10 Terrifying Things That Happen in Disney's Hollywood Studios

Grab your security blanket and emotional support water bottle, you’re gonna need ’em.

There are some SPOOKY things that have happened (or still happen!) in Disney World. From tales of ghosts to totally abandoned places and stories that’ll give you goosebumps (or make you realize just how STRANGE a place Disney World can be), there’s a lot to unpack. For now, we’re taking a look at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and some of the TERRIFYING things that happen there.

Disclaimer: Some of these things are GENUINELY scary (at least to us!), while others are a little more funny-scary so don’t get too spooked!

First up, we GOTTA talk about what some refer to as “hobo” Goofy at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Look, we do get it. This Goofy is more along the lines of the Goofy design from the newer Mickey Mouse shorts where Goofy looks like…well…this. 😳

But when you compare it to our regular ol’ Goofy — the loveable one that doesn’t have clothing that looks like it’s been dragged across rocks for days, or scarily yellow and decaying teeth — it just feels…strange.

Now, there are plenty of folks who likely LOVE the newer cartoon version of Goofy and have no issue seeing this type used in the ride. And we can appreciate that. But some of the members of our team can’t help but feel that Goofy deserved better.

Especially when you compare it to how cute Mickey and Minnie look. Don’t worry Goof, we still love ya.

Next, let’s tackle a ride that is FULL of spooks — The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. There are SO many things that stem from this single ride in terms of scares.

First up, let’s address the ride itself. Imagine we took you to an abandoned, haunted hotel in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of WARNING signs around it. Starts to set off some red flags right?

Then, picture we took you to the lobby of the hotel and it’s covered in spiderwebs and there are even warnings here to take the stairs.

Now, we grab your hand and tell you that you’re going on an elevator (that hasn’t been inspected for a WHILE) that’ll toss (push/pull) you up and down at incredibly fast speeds. What would you say? Would you WILLINGLY put yourself in that elevator?

On a normal day, probably not! You’d say “Where is the closest staircase?” or “GET ME OUTTA HERE!” But at Disney World, the strange suddenly becomes ordinary!

Oh, and let’s just add to this story the fact that the last family that used this elevator mysteriously disappeared when the elevator was struck by lightning — totally normal. 🫣 Let’s just say, we don’t think we could find many willing participants to do this in the “real world” and it’s slightly terrifying when you really sit to think about it all!

But wait…there’s more. One GENUINELY terrifying thing you’ll find at the Tower of Terror is Caesar the Doll. Folks, this is NOT a laughing matter. Twilight Zone fans will recognize Caesar from the episode “Caesar and Me.” In that episode, the doll manipulates its owner, Jonathan West (the ventriloquist), which makes for some verrrrrrry creepy happenings.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Caesar is actually IN the Tower of Terror attraction and he doesn’t necessarily behave himself here either. 😧

Ceasar the Ventriloquist Dummy doesn’t like it if you ignore him

According to stories and legends, Cast Members working at the Tower of Terror must say “hello” and “good night” to Caesar every day, or he will cause trouble around the attraction.

So yeah, there’s a supposedly haunted doll in a Disney World ride. GREAT. Look for Caesar before you exit the elevator at the end of the ride. He’s in the basement area and yes, he’s as terrifying in real life as he is in the photo.

And we gotta throw in one more Tower of Terror story for good measure. According to our friends over at Disney Food Blog, there is a legend that years ago a bellhop Cast Member at Tower of Terror suddenly passed away while putting guests onto an elevator in Platform D.

Supposedly, Cast Members have since reported strange happenings on that elevator — we’re talking flickering lights and ghosts that are off-cue! If true, this only adds to just how creepy this ride can be!

Okay, okay, enough Tower of Terror spooks. Let’s move on to a slightly more hilarious (but still terrifying if you think about it) fact about Hollywood Studios. Years ago, Pizza Planet became PizzeRizzo. And while the restaurant itself can be fairly controversial in terms of its food (with some fans absolutely HATING the pizza here), there’s something else that’s a little unsettling.

Folks, this is a restaurant that is OPENLY run by a RAT. You are eating at a restaurant run by a rat. Say that out loud and let it sink in. When in your life would you ever willingly go to a restaurant that has rats, much less one RUN by a RAT?! Okay, okay, yes, we know — he’s a Muppet Rat but STILL!

But wait. It gets worse. Look closely at the sign during the evening and you might just see it flash at the right moment when the lights reveal a secret message — “It’s RAT PIZZA.” Y’all. The joke is on us here surely. 😂

Speaking of spooky restaurants, you might be actively avoiding going back home for that Thanksgiving dinner because you just KNOW your Aunt Jane will bother you all night long about that “incident” that happened at school. We all have embarrassing moments, okay Aunt Jane?! Or Cousin Sara won’t stop trying to set you up with her ex-boyfriend’s best friend from the middle of Nowhereville who is surely not a creepy stalker. 🙃

So WHY on earth would you willingly go to a restaurant where fake family members heckle you? Because it’s Disney World…that’s why!

At 50s Prime Time Cafe, the servers treat you as if you were their real family with some pretty hilarious results — if you’re into that kind of humor! You may be told to set your own table, bothered to finish your vegetables, or even made to sing “I’m a little teapot” in front of the entire restaurant. (Of course, you can give the team a heads up if you’re not into that type of humor, but that’s one of the big draws of this place — aside from the PB&J milkshake.)

So yeah, come prepared to be heckled. Who knows? Maybe it’s just the practice you need before going back home for the holidays!

Now join us for a little trip over to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge where two things can be pretty genuinely terrifying. First up, we’ve got Kylo Ren, just…in general. Imagine just being snuck up on by a person in an all-black garb and scary mask. Nightmares. Nightmares for DAYS.

The stormtroopers here can be a little scary too though. They can ask a bunch of questions and be intimidating. One question about your credentials or what you’re doing in this part of the galaxy and suddenly your mind goes BLANK.

“What am I doing here? Oh my gosh…I don’t remember. I suddenly…I…What was the question again?!” You’ll look guilty without even having done anything!

Next, we HAVE to talk about some of the stunts that are done at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. We know that these are trained professionals who practice their skills and know what they’re doing, but even knowing that — some of these stunts can be terrifying to watch!

Whether it’s some of those gravity-defying leaps or stunts involving fake weapons, vehicles, or other things — these things are quite the feat. And there would be a high level of risk for anyone not trained in the specific skills these performers have.

And finally, we gotta give a shout-out to the terrifying (but still kind of fun) villains featured in Fantasmic! It might not seem all that scary at first, but the witch’s transformation (from Snow White) can be pretty terrifying. Combine that with the larger-than-life appearance of baddies like Jafar (especially in snake form!)…

…and (OF COURSE) that Maleficent dragon and you’ve got a sequence that’ll give you goosebumps.

And those are some of the terrifying things that happen in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! What scary things have you experienced in the parks? Tell us in the comments!

And for more ghosts and urban legends, see our video below!