Disney guests waiting for the Tower of Terror were unexpectedly escorted out of the line this week in a mysterious turn of events, leaving many wondering what went wrong.
The Twilight Zone of Tower of Terror has been a Disney World icon since its 1994 debut, blending classic Hollywood horror with groundbreaking ride technology to create arguably one of – if not the – best rides on property.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s immune to the occasional issue—ones that have nothing to do with ghosts.
What Happened To Tower of Terror This Week?
This week, the Tower of Terror also faced an unexpected evacuation.
According to Reddit users who visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios yesterday (March 14), everyone was ushered out of the ride’s queue last night.
“I was at Hollywood Studios last night (3/14/25) and was waiting to get on Tower of Terror,” explained one user. “Right when we got into the room to watch the film, the lights came on and the door opened. It was really weird because the video didn’t finish and all of the sudden everybody in the lines getting onto the ride started coming towards us saying we need to evacuate.”
A cast member reportedly then approached the group looking “pretty nervous” and started hurrying everyone out of the building. “It wasn’t like the ride broke down because they usually keep you in line for that,” they said.
While there’s no official word from Disney on what happened, one user suggested that there was a fire alarm, a fairly regular occurrence at Disney parks. If that was the case, at least that’s better than the incident that shuttered Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind earlier this month.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Experience, Explained
Inspired by The Twilight Zone (hence the name), the attraction’s randomized drop sequence and eerie, abandoned-hotel setting makes it one of the scarier experiences in a Disney theme park.
The ride takes guests into the haunted Hollywood Tower Hotel, where a paranormal lightning strike in 1939 caused five guests to vanish inside an elevator, trapping them in The Twilight Zone. Riders board a service elevator, only to experience the same eerie phenomenon as they plunge through shifting dimensions in a series of unpredictable drops.
While Disneyland Resort has since shuttered its version of the ride to replace it with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!, there are (at least right now) no signs of Disney World doing the same (and even if they do, they’ll have Ariana Grande to contend with). However, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t faced its fair share of issues in recent years, with guests complaining in 2023 that the ride was experiencing recurrent breakdowns.
Have you ever been evacuated from a Disney ride?
