This month, Disney cast members unexpectedly halted operations on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror after an alleged death on the ride. After fleeing the Walt Disney World Resort attraction, an impacted guest spoke out on social media.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and its Disneyland Resort counterpart, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission—BREAKOUT!, have been hosts to numerous terrifying incidents throughout their decades in operation. In the last year alone, a disturbing TikTok trend took over the Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney California Adventure Park rides.
Countless Disney Park guests intentionally modified the safety restraints on the drop ride, sitting on their seatbelts or otherwise obscuring them from Disney cast members during safety checks instead of buckling themselves in. These guests wanted more of a “thrill” than the safe version of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror provided.
No one was seriously injured, but many reported near misses as they flew feet into the air and nearly hit their heads on the metal ceiling. Some Disney Park guests claimed they were banned for trying the TikTok “hack.”
Not all incidents on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror result from intentional guest misbehavior. On July 2, some reports allege that a medical emergency forced thousands of Disney cast members and guests to evacuate the ride building.
Redditor u/MyFriendsAreMyPower and their family were next in line for the Disney’s Hollywood Studios ride, waiting to be seated in their elevator. Suddenly, a nearby Disney cast member said everyone needed to evacuate the building immediately.
“They started evacuating everyone out of the building as quickly as they could,” the Disney Resort guest recalled. “Any questions we had were answered with ‘A cast member out front will explain the situation, we just need everyone to evacuate the building as soon as possible.’”
Those answers never came. The Disney Park guest claims that even cast members were alarmed.
“We kept heading out, bumping into [cast members]…outside who were regurgitating the same thing to [other cast members’] questioning,” they wrote. “Eventually we made it far enough outside and there was no cast member found who was explaining the situation. We never found out what happened and I’m curious to know if anyone knows what might’ve happened.”
Though it’s impossible to confirm the cause of this month’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror evacuation, the most popular comment offered a grim explanation.
“People die everyday at Disney be it of old age or alligators,” said u/rexlites. “… That’s usually the case when they quickly get you out of [attractions].”
Walt Disney World Resort didn’t publicly state the reason behind the recent closure of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The ride reopened shortly after the incident.
Have you ever evacuated a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort attraction? Share your experience with us in the comments.
