The year was 1997. If you were a kid glued to the TV on a Sunday night, you probably remember the eerie green glow of the Hollywood Tower Hotel flickering on your screen. It was the first time Disney ever tried to turn a theme park ride into a full-blown movie. Long before Johnny Depp put on the eyeliner for Pirates of the Caribbean, we had a tabloid reporter and his niece trying to solve a 1939 cold case involving a bunch of ghosts and a very temperamental elevator.
Honestly, looking back at the tower of terror movie cast, it’s kind of wild who they managed to get. You had a massive 80s icon and a future A-list superstar sharing the screen in what was essentially a made-for-TV spooky flick. People still hunt for this movie today, mostly because it's strangely absent from Disney+, leaving fans to wonder where the actors ended up after they checked out of the hotel.
The Big Names in the Tower of Terror Movie Cast
When you talk about the heavy hitters in this film, you have to start with Steve Guttenberg. In the 90s, the guy was everywhere. In this movie, he played Buzzy Crocker, a down-on-his-luck journalist who fakes supernatural photos for a rag called The National Inquisitor. Guttenberg brought that specific "lovable guy" energy he perfected in Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby. It’s a bit of a bummer that he isn't in the spotlight as much these days, but for a whole generation, he was the face of Disney’s early live-action experiments.
Then there’s the niece, Anna. She was played by a then-teenaged Kirsten Dunst.
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She had already done Interview with the Vampire and Jumanji, so she wasn't exactly a nobody. But seeing her in a Disney TV movie feels like finding a rare trading card. She was the emotional core of the story, the one who actually cared about the spirits while Buzzy was just looking for a paycheck. It’s pretty cool to see how she went from dodging ghosts in a fictional hotel to being an Oscar-nominated actress in The Power of the Dog.
The Five Ghosts: The Spirits of 1939
The whole plot revolves around five people who vanished when lightning struck the elevator. The tower of terror movie cast needed actors who could look like they stepped right out of Old Hollywood, and they nailed it.
- Melora Hardin played Carolyn Crosson. You probably know her best as Jan Levinson from The Office. Yeah, the "Dinner Party" Jan! In this movie, she’s much less chaotic, playing a 1930s actress whose soul is stuck in the hotel.
- Lindsay Ridgeway was Sally Shine, the child star. She had that "Shirley Temple" vibe down to a science. Fun fact: she was also the singing voice of Darla Dimple in Cats Don't Dance.
- John Franklin played Dewey Todd. If he looks familiar, it’s because he was Isaac in the original Children of the Corn. Talk about a horror pedigree.
- Alastair Duncan played Gilbert London, the singer. He’s had a massive career in voice acting since then, even voicing Alfred Pennyworth in various Batman projects.
- Wendy Worthington played Emeline Partridge, the nanny. She’s one of those character actors you’ve seen in a hundred things, from Bones to Catch Me If You Can.
Why the Original Cast Still Matters Today
There’s a reason people are still obsessed with the tower of terror movie cast nearly thirty years later. It wasn't just a cash grab. The chemistry between Guttenberg and Dunst felt real. It felt like a family. Plus, the movie actually filmed on-site at Disney-MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios) in Florida. When you see the actors in the lobby or walking past those dusty elevators, they’re standing in the actual attraction.
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Most people don't realize that Nia Peeples was also in this. She played Jill Perry, the museum curator who (spoiler alert) turns out to have a pretty big connection to the hotel's dark past. Peeples was a huge deal in the 80s and 90s, and her presence gave the movie a bit more "cool" factor for the older kids watching.
What about the new Scarlett Johansson movie?
If you’ve been keeping up with the trades lately, you’ve probably heard that the tower of terror movie cast is getting a modern update. Scarlett Johansson has been attached to produce and star in a new version for a while now.
Updates have been slow. Like, really slow.
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As of early 2026, Scarlett has mentioned in interviews that the script is "taking shape" but it’s a "hard nut to crack." The new film is being written by Josh Cooley, the guy who directed Toy Story 4. They’re trying to find a way to honor the ride's lore without just repeating what the 1997 movie did. While we don't have a full cast list for the reboot yet, the fact that a Marvel superstar is leading the charge shows just how much staying power this spooky hotel actually has.
How to Revisit the 1997 Classic
Finding the original movie is sort of a "Twilight Zone" experience in itself. Because of licensing issues—specifically the fact that Disney doesn't actually own the Twilight Zone name (they license it from CBS for the ride)—the 1997 movie is in a weird legal limbo.
- Check Physical Media: Your best bet is still the old DVD or even a VHS copy from eBay.
- Fan Uploads: Sometimes you can find the full movie on YouTube or DailyMotion, though Disney's copyright team is pretty quick with the "delete" button.
- Bootlegs: At fan conventions, you’ll often find people selling "archival" copies of the TV broadcast.
If you’re a fan of the ride, or just a 90s kid looking for a hit of nostalgia, tracking down the original tower of terror movie cast in action is worth the effort. It’s got that cozy, slightly creepy Disney Channel energy that they just don't make anymore.
To dig deeper into the world of Disney's ride-to-movie adaptations, you should look into the history of the Haunted Mansion films or track down the 2000s Country Bears movie—though, honestly, Tower of Terror remains the gold standard for getting the atmosphere right on a budget. Keep an eye on trade publications like Variety or The Hollywood Reporter for the official casting calls on the Scarlett Johansson reboot as it moves into active production.