service desk, holding many cabinets and other supporting features. On the wall behind is also a lovely painting of the hotel in is heyday; here you can see how it was before the incident, in all it's glory.
Something of note that I felt should be put here is something I noticed long ago, about the design of the actual hotel show set. If you look at the top of the tower, you see where the two towers used to be located; the opening doors at the top of the attraction and the surrounding damage should make it apparent. What's odd, is that the sign for the old Hollywood Tower Hotel is actually in place in front of the damage by the missing towers. As it is, it would almost be as if the sign went THROUGH the missing towers, which obviously wouldn't make sense. Here in the painting, you see the way the sign is meant to be: above the towers. So, either one of two options is possible: that either the sign fell to its present location after the incident, or that it was just an oversight by WDI. I'll go for the former.
As you exit, you pass the dining room known as the Sunset Room. It's tightly chained up, but appears to be a large dining area for the guests, most likely in use for the party that Halloween night. The door is very beautifully carved, but definitely not budging.
To the right of the door, you find an old menu posted; it happens to be from that very night. It's definitely a tasty menu, with many options for the 8 courses. I always loved the hotel's emblem, and it's emblazoned in the background of the menu as a nice touch.
Past the Sunset room is the gift shop; standard fare. However, as you exit, look back. You're looking at the entrance to the hotel you just walked into moments before. On the second level is the hotel lobby, and stairs flank either side of the porch to lead down to the ground floor. It's not a view that's apparent at first as you enter, and it's intriguing to get a different view from another spot. Looking up, you can better view the arches and facade of the entrance. Oddly, the entrance is located to the side of the hotel, not in front. The arches are detailed and carved, and you can get a closer look at the architecture, noting the roofs, windows, balconies, and other details. The observatory above is also inviting, but sadly off-limits, of course. Hanging from staffs are flags of the hotel's emblem. The actual plaza you exit into would be the drive-in area for guests; it's shaped as a cul-de-sac, and follows the small road leading in through the stone towers and by the entrance gates.
If you have a moment, you might also want to take a look at the display windows. It appears the giftshop may have served as the hotel store as well in the past; in each display, there are advertisements for goods and events at the hotel. One shows off many antiques and artifacts and advertises for an exotics shop. Shown above is an advertisement for an apparel shop, happily open to patrons wishing to dress their best for the ball.
Another note, and one that just happens to be my opinion, not an actual fact; if you take a closer look at the mannequins, they bear a striking resemblance to the lost couple from the elevator. The man, especially. The woman wasn't wearing quite the same dress, however.
Now, for some little details; I'll only share a few, but there's many more, that I'll divulge later. These are all references to various episodes of the Twilight Zone; most in the Tower are tributes to the show. With so much material to choose from, they were able to plant a lot within the grounds, and reference many different episodes. What's great, is that it's an unofficial scavenger hunt; many of them are well hidden, or not overly obvious.
As you enter the lobby, to the left of the concierge desk is a poster card detailing entertainment for the night at the Tip Top Club. Anthony Fremont and his orchestra will be playing all night. Anthony Fremont is actually a boy with power to do anything to whatever he wished with his mind; he used this power to torment his town of Peaksville, OH. in ep. 73, 'It's a Good Life'. It's odd to note that while Anthony liked music, he despised singers; singers were sent to the cornfield, outside of town. The episode was notable for having a 'different sort of introduction'. If that line seems familiar, that's because it's also how Rod Serling introduces you to your own episode, in the prologue video. That's right, the line was lifted from this episode for the film; however, it was a map of the US that was recognized, not a maintenance service elevator!
There are many, many hidden details in the library. Above we see an old fortune telling coin-op, hidden in the left library. This is the Mystic Seer, from ep. 43, 'Nick of Time', who tormented its customers; one of whom was notable as Mr. William Shatner.
Hidden in a cabinet in each library is an envelope with either Victoria West or Rod Serling printed on its front, each in the left and right libraries, respectively, each containing 1/4" cassette tape. Victoria West was a character from ep. 36, in which a man, Gregory West, uses his dictation machine (think tape recorder) to bring his story creations to life. Each tape represents a different creation or character description. Victoria West, his wife, discovers this fact to her dismay when she doesn't believe him and tosses her tape in a fire, and promptly vanishes as it's consumed. Rod Serling also falls victim, as he is interrupted in his epilogue by Gregory West scolding him.
Lastly, high on the shelf in each library is a little, squat figure in a silver suit. He is an Invader, from ep. 51, 'The Invaders'. In it, an old woman in a farmhouse is attacked by two of the figures in a small spaceship. She fights back and destroys them, and a message coming from the ship warns others not to come to the hostile planet. We find out, however, much as in other episodes, the nature of the ship and its inhabitants in the end.
So that wraps up my Tower of Terror 13th Floor Friday special! I hope you enjoyed this look into a lot of the details that make it such an amazing and fantastic attraction, as well as what makes it unique. It truly is my favorite current attraction for good reasons, and it's worth a deeper look by anyone who wants to see great care and attention put into making an excellent story.
Missed It's in the Details #12? Check it out here!
