Standing at the end of Sunset Boulevard, like an ominous beacon straight out of an episode of a television thriller, is the Hollywood Tower Hotel. It beckons guests to experience The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™. Recently, more terror has been added to the tower with new shakes, drops, and special effects. "Fear every drop" That's the warning to guests now that even more terror has been added to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at the Disney Hollywood Studios. The non-stop scream thriller that drops Walt Disney World guests in a heart-racing plunge from the 13th story has launched even more drop-from-the-top action.

    The cutting-edge technology of the Tower of Terror allows ride engineers to reprogram new twists to the ride, in this case launching riders to the top of the tower in breathtaking speed then dropping them faster-than-free-fall to the bottom again and again -- more drops than ever before.

    Ride engineers tested 33 versions of Tower of Terror to come up with the most gut-wrenching thrill, and added more mind-bending special effec ts for good measure. "We wanted to add more 'terror' to the Tower of Terror," says Malcolm Ross, vice president of the Disney Hollywood Studios. "The drop is dramatically different from the last and with the new effects, we think that guests will definitely enjoy the changes."

The fright-filled ascent begins when visitors board a decrepit "freight elevator" that rises slowly past mysterious hotel passageways where ghostly images of lost guests seem to appear and disappear at will. As the journey progresses, the elevator-cage passes through the Fifth Dimension to enter a pitch-black shaft, and guests embark on a not-to-be-forgotten journey.

The new drop sequence launches guests skyward with a mind of its own. There's a brief moment of panic when the cables 'snap' and electrical sparks join a shower of screams. The quivering vehicle then plunges 13 stories, falling faster than the force of gravity. Then the elevator launches skyward, only to fall again and again until the frightening finale.

White knuckles slowly regain their circulation as guests return on rubbery legs to the hallways of the ghostly hotel.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror features Disney's FASTPASS, an innovative system -- free to park guests -- designed to reduce waiting times at popular attractions in all four Walt Disney World theme parks.