Tower of Terror

Run-of-the-mill cutsie Disney "horror" movie (a contradiction in terms?). You have to be pretty bored to sit through this. If you have nothing better to do, go ahead and watch it. But don't go out of your way to find it. I watched it to see Kirsten Dunst (NOT Kirsten Storms, in spite of what a previous reviewer said!) in an early role. Even here, she shows signs of what she is capable of doing, and does in her later roles. Other than that, there isn't much substance to this.

But then again, this is aimed at a young audience, so for them, this can be entertaining. Unfortunately, the plot is predictable. You can tell what is coming a mile away. A typical Disney TV movie.

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.

"A Thrill Ride!" it says on the front cover. Well, it was not that good! The plot was weak, acting was weak...but I guess as it is a childrens first horror movie it cannot contain much profanity, or as much excitement as we are into. However, Tower of Terror did manage to hold my interests, as I am into those old haunted hotel chillers such as "Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990) (TV)" and "Shining, The (1980)."

Steven Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst star as two relatives, an uncle and his niece as they uncover a case surrounding the old Hollywood Tower Hotel, where some guests disappeared, including famous childstarlet Sally. An old woman gives a key to the close family members and they must unlock the book that uncovers the entire story.

Steve Guttenberg only delivers some achievement as the poor bogus newspaper journalist, unlike Kirsten Dunst who delivers great strength in her role as Anna, the determined niece of Uncle Buzzy played by Guttenberg. The old woman (I don't know her real name) is alright in her role, but her evil cackles are sometimes over done.

Take it from me, I bought this and it is not something I would want to keep. Maybe rent, once or twice, but...really.

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.

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.