TOWER OF TERROR
Pacific Wharf, E-ticket drop tower
Barbary Tower overshadows the entire city of Pacific Wharf. It was originally intended as the private home for firearms manufacturer William Barbary, whose famed Barbary Rifle was called “The Weapon That Conquered the West.” Barbary’s influence and products can be found all throughout nearby Frontierland.
The mansion, once a testament to Barbary’s wealth, soon became a reflection of his madness. Barbary, always a superstitious man prone to visiting mediums and soothsayers, grew deathly afraid of the ghosts of those killed by his rifles. To appease their spirits, Barbary rebuilt his home as a towering “hotel for the dead.” Construction continued ceaselessly, day and night for years, as Barbary Tower rose and transformed into a twisted organic mélange of architectural styles.
Barbary worked his immigrant labor force to the bone, and paid them little despite his riches. Ultimately they grew sickened by the man’s greed, and staged a strike at the start of Chinese New Year, 1900. (Tying in with the backstory of Chinatown.) That night, a terrible earthquake struck Pacific Wharf! Strangely, the quake only damaged Barbary’s holdings – his tower and his prison in the bay – leaving the rest of the city unharmed. The following morning, the workers arrived at Barbary Tower to survey the damage. They found instead something far, far stranger. Within Barbary’s private elevator were his clothes…and nothing else. Barbary was never seen again. And to this day, no one can explain the mysterious disappearance of William Barbary.
QUEUE
The Tower of Terror stands tall at 183 feet, second in height only to Fantasia Castle. It dominates approach to Pacific Wharf, framed upon entry by the suspension cables of Augustus Bridge. Approaching the tower, one starts to notice its bizarre design. At the base is a Queen Anne Victorian mansion, styled after the Winchester Mystery House. Rising up behind it is the tower, whose style at times copies San Francisco’s long lost Cliff House, but with strange parapets and doors-to-nowhere. Earthquake damage – cracked walls, shattered windows – suggests a tortured past. Topping the structure is a Neoclassical dome, which teeters precariously on crumbled supports – much like San Francisco City Hall after the 1906 earthquake.
Beyond wrought iron gates, the queue begins in the estate’s gardens, which have grown to seed through neglect. Marble statues peek out from weeds. Eerie piano music wafts, seemingly without a source. Dust blows from dried-up fountains.
Double doors lead to Barbary’s living room, abandoned since 1900. Cobwebs cover everything, even the spider-themed stained glass windows. Amidst the décor of luxury, such as fine wood fixtures, mahogany furniture and an ornate organ, sit display cases chronicling the history of the Barbary Rifle Company. On display are rifles – “The Weapon That Conquered the West” – bullets, other tools of death. Murals add to this backstory, depicting Barbary Rifles being used in familiar Frontierland settings. Indians battle the cavalry in a field before Geyser Mountain; lawmen battle outlaws before Western River, et cetera.
Guests continue past Barbary’s private elevator. It is a wreck, crushed, doors off their hinges. A creepy bellhop leads guests instead through one of two doors, to the Séance Room.
PRE-SHOW
Occult bric-a-brac populates this red velvet chamber. Shrunken heads, tarot decks, a crystal ball, even oddities like the Fiji Mermaid. With all assembled, the bellhop announces that they shall now summon the spirits and seek an answer to William Barbary’s disappearance.
Lights dim. A dread wind blows. Candles lining the room’s shelves all instantly light on their own. Projection effects bring the room to uncanny life. A hovering fortuneteller’s ghost, Madame Otis, addresses the guests below, her voice distant and pained:
“
Why have you come? Why have you come to this tower…this tower built upon madness? All throughout the West, his rifles – William Barbary’s rifles – they spread untold horror. The spirits of those his weapons killed, they came here…The Ghosts of the West forced Barbary to create for them a hotel where they could live for all eternity.”
What Madame Otis describes – distant eerie gunfire, the Ghosts of the West – plays out visually with projections against a velvet curtain. So too does the construction of Barbary Tower. William Barbary is depicted hounded by haunts, overseeing his twisted creation.
“
For decades, Barbary built their monstrosity, a tower without plan or purpose. Ceaselessly he built, for Barbary feared what would happen should construction ever stop:”
The Ghosts of the West: “
Stop building…and you will vanish…”
Madame Otis: “
And yet, in his greed, Barbary swindled his workers. They went on strike. Hammers fell silent. The earth rumbled. And the Ghosts’ vengeance, so long delayed, visited Barbary at last…”
Madame Otis falls silent. A deep earthly rumble is felt
underneath guests. Séance projections depict Barbary Tower ravaged by a fearsome earthquake. Moldings tumble. Cracks form. And Barbary, high in the penthouse within his elevator, vanishes in a puff of smoke as the elevator plummets. It hits bedrock, and the candles snuff out in an instant! The room is plunged into pitch black!
“
Now you have crossed the threshold, and entered a tower of terror created by a merchant of death. You walk the same path he once walked. Take care you do not share his fortune…”
Doors open.
Guests continue, fearfully, into a maze of hallways on two levels. The sounds of hammers and saws constantly reverberate, as though the Ghosts are even now continuing construction. “
Stop building…and you will vanish…” Throughout are odd architectural details, such as a window to nowhere, stairs to the ceiling, or a door to a brick wall. Hallways seem to continue endlessly, improving on an old Haunted Mansion effect. Lights flicker under ghostly influence. At last each path leads to an elevator door, its arrow indicating 13 floors. Dare we continue?
RIDE
(
This Tower of Terror uses the same ride system as DCA, DisneySea and Paris. Three shafts each house two elevators – one loads while the other rides. There is no horizontal Fifth Dimension sequence. This simpler, cheaper, higher-capacity setup is the one Disney would be likeliest to use again, despite the largely superior original WDW ride system.)
Not a service elevator, but an immaculate private lift complete with leather seating. The doors are fine Tiffany glass, depicting – eerily – spiders and skulls. And as they close…the elevator reverses into darkness, and the receding doors vanish into a star field. Madame Otis appears in this dimensionless void with a final message:
“
Why did you not heed my warning? This realm was not meant for the living. Once you ascend that shaft, you are at the mercy of the Ghosts of the West. William Barbary’s sins…are now your own...”
The elevator ascends swiftly in pure darkness. It stops on the fifth floor, revealing a hallway where a massive ornate mirror reflects guests.
“
Now wave, and say farewell to yourself.”
A rumbling! The elevator itself shakes as an earthquake begins. The mirror cracks violently. Wall-mounted paintings sway. A ghostly red smoke invades the hall, distorting the guests’ reflections into phantasmagorical otherworldly silhouettes.
Ghosts of the West: "
Stop building…and you will vanish…”
The elevator descends one floor, as the earthquake continues to ravage the building. A long hallway shakes – the elevator shakes too. Doors fall from their frames. Two marble statues of William Barbary holding up the ceiling both crumble in a projection mapping effect. The cursed form of William Barbary runs down the hallway’s length, pursued by the Ghosts of the West in spectral longcoats. Barbary hollers in terror:
“
I swear, I don’t know why my workers stopped! I pay them…sometimes. Please, I beg of you, have pity on meeeeeee -”
Barbary reaches elevator doors at the far end of the hall…and tumbles down an open shaft! Rumbling ceases.
A star field replaces reality. The Ghosts of the West, with faces like skulls, all turn and face the riders, slowly and with substantial menace. A cacophony of sounds! The Ghosts all thrust out their skeletal hands in accusation -
- and the elevator drops!
But this is never the same fear twice!
Drops and ascents are randomized – the one good thing DCA’s Mission: Breakout is likely bringing to this particular ride system. Elevators fall
faster than gravity, pulled downwards by powerful cables. Occasionally, randomly, the elevator will pause within the shaft for incredibly brief show scenes such as crumbling plaster, Barbary tumbling past, or the Ghosts of the West closing in.
The highlight of any drop sequence is the whole-tower drop. The elevator pauses at the tower’s highest point – a disintegrating wall reveals panoramic views of Disneyland Sydney and Fantasia Castle. Then a faux-drop…then the elevator hurtles thirteen stories straight down!
Ultimately, the elevator collapses where it began. Guests all catch their breath as lights turn on. The elevator returns to the Tiffany doors.
Madame Otis: "
You have survived. But beware. You must not become obsessed by the lure of fear. Never again must you brave the Tower of Terror!”
POST-RIDE
Guests exit via hallways formed of lath-and-plaster drywall interiors. On-ride photos display within a series of wall-mounted picture frames. Past a dried-up fish pond is the gift shop, Tower Merchandise, housed within Barbary Tower’s dilapidated greenhouse. Exit back out to the lively streets of Pacific Wharf is a shocking contrast, making the terror which just transpired all the creepier.
*****
(
This will surely be the darkest attraction at our park, but hey, it IS Tower of Terror! I’ve leaned rather heavily on spiritualism and the occult, which might be a touchy subject matter. If anyone feels these elements are in poor taste or inappropriate for a Disney park, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed dropping in!)
so that's why I haven't commented with more ideas.