Sometimes creepy can be a good thing, especially during the Halloween season. While Disney is a family-friendly spot, the park has been known to deliver on the creepy factor. If you don’t believe me, there’s always ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter to remind us of how terrifying a Disney attraction can be. While nothing at that level exist anymore within the parks, Disney can still pull at some of our primal fears, even if it’s unintentional. Here are my top five creepy things to experience at Walt Disney World.
Child’s Play
My parents used to tell me that my dolls were watching me and that they reported to Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. The result left me feeling a little creeped out by my child playthings. I have to admit that I still get a little jilted when I see the Green Army Men and Bo Peep wandering around Toy Story Land, and when I ride It’s a Small World.
Arachnophobia
For October, we have a “What Scares You?” board at work, where people can write down what scares them the most. About half of the items on the boards are creepy crawlies. People have a primal fear of bugs, arachnids, and worms. Disney taps into this fear over at Animal Kingdom in the It’s Tough to be a Bug attraction. The screams that echo through the Tree of Life when the spiders dangle from above are proof that this might be one of the most terrifying experiences in the park. Not only do I thoroughly enjoy the scare, but I also enjoy watching first-timers experience all of the “surprises” throughout the show. I hope It’s Tough to be a Bug is around for a long time to come.
Dawn of the Dead
Have you ever taken a stroll around the Disney Boardwalk dawn? It appears like a ghost town with an occasional passerby, part living and part dead. The ambiance of the Boardwalk also makes you feel as if you have one foot in the present and the other in the past. I love all of the haunting oddities to explore while walking around the resort, but the most unsettling of these are probably the “nanny” chairs in the Boardwalk lobby and the clown slide at the Luna Park Pool.
House on Haunted Hill
One cannot go the Disney World during the Halloween season and NOT ride the Haunted Mansion. It’s one of the most iconic attractions and for good reason. The ride pulls you into a compelling narrative as you journey through the various rooms and graveyard scenes. My youngest brother was traumatized by the thought of a ghost following him home the first time he rode this attraction. This is a crown jewel for Disney Imagineers. I love the creepy special effects of this attraction and even the musty smell and interactive line queue.
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror not only brings the creepy, but it also has the thrill scare factor as well. This might be one of my favorite line queues on property. You get to tour a decrepit hotel lobby filled with artifacts and cobwebs. The haunting music echoes through the lobby and you feel as though the ghostly loop has trapped you, and your only way out is through that rickety old service elevator where you may or may not plummet to your death.
