The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror - Nerd "D" Halloween Special

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone." 

-Rod Serling

The sign says it all

Anyone that really knows me can tell you the "The Twilight Zone" is my absolute favorite television favorite show.  As such, it seemed only fitting to make it my topic for Nerd "D"'s first Halloween Special!

Quick History: The Twilight Zone was a half-hour, black and white show written by one Mr. Rod Serling, which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964.  It usually dealt with human psychoses, showing how the human mind can freak out, and with good reason(!), at the simplest things. Things such as your daughter's Talking Tina (in "The Living Doll" episode), or believing that a mirror could show you your enemies ("The Mirror" episode), and sometimes even the occasional slot machine calling your name out over and over again ("The Fever" episode).  However, not everything was about the mind, as sometimes Mr. Serling used the supernatural to great effect.  From death to the devil himself, The Twilight Zone was well-known for its dark overtones.  There were, however, plenty of amusing episodes, including one featuring funny gal Carol Burnett.  In fact, watching the Twilight Zone is kind of like watching a "Who's Who?" of people who were very famous in early television!  My personal favorite episode, however, would have to be "The Obsolete Man" with Burgess Meredith.  I'm not gonna give anything away, but if you can get your hands on the episode I highly recommend it; the ending was amazing!

Rod Serling: It's sad to know that many people don't even know who Rod Serling is, at least by name. That's why I was excited to see how Disney California Adventure Park chose to represent him a lot on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction.  From having one of the original openings to the show, and hiring one of the best Serling impersonators there is to monologue the rest of the attraction, it's good to know that Disney worked so hard on getting the feel of an actual "Twilight Zone" episode into their attraction.  Rod Serling truly was a talented man with a passion for frightening the mind, and Disneyland did a terrific job in bringing that into the attraction.

Intimidating, ain't it?

Tower of Terror: The attraction first opened over at Walt Disney World in 1994, and ten years later one it was brought over to Disney California Adventure Park.  Since the one at DCA is the only one I've ridden, it seems only fair (and necessary) to talk about that one.  Let's start with the decor.  I love all the references to the televison show itself!  The thimble (from "The After Hours") in the lobby, the fortune teller machine (from "Nick of Time") in both libraries, and even Talking Tina herself (from "The Living Doll") sitting on the couch, and I know that there are so many references that I still haven't found!  The structure itself is pretty intimidating, as well.  Anytime you walk up to an attraction standing at 183 feet, and it looks like its been hit by lightning several times, well you get the idea.  This thing is meant to send chills down your spine, and it does its job well.  I've ridden it countless times, and Chad can tell you I still get nervous each and every time, but it's all worth it though, just to be part of the "The Twilight Zone" lore.

Some of that wonderful hotel interior we were talking about

Is "The Twilight Zone" Kid-friendly?: We think parental advisory is in effect on this one.  Depedning on the episode, it may not be a good idea to let your child watch this show, mostly because it takes a mature mind to understand it, especially when some of the episodes deal with fear and the supernatural.  That said, we've been watching it for years and nothing bad has come of it... *twitch-twitch*

Is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction for Kids?: I've seen this go both ways.  My niece has been wanting to ride it since she was three years old.  She's six now and a few months ago her dad, two other uncles, and myself took her on it, which turned out to be a huge mistake.  She was so terrified that when the ride was over the crying caught up to her, and didn't leave for a while.  I blame her dad completely on this fiasco.  On the other hand I've also ridden with it first timers, like Chad' son Michael, and they absolutely loved it and couldn't wait to hop back on for another ride.  A good gauge might be to look at how your child acts on other attractions around The Resort.  I think it's best to try out one the Mountains over at Disneyland Park first and see how they react.  I've heard of parents who wanna ride it so bad they don't tell their kid exactly what it is; a move we certainly don't condone.  Even we're not that cruel!  They just say,"It's Disney so it can't be scary."  Foolish mortals!  Like I said before it's a 183 foot building that looks like it's been struck by lightning multiple times, the interior is creepy, and your dealing with ghosts and some pretty good drops (not to mention entire cars of screaming patrons).  It's meant to be creepy, and it actually is creepy, so take that into consideration if you're trying to get your kids aboard.

This as you'll see behind you is a maintenance service elevator, still in operation, waiting for you and your crying children...

So now that I've shared my Twilight Zone interest with you, it's time that you share some with me!  Have you ever seen the show, and if so do you have a favorite episode?  I'd love to hear what it is!

And if you've ever ridden the ride, what did you think of it?  Well done?  Do you have a favorite picture pose to do at the end?

Send me your opinions of both!  I'd love to read and respond to what you have to say!  Thanks for stopping by today, and we hope that everyone has a very safe, and profitable (at least candy-wise) Halloween.  Happy Halloween everyone!