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.

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.

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.

For a Disney movie, I am VERY surprised...some parts were VERY scary, like the part with the ghost of Sally Shine, and the green rain...! OHH! I get chills when I watch that part...the cast was wonderful, Kirsten Dunst was perfect for the role of Anna...and so was Steven Guttenberg as Buzzy...the whole story was not corney as I thought a Disney movie's "scary" movie would be...the characters like Mrs. Partridge...grouchy, and Gilbert, the snobby English actor, and the really beautiful Claire Poulet! I recommend this movie to anyone...even grown-ups...It is also a VERY good mystery...you all have got to watch this!

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-