Tower of Terror’s lightning scar is bright purple again at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as scaffolding comes off the top of the hotel just in time for Halloween.
The lightning scar on Disney World’s Tower of Terror is purple again, and it finally looks like 1994.
Crews took scaffolding off the upper part of the Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week, WDW News Today and BlogMickey reported Oct. 23. That shows off a freshly painted scar right above the hotel’s big sign.
It’s a jagged burst of purple, blue and indigo, with painted cracks running through it.
That color had faded over the years to a dusty gray lavender, BlogMickey reported. The new paint is deep violet, and it wraps around the arched windows near the teal spires at the top.
Disney POV filmed the work on Oct. 24, along with a full ride-through:
Why is Tower of Terror getting repainted?
It’s part of an exterior refresh that’s been going on most of the year. Work started in the outdoor queue this spring, and scaffolding climbed the southeast side of the tower on July 9, according to BlogMickey.
By Aug. 4, it had reached the front of the building.
The southeast side came down Oct. 3 and gave fans their first look at the new paint.
Crews also repainted the pink stucco and hand-aged the stonework. Painted cracks, broken stonework and rusty-looking railings around the sign are back in view, too.
Imagineering’s construction photos show the same bold purple streaks back when the building went up, BlogMickey reported. So the “new” look is really the original, back from the dead.
Is Tower of Terror open during the refurbishment?
Yes. The ride has stayed open the whole time, and Disney hasn’t given a date for when the outside work will wrap up.
There’s still plenty left. Scaffolding wraps both sides of the tower and the lower floors, BlogMickey said.
WDWNT reported that the scar keeps going below the sign, where the scaffolding is still up and the walls have only been primed so far. The wall facing Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets has been primed, too, and looks a lot paler than the rest of the hotel for now.
Some windows are covered in plastic or outlined in red tape, with X’s drawn under a few of them. One balcony has a wooden frame on it that looks like it’s waiting for new theming, WDWNT said.
Where’s the best spot to see the new Tower of Terror paint?
Sunset Boulevard. The scar is easy to spot from the street now, and its center sits just above the middle of the Hollywood Tower Hotel sign, according to WDWNT.
If you’re heading over this week, look up before you get in line. The best part of the paint job is up top, right where the lightning supposedly hit.
What’s the story behind the Tower of Terror lightning strike?
It happened on Halloween night. In the ride’s backstory, a storm rolled over the Hollywood Hills on Oct. 31, 1939, and lightning hit the hotel’s elevator shaft.
An elevator full of guests and a bellhop disappeared. Every clock in the place stopped at 8:05 p.m.
The ride opened at what was then Disney-MGM Studios on July 22, 1994. The hotel stands 199 feet tall.
For the ride’s 30th birthday in 2024, the scorch marks went back on the lobby elevators. Now the outside is catching up.
Is something new coming to Tower of Terror?
Disney hasn't announced anything, and the biggest rumor already fizzled.
Mark Silverman, who voices Rod Serling's lines on the ride, set off talk of new narration when he visited Imagineering on Oct. 18. Two days later, he cleared it up on Instagram. He'd only gone to buy a T-shirt, WDWNT reported.
So for now, the big change is the paint.
The hotel has a TV past, too. Disney’s Tower of Terror movie, with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst, first aired on The Wonderful World of Disney on Oct. 26, 1997.
That makes Monday its 29th anniversary.
Either way, the timing works out. The hotel’s big night is Halloween, and this year it’ll actually look like lightning just hit it.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
BlogMickey (Oct. 19 and Oct. 23, 2026), the purple lightning scar, the refurbishment timeline and Mark Silverman’s visit
WDW News Today, Shannen Ace (Oct. 20 and Oct. 23, 2026), Silverman's Instagram clarification, the scaffolding removal and the primed sections below the sign
Laughing Place, Luke Manning (Oct. 19, 2026), the purple lightning strike’s return
D23 (undated), the 1997 Tower of Terror movie air date
Disney POV on YouTube (Oct. 24, 2026), the construction update and ride-through video
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