HTF Tower of Terror

HTF Tower of Terror is a suppositly new ride for Universal theme park.

Outside Line
Upon entering the grounds, guests can see a bunch of grave stones that had been there since every Happy Tree Friends character died here. A derelict gazebo stands on the lawn that has a tea set laid out. Originally, these used to move to mimic two people pouring and drinking tea. The gazebo also contains a music box playing within (since 2001, this music box track is also used in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion for use on the Haunted Mansion Holiday annual seasonal overlay). This is also the only mansion in any of the parks that has you enter the ride through the front door.

The Foyer
Guests enter a 100 foot tall foyer with stained glass windows of:
 * Cuddles
 * Giggles
 * Toothy
 * Lumpy
 * Petunia
 * Handy
 * Nutty
 * Sniffles
 * Pop and Cub
 * Flaky
 * The Mole
 * Disco Bear
 * Russell
 * Lifty and Shifty
 * Mime
 * Cro-Marmot
 * Flippy
 * Splendid
 * Lammy and Mr. Pickels

Stretching Room
The guests are ushered into an octagonal portrait gallery and encouraged by the staff to move into the "dead center" of the room. As the wall behind them slides closed, the Ghost Host (voiced by Paul Frees) introduces himself with an eerie voice: ''“Welcome, foolish mortals, to the HTF Mansion. I am your host – your ‘ghost host.’'' …and taunts them: ''“Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination, hmm…?”'' As the voice speaks, the guest's eye is drawn up to four portraits on every other wall of the octagonal room. The floor quietly sinks downwards, elongating the paintings and revealing the morbidly comedic fates of previous guests: ''“...And consider this dismaying observation: this chamber has no windows, and no doors... which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! Of course, there's always my way...”''
 * Flippy is seen in the dress of minor nobility and red and white striped boxer shorts while standing on a keg of dynamite with a lit fuse.
 * Petunia holding a parasol and calmly balancing on an unraveling tightrope above the hungry jaws of a waiting crocodile.
 * Giggles sits atop a tall gravestone which features the bust of Mime. This is a portrait of the late Constance Hatchaway.
 * Cuddles sitting on Toothie who is sitting atop Lumpy who is chest-deep in quicksand.

The lights go out, lightning and thunder effects fill the gallery and, in a rare instance of Disney dark humor, a glimpse of the ghost of five HTFs from paintings are seen high above in the cupola. A dreadful scream is followed by the sound of bones shattering. The ghost host apologizes for the pre-mature haunt, then a wall mysteriously opens, leading into a mysteriouse looking elevator room.

Ride Experiance
As the elevator doors close the moment guest enters, the lights of the service elevator flicker out. The re-designed, multi-level boarding ride system for the Californian version of the tower requires that one elevator loads while another is in the drop shaft progressing through the ride cycle. As such, the first movement guests experience is horizontal, as the elevator itself is pulled back from the service doors and into the shaft. This effect is meant to be unsettling, as guests become immediately aware that their "elevator" is capable of performing movements that are unexpected of a traditional elevator.

With a flash of lightning, the walls of the basement disappear altogether, leaving only a star-field and the floating service doors with a rotating purple spiral. The elevator rises quickly to the fifth floor. Because the dark ride portion of California's tower takes place in the drop shaft, the physical vertical vehicle conveyance system can move much more quickly and nimbly than Florida's (in which the first tower functions only as a dark ride and is not built for the quick movements that the drop portion requires). As such, visitors feel a pop of weightlessness as the elevator quickly ascends and then stops on the fifth floor.

When the doors part, an ornate, wood-framed mirror stands in a brightly lit hallway of the hotel and riders see their reflection in its glass. At once, lightning strikes the hotel and the lights of the hallway and elevator flicker out at once. A ghostly wind blows through a window and the reflection of riders in the elevator becomes distorted, with elongated, electrified echoes of movement. With another blast, the elevator rumbles and shakes and the electrified reflection disappears, leaving only the image of the empty elevator in the mirror as the doors close.

The elevator descends quickly and opens to reveal the "hallway" scene with an image of an elevator. The five ghosts of the HTFs flash in the hallway, crackling with electricity and beckon riders to follow them. They disappear, and the walls of the hotel become a star-field. The doors open to reveal the lost passengers inside as both elevators appear to float through space. The distant elevator falls, followed quickly by the ride elevator.

The elevator doe numerous drops before...CRASH! The service elevator are pushed back into the loading area.