I’m Unreasonably Terrified of This Disney World Ride Catastrophe, and I Know I’m Not Alone

Disney4me · April 4

Nothing bad can really happen to you at Disney World…right?

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Tower of Terror

Disney World is famously known as The Most Magical Place on Earth and is generally considered to be one of the most family-friendly places anywhere. Despite the adorable meet-and-greets, nostalgic rides, tasty food, and wonderful entertainment, there’s still ONE THING at the Disney Parks that scares me to death!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has A TON of popular E-ticket attractions but none more iconic than The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. No matter how fun this ride is (and it’s undoubtedly loads of fun!), I’m still paranoidly terrified of riding it for one major reason!

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Tower of Terror

The cause of this irrational fear? Snapped cables. Disney Imagineers attached cables to the top and bottom of the elevator cars to help achieve that weightless feeling (you’re actually falling faster than a freefall because of this) and installed two giant motors at the top of the tower to regulate speed.

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Tower of Terror Queue

Of course, thinking something bad will happen to you on this spooky ride is a touch paranoid. Let’s run through the safety features of this attraction, shall we?

The elevator cars feature individualized seatbelts that allow for personalized restraint. Safety belts are monitored and Cast Members know if you aren’t buckled in properly at any point during your ride.
There aren’t just a couple of cables. Traction elevators are suspended by many steel cables that can support a loaded elevator individually.
There is an on-ride camera that allows operators to view and listen to passengers at all times. Someone is always watching and waiting to assist.
There are lightning rods on the tower that redirect lightning away from the structure.
Of course, the Tower of Terror has multiple emergency breaks as well! If hoisting cables fail, brakes are there to hold the elevator car in place. There are also safety measures in place that account for cable tension slack, shock absorption, and a compressed air cushion to account for an accidental freefall.
Most importantly, Disney inspects the tower daily and wouldn’t let riders ride if it weren’t safe. That would be VERY illegal, after all.

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Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!

I can also personally vouch for the safety of the ride, having survived a mishap. While I was on Disney California Adventure’s version of the tower, Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission BREAKOUT!, the ride broke down and the car stopped in its place. We safely exited the ride and even got a complimentary FastPass (this was a few years before Lightning Lanes existed).

Tower of Terror Sign

While the Tower of Terror’s safety measures are certainly innovative, many irrationally share the fear of the cables snapping and the elevator car plummeting to its doom like the one in Disney’s 1997 made-for-tv movie Tower of Terror, starring Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst.

A new Tower of Terror adaptation with Marvel star Scarlett Johansson linked to the project has apparently been in the works for several years, albeit with no significant updates recently. Either way, Disney doesn’t shy away from making you think Tower of Terror is dangerous with its brilliant theming and the lore presented in media.

I prepare for the end every time I get in line to ride either tower at both California Adventure and Hollywood Studios…and I know I’m not the only one. If you’re also terrified of a catastrophe happening while riding Tower of Terror, commiserate with us in the comments below! And, as always, stay tuned here at DFB for all the latest Disney Parks updates, tips, and more!