Fremont's Ghost House breaks attendance records this year with first haunts since COVID-19 pandemic
FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- The Candle Lighters Ghost House in Fremont has been one of the most popular spots in town over the course of the last two weeks.
As of Sunday night, which was their last night open, they tell us that somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,000 tickets had been sold. The Ghost House has been in operation for 53 years but was closed over the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I heard some screaming. Who was doing all the screaming?" we asked.
"Her! That was her," said family members in Fremont after walking out of the haunted house.
"Me, that was me! Scary, got me good," said Cece Beltran.
"I was very scared," said Keyanna Sutton.
"It was pretty scary cause they jump at you. They really scream at you," said Ginger and Britney Cabrera-Hernandez.
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"Oh they scare people. They love to scare them! I do too, come up from behind them sometimes," said Linda Pricer who is president of the Candle Lighters.
The Candle Lighters is the non-profit organization that runs this event. This year tickets sold for $4 each. Pricer says that hundreds of Fremont High School students made the event possibly. The teenagers volunteered, working in booths and dressing up in costumes to scare people.
As our ABC7 News crew was walking through the ghost house, we were suddenly in complete darkness. Then, seconds later, characters were jumping out at us.
"I don't get scared that much. I usually go to haunted houses because I want to get scared. Fun being scared in my opinion," said 11-year-old Sidney Alne Bera.
For those not wanting to go inside the ghost house, there are other things, like caramel apples. Yes, apples that have been dipped, sprinkled, and wrapped.
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There are also spinning wheels with prizes. And then there's a guy we met who some say is haunted.
"I'm Keoni Hutton and this is, my name is Mortimer, welcome to the haunted house," said Keoni Hutton who is the host of The Haunted U podcast and on this night had a skeleton friend with him, ventriloquist style.
Yes, it all comes back to the Ghost House.
"I was scared! Oh my God," said another family leaving the house.
There is a Fairy Line at the Ghost House though for the little ones, or big ones who just don't like being scared.
"Good fairy, no scary," said a girl dressed as a fairy and leading a group of children through the house.
While the Ghost House is over for this year, you can go to their web site www.candlelighters.com to find out more about the organization.
If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
