Tower of Terror

But this is really a silly movie for adults. The characters do really dumb things. The plot is transparent. Which is more than I can say about the ghosts. On the bright side, it's not the least bit scary, so the kiddies won't get nightmares. If your children must watch it, try not to groan aloud too much.

Better yet, if you want them to develop good taste, let them watch a better kid's movie. Like Harry Potter. Or make them read a book. Like Harry Potter.

I absolutely love the Tower of Terror ride in California Adventure, so when I found out that there was a movie about it, I wanted to watch it. Since it is a Disney movie, it's cheesy, but still interesting. I mean, the ghosts weren't scary (especially after seeing "Sixth Sense") and the plot could've been better.

If you love the ride at California Adventure (in Disneyland) or at MGM Studios (in Disneyworld) then you should watch it. But be warned: the ride is so much better than the movie. Don't get your hopes too high up. Also, at parts it can get boring, but some parts are actually good. Overall, it is about 6.3/10

If you are planning on showing this to a child they will enjoy themselves and might even get a little fright out of the story. To an adult the plot is very cliché and poorly executed but the children will have a fun time. The characters are likable enough and Dunst and Guttenberg both give decent though movie-of-the-week type performances.

It is very much a low-rent television movie but it is good enough for the kids. There are ghosts and other spooky things but I don't think a parent would find too much to find offense with in the movie.

Watch if you want to show a child something a little more thrilling to them but don't expect too much yourself.

I was bored yesterday and decided to watch Disney Channel when a movie was starting. The Tower of Terror was on and I had never seen it. Since the first couple of minutes I was hooked to it and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. The beginning reminded me of Seabiscuit with all of the beautiful outfits and the 1930's setting (all before the elevator scene). Tower of Terror is about two people....Anna (Kirsten Dunst!) and Buzzy who get involved in a old...old curse and want to help 5 ghosts out that needed to get to the 12th floor of the Hollywood Tower Hotel for a party on Halloween 1939. When the group of people get on in 1939, they disappear when they get stuck on the 11th floor. Every year it is the same...they will never be able to go to the 12th floor because no one is there to help them. Now Anna and Buzzy have to help the ghosts get to the 12th floor on Halloween night and try to help break the curse on the elevator. It is truly a good movie and is full of suspense, especially during the beginning of the film like when Sally's (i think thats the little girl's name) ghost appears and little green rain falls down. The special effects were good. The acting was great. The plot was nice too. One of Disney's better films. I recommend it for families to watch on Halloween.

Among great family "horrors" like Hocus Pocus, The Witches, Monster Squad, and others, Tower of Terror (1997), starring Steve Guttenberg and a young Kirsten Dunst, is often forgotten. This is unfortunate because it's one of the rare family horrors that actually manages to be simultaneously fun, acceptable, and scary for everyone. Basically, like the botched Eddie Murphy film The Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror is a vehicle to show off a Disney World attraction through a 90-minute narrative commercial. Unlike The Haunted Mansion, however, this film is actually good! The story focuses on Buzzy Crocker (Guttenberg), a journalist for a National Enquirer-esquire tabloid. In an attempt to become a serious writer again (and win back the affection of his old flame Jill (Nia Peebles)), Buzzy heads to the old Hollywood Tower Hotel, where he is told five people mysteriously disappeared in an elevator after the hotel was struck by lightning nearly 60 years prior. Said to be haunted, Buzzy wants to find out the truth and his niece Anna (Dunst) wants to join along with him to help make the story.

While the film is certainly nothing Emmy-award winning, it delivers on all it promises. It's very cheesy, fun, & entertaining, and has quite a few creep-out moments (especially for a kids' TV movie). To this day, the little-girl-in-the-rain scene gives me the chills just thinking about it. It does stick around the typical standard of Disney TV movies as far as writing & directing go, but it manages to work in a way that looks and feels better than even a big-screen adaptation like The Haunted Mansion. Obviously, this is not going to be the film for someone looking for a hardcore frightfest, but for a lighthearted time with or without the kids, I'd highly suggest this one.

Final Verdict: 7/10.

NOTE: Disney is apparently in the process of making another feature-length adaptation of the Tower of Terror ride, this one for the big screen.

-AP3-