hth_management | History and Premise

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound. A dimension of sight. A dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into... The Twilight Zone.

Hollywood, 1939. Amid the glitz and the glitter of a bustling, young movie town at the height of its golden age, The Hollywood Tower Hotel was a star in its own right: a beacon for the show business elite. Now, something is about to happen that will change all that. The time is now, on an evening very much like the one we have just witnessed. Tonight's story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a maintenance service elevator, still in operation, waiting for you. We invite you -if you dare- to step aboard, because in tonight's episode, you are the star. And this elevator travels directly to... The Twilight Zone.

You are about to discover what lies beyond the fifth dimension, beyond the deepest, darkest corner of the imagination... in the Tower of Terror."

Opening its doors in 1909, the Hollywood Tower Hotel planted its roots in the world of elegance and sophistication. Its owners dreamed it would one day be the jewel of Southern California, a retreat for the wealthy and famous. Certainly, it gained that reputation as movies began to take the modern world by storm and as Hollywood became a hub of ingenious film makers and a landmark in its own right. The hotel became renown for its high-class style and gracious, professional employees, ready to bend to every will and whim of the guests.

Behind closed doors, the history of its construction hid dark secrets, successfully tucked away from the public eye. Unbeknownst to the general populous, the dirt-poor cult members who toiled and labored in the building of the hotel had cursed it before it was even complete. Their yellow dog contracts worked them to the bone with little pay, with virtually no work site safety, and without regard to any sort of human dignity. Many of these workers were parents. However, as it was with so many of the lower class of the time, the majority couldn't afford to hire someone to watch their children. As such, it wasn't uncommon to find their little ones clinging to their trousers and skirts or running around one another.

One stormy day, the main and maintenance elevators -the showpieces of modern construction technology- were finally installed. The overseers quickly directed the workers to the basement levels to finish up what was left of the boiler room, the children taking the opportunity to play in the new, illustrious, and sleek elevator shaft. Like most of our tales, the happiness ends there. One particularly cruel overseer, upset with the discovery of the cult following, decided to test the elevator himself, completely intent on finding some sort of fault. With the elevator box on the floor above, he was unaware that children, innocent, naive, and ignorant of the contraption's workings, were playing directly below. He haphazardly pulled the level hard, dropping the box to the bottommost floor of the boiler room. The children, with no time to escape, were crushed and instantly killed.

Enraged and horrified, the parents and their coworkers charged after the man, but he pulled the lever again, and the elevator shot upwards, towards the higher floors. After seeing the bloodshed in unadulterated, gruesome clarity, one of the older workers began to chant, her brethren quickly following suit, all tapping into dark, ancient powers. They called out to demonic energies, urging them to hex the vile overseer and his beloved elevators. Before the the man could reach the safety of the top floor, unusual and abrupt lightning struck the lift box. In less than a moment, the steady rise of the elevator screeched to a halt and turned into free-fall plummet to his death. His lifeless body was found by police later that night.

Ignorant to the true nature of the incident, the owners viewed the children's and his death as an unfortunate and tragic accident. However, to keep bad press away before the business even got to its feet, they denied any claims of it actually happening, instead sweeping it under the rug and calling it an urban legend.

The hotel opened as planned. All was grand and glorious, though strange happenings did periodically occur. At 6:00 PM, on the sixth day every month, every six years since the incident first occurred in 1909, lightning hit the elevator, sending whatever unfortunate souls inside to the Twilight Zone. Though they weren't seen or heard from again, they never truly left; in actuality, they had become doomed to roam the hotel as spirits. Usually, only hotel staff were unlucky enough to disappear; other times, a hapless and nameless guest; and occasionally, no one was transported at all. Management did an excellent job of keeping any reports of missing persons a secret, compensating families under the table, and keeping any bad press at a local, short-lived minimum. The hotel continued to thrive, bringing in bigger and better names as Hollywood expanded and became a driving force in the entertainment world.

That all changed in 1939. Sally Shine, the nationally-recognized and greatly-loved child star, was visiting the hotel. On her way up to the Tip Top Club to celebrate a birthday, misfortune in the form of lightning struck, sending the elevator crashing all the way to the boiler room floor. No remains were ever recovered and the investigation was inconclusive. However, due to her fame, the media flocked to the hotel, searching for answers and trying to dig up dirt. A few years passed, and though management their very best to keep the continuous stream of private investigators, reporters, and curious individuals at bay, it had become too much. Between the bad press, the resulting drop in guests, the start of the war effort, and a fear of the gruesome truth forever disgracing their name, the owners decided shut the hotel down and cut their losses before it was too late.

The place quickly became the subject of boundless rumors and ghost stories, especially when it seemed to come back to life every six years. Lit up like it had never closed, music pouring out of the windows and doors, and even the sound of chatting audible, the hotel looked as if it had a mind of it's own. Over time, people reported more and more ghost sightings both on and in-between these occurrences.

Now it's your turn. Perhaps you're seeking shelter from the rain or blistering sun, looking for a free place to stay, interested in looting, seeking to prove your bravery by lasting a night within the hotel walls, or are a ghost fanatic and want to experience the spirits for yourself. Whatever the case, you have found yourself checking into the infamous Hollywood Tower Hotel. If you're daring enough to attempt to explore the upper or lower floors, you'll quickly find that the stairs have long since deteriorated away.

Lucky for you, there's always the elevator.

"One stormy night long ago, five people stepped through the door of this elevator and into a nightmare. That door is opening once again, and this time... it's opening for you."

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