As We Wait For Scarlett Johansson's Tower Of Terror, I Wonder Who Else Remembers The Disney Attraction's Original Movie Adaptation

I only recently learned that there is a movie based on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, an iconic Disney attraction, in the works from producer Scarlett Johansson, who discussed the project’s status while promoting Jurassic World Rebirth. This is certainly interesting news to me, not just as a fan of all things spooky and the Disney movies based on theme park rides (well, Pirates of the Caribbean, in particular), but also as a fan of the original Tower of Terror movie.

If you were not aware that the thrilling attraction – a drop tower ride set at a dilapidated Hollywood hotel with a faulty elevator – had already inspired a film, you might not be alone. In fact, it is currently not even available to stream with a Disney+ subscription, or anywhere else, which I find disappointing because I truly believe Tower of Terror is worth a watch. Allow me to show you why, if you dare…

Tower Of Terror Is An Underrated Ghost Story

Premiering on October 26, 1997, as part of ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney series, Tower of Terror stars Steve Guttenberg as a disgraced tabloid journalist who, along with his niece (played by Kirsten Dunst), investigates an incident in which five people mysteriously disappeared while riding the infamous Hollywood Tower Hotel’s elevator in 1939. It's later revealed that this is a ghost story told from the perspective of the ghosts, in some respects, when they discover the abandoned building is, indeed, haunted by the five victims who need our living heroes’ help to cross over.

I think Guttenberg gives one of his best performances here, and future Academy Award nominee Dunst (who made her breakthrough with a genuine horror movie classic, Interview with the Vampire) is also strong alongside Melora Hardin in a great pre-Monk and The Office turn.

On top of the acting, Tower of Terror is rooted in a genuinely intriguing supernatural mystery plot and offers some engaging thrills that make this gem a perfect entry-level horror movie for the whole family to love.

How I Would Adapt Tower Of Terror Into A New Film

Scarlett Johansson told Entertainment Weekly, when asked about her Tower of Terror adaptation four years after the project was announced, that it has been a “hard nut to crack,” but insists it is “taking shape.” While I feel that the original made-for-TV adaptation still deserves more love amid the development of this project (which was stalled in 2023 by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes), I am certainly open to the idea of bringing the attraction to the big screen this time. I even have an idea for how Johansson could effectively crack this nut.

The ride is inspired by The Twilight Zone, and even features narration by an animated Rod Serling. So, I think, instead of trying to create a whole new story like the original Tower of Terror movie did successfully, why not continue to use the classic horror anthology TV show as inspiration (but without breaching any copyright restrictions) and make it a horror anthology movie?

Each segment could take place in a different room or era in the history of the Hollywood Tower Hotel, leading up to a grand finale that makes the hazardous haunted elevator the focus. Going from black-and-white to technicolor would be an additional way to bring the show's history into it, should the filmmakers be so inclined.

There are not enough not-so-scary horror movies suitable for children that take the anthology route, and I believe this would be an excellent way of breaking the mold. If not, I wish Johansson and co. luck in crafting a Tower of Terror movie that lives up to the anticipation, but I especially hope it raises interest in the original film and that it returns to Disney+ sometime soon.