Tower of Terror malfunction leaves guests stuck 140 feet high

Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios experienced a significant malfunction on the Tower of Terror attraction. According to accounts shared on Reddit, the elevator car became stuck approximately 140 feet above the ground during the drop sequence.

After the ride's narration concluded, the elevator failed to descend, leaving passengers in total darkness for several minutes. During the stall, the interior lights unexpectedly turned on, providing guests with an unplanned view of the ride's mechanical shaft.

Cast members communicated via the speaker system to address the technical difficulties, cycling through various status updates including “powering down,” “powering back up to the wire,” and “powering up to maintenance mode.” The incident involved multiple false starts before the situation was resolved.