Film Overview"Tower of Terror" is a 1997 made-for-television scary film directed by DJ MacHale. The movie starred Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst, being Disney's very first movie based off a tourist attraction-- The Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The plot unfolds around a deserted hotel, the secret of its past, and a journalist's mission to uncover age-old tricks.
Plot SummaryIn 1939, on a rainy Halloween night, 5 people at the Hollywood Tower Hotel mysteriously vanish when the hotel elevator plunges from the leading flooring. The hotel subsequently shuts down and has remained so, fueling local ghost stories and urban legends ever since.
In 1997, down-on-his-luck reporter Buzzy Crocker, played by Steve Guttenberg, who was as soon as an acclaimed reporter but got benched to a tabloid author after a scandal, stumbles upon this unsolved mystery. Buzzy, together with his young niece Anna, represented by Kirsten Dunst, takes up the challenge of examining the Hollywood Tower Hotel. The niece-uncle duo is signed up with by an aging actress called Claire Poulet, among the last individuals to see the missing people. All of them get drawn into the sordid mystery surrounding the hotel, experiencing supernatural events that mean the haunting echoes of the past.
Secret UnravelsBuzzy and Anna later discover that the five people who disappeared were victims of a messed up spell cast by a witch seeking revenge against the hotel's vocalist Sally Shine, her child-star sis. Due to this, the Butcher, the Child Star, the Maid, the Bellhop, and the Fur Coat Patron are stuck in limbo, believed to be ghosts haunting the hotel.
Resolution and ConclusionThe spell's effects could just be reversed if they correctly re-enacted the events of the Halloween night of 1939. But this time, instead of using a curse, they used magic of a different kind, a spell of rebirth, hoping to transport the trapped souls into today, providing a chance to relive their lives. Jill, one of the people stuck in limbo, believes she is Sally Shine, acts mischievously triggering a significant misstep in the plan, making Sally Shine disappear rather. Buzzy leaps in at the last 2nd, effectively replicates what occurred in 1939, resulting in the trapped souls finding their method to 1997.
In a heart-warming conclusion, Sally reunites with her aged sis, who exposed that she did not mean to harm her however just wanted her to grow up like a normal kid.
The Hotel returns to regular, the ghosts are laid to rest, and Buzzy, rewarded for his scoop by the L.A. Banner, makes sure that the Tower of Terror tale gets a happy ending. The film ends with the old hotel illuminating once again, representing its comeback to life.
Final Thoughts"Tower of Terror", in spite of being a horror, is full of charming moments. The stories and characters are well-written, capturing the viewers' interest from the outset. The film charmingly binds all its loose ends and sets a precedent for future films based on amusement park attractions. The stunning interaction of secret, suspense, funny, and farce makes this film a remarkable representation of a legendary urban myth.
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