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Pirates of Emerson
Category: Active Life Amusement Parks Amusement Parks [Edit]
4501 Pleasanton Ave(between Rose Ave & Angela St)
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 551-6995
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
Lynette C. said: "I've only been a member for a little over a month but this is the first time I've belonged to a Gym that made me look forward to exercising. The facility is beautiful and they have a huge variety of classes and machines. As a new…" read more »
72 reviews for Pirates of Emerson
Review Highlights
"I'm a huge fan of haunted houses."
(in 21 reviews)
"The speed pass is totally worth it, especially if it's..."
(in 11 reviews)
"There were 2 (although the 2 were fantasitc) and a maze."
(in 44 reviews)
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72 reviews in English
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Review from Casey S.
11/19/2011
In this day and age of cowards flocking to movie theaters for their horror fix, Pirates of Emerson has the guts and gusto to create an authentic haunted house year after year.
Bravo.
The six attractions won't take you too long to go through, but it's all about quality over quantity here. Those who don't like it can go watch Saw VIII or something. -
Review from Dixon T.
San Francisco, CA
10/30/2011
I am giving this place three stars because it has the feel of being a mom and pop type show and as such I give them a little wiggle room. I realize they don't have the resources to put on something like the infamous Knotts Scary Farm, but I also feel that lack of resources should necessitate creativity and good service. The fact is, for $10 more you could go to Great America's Halloween Haunt, go through those haunted attractions as many times as you like, each with a higher production value, have an entire park decked out in smoke and ghouls and the addition of amusement park rides. If you bought the speed pass for Emerson you would actually come out even. So why should one pick a place where you can only go through the maze once, barely have anyone to jump out at you while you're in there, and if you're like me, actually slow down to look at what you paid for, only to get yelled at to hurry up? If anything I feel this place should be top notch on their service both in the friendly, enthusiasm, and scare department to make up for what they cannot compete with.
First and foremost most everyone working here has a bad attitude. We went the Saturday before Halloween and it was not that crowded or crazy. There was no reason for any of them to be stressed or over worked. With only the exceptions of the girl working the corn maze entrance and pirate guarding the entrance to the hay maze/oddity museum we were treated with anything from rushed indifference to unjustified confrontation.
At one point in the evening, while we were standing near the food booth,(with a 30 minute line for a bottle of water and no other options such as a water fountain) my husband pulled out a flashlight to help him get a better look into his wallet. Out of nowhere one of the pirates that wanders the place walks up to him and starts giving us a lecture on how the flashlights blind people in the haunted houses and you cannot see the details. I turned to him, checking to make sure we were still in the middle of a open space, and said, "we brought it for the corn maze. I'm not a big fan of tripping in the dark." The pirate backed off and said that the flashlight was a good idea for the corn maze. Gee... thanks? I have another good idea; don't lecture adults who have not done anything wrong.
I can understand why people would want a flashlight in the other mazes though. It's dark, you're afraid you're going to run into things... such is the nature of this place. I am concerned though at the amount of rugs that aren't tacked down and as another review said uneven surfaces and general janky construction. We joked most of the evening about how the scariest thing here is tripping and breaking a tooth. Which, I guess they're not prepared for, because when my friend did manage to hurt himself, we were told there was no first aid. She has to be wrong. I can't imagine insurance would allow this place to run without so much as a bottle of bactine and some bandaids.
I really wanted to like this place. I really wanted to feel that this place was at least trying their hardest to put on a fun evening but I was disappointed. -
Review from Ryan P.
8/10/2011
HOLY SPINOLI these guys know how to make you jump.
I saw a blurb about this last October and decided to go for my birthday. Horror isn't really my genre, but who can turn down a good haunted house? It seemed reasonably campy and $20 is a bargain for a hand-crafted experience, so we trekked out for a rare out-of-SF adventure.
There's plenty of parking across the street. We stopped at a mexican place whose name I wish I could remember because the margaritas were totally decent. A thick plume of smoke wafted in front of the entrance from people blazing out front. You probably should join them.
Without giving away any spoilers, the night was intense. These guys do not let up, and do not go out of character. The maze is totally maddening-- after 15 minutes you really think you might just be stuck there. My neck was sore the next day from being so tense. It's basically like walking through House of 1000 Corpses.
Leave your kids at home for this one. -
Review from Christina P.
Fremont, CA
10/27/2010
We really wanted to find a good haunted house this year for Halloween so we decided to head out to the Alameda County Fairgrounds and give Pirates of Emerson a try. It did not disappoint! They put a lot of work into the details of each haunted house and the atmosphere is really fun! Here are my tips...
1. Buy your tickets ahead of time! You can bypass the long line of people waiting to purchase tickets and head straight to will call.
2. The speed pass is totally worth it, especially if it's getting close to Halloween. That extra $10 will let you bypass almost everyone at each of the 6 haunted houses.
3. Be prepared to pay $8 for parking at the fairgrounds. I know, it sucks.
4. Avoid the Bilge Rat Maze at all costs if you are epileptic or get dizzy or nauseous easily. I thought it was kind of a trip but it's pretty disorienting.
5. You can buy "Monions" which are their form of pirate currency that you can use for their CarnEvil Games, Mis-Fortune Teller, and other extra attractions. The Mis-Fortune Teller was interesting but it takes awhile to make it through the people in line. The CarnEvil games kind of felt like an afterthought and it didn't seem like much effort was put into them. It was certainly no Circus-Circus.
6. Wear closed toe shoes that you don't care about because they will get filthy. It's a dirt lot and the parking area has random holes to trip on so watch your step.
7. If your like me and scare easily, bring a change of underwear. -
Review from Tamar D.
10/24/2010
This place is awesome. My favorites, hands down, were Manimal Lab and the Xmas one. I did not like the Bilge Rat Maze, with its strobe lights. When you're in there, it's much easier if you concentrate on the ground instead of keeping your head up and looking at the chain link fences that form the corridors. I would highly recommend that if you have a mind-altering substance that won't make you go totally berserko, take it and get lost in the maze.
Dig of the Dead was totally a downer, as was the actual Pirates of Emerson house. Maybe it's because we saw them last, but by the time we went through, the scares were few and had little effect. I think one of the things, too, was that they let in the groups a lot closer together, and that makes a big difference.
Killbilly Kabin brought Deliverance back to my mind in full force. I was freaked the hell out on that one.
We didn't get the monions for the non-haunted house attractions like NeverWas and Misfortune, but I don't think we were missing anything from the looks of passing by.
The characters were in great costumes and played their parts extremely well. The sets and props were also very well done - the best haunted houses I've ever encountered! $20 well spent. -
Review from Anthony O.
San Jose, CA
10/22/2010
Went here last night, it was ok..
Cons:
1) Still not a big fan of only getting to go through each maze one time while having to pay additional if you decide you would like to.
2) Dead Space (no pun intended) Half of the mazes were staffed by only 4 or less people, Dead Man's Dig only had 2 people in it, one of which did nothing more than stand there and stare at us when we came through, great job at not caring!
3) Trip Hazards, this place needs serious work inside the mazes, sudden drop offs from platforms to the ground, bunched up carpeting, broken doors.. One of my friends went to open the door to continue through the maze and his hand went through a few broken boards and was stuck for a few moments.
4) Customer Service: I know this is a haunt event but you still need to act professional, having your staff at the front of the maze trying to hurry us up because, "you want to get all the stupid customers through so you can go home and sleep." Hi, we paid money to come see everything, stop being rude, the haunt was otherwise dead, we saw maybe 30 other customers the whole night.
Despite the above, It was still overall a fun night, watching one of my friends terrified of chainsaws try and run away in the middle of a Maze was fun, especially when he tried to run through the next door and tripped and fell into the next hallway, Maze build was pretty good detail wise, only issue is the dirt floors made breathing almost impossible in some of the mazes. -
Review from Kelly C.
Alameda, CA
10/24/2010
I love Pirates. I LOVE PIRATES!!! Arrrgghhhh
Having searched for the real deal Halloween haunt for ages this really is it for the Bay Area. This is my 9th year attending Pirates of Emerson. I love Halloween and look forward to Pirates every year.
This year has Pirates of Emerson in a new location, the Alameda county fairgrounds. The space is larger and Pirates also has more attractions this year. They've also introduced this concept of 'monions'.... errr... look it up ;)
You buy your 'monion' (which is a ticket) for a dollar each. Your monions allow you to see a few extra sites and play some games in the carnevil. The carnevil is a great concept but they need more games.
My favorite attractions for 2010 are the X-mas one and the Hill Billy one.
My 5 star rating is for the concept of Pirates of Emerson but as they grow they need to make sure they don't make half -attempts.. I think this years 'carnevil' is so lame that they shouldn't have done it in the state that it is. They should have either not done it or put more effort into making it cool. It seemed so out of place. They so obviously put a lot of effort into the other attractions why was this one treated like the red headed step child? -
Review from Princeza V.
San Leandro, CA
10/25/2010
I got so excited when I was reading all the great reviews people posted about this event, When I decided to check it out this Sunday the 24th, I went to the website got necessary info, got all my friends together, drove from San Leandro all the way to Pleasanton to find out at the doors that it was CLOSED because of the rain! OK...
So came home went on website again see if I missed that announcement, turns out that they had all these rules against no dogs allowed, no this OR that..but never mention that rain will play a major factor. Very disappointed in professionalism and lack of communication on this matter. -
Review from Rachael L.
San Jose, CA
2/18/2011 6 photos
Pirates of Emerson is awesome, one of the best Halloween attractions I've been too! I was here in 2009 at the Haunting Fields in Fremont and in 2010 at the Alameda County Fair Grounds in Pleasanton. The cost of tickets are $20 each and it's well worth it. The 5 haunted houses and 1 maze are awesome you have people dressed up in costumes and make-up and they chase you and pop out of no where and scare the hell out of you. They also have food, game booths, a "miss-fortune telling" booth, a parked pirate ship and Pirates walking around and sneaking up behind you and scaring you as well, you can also take pictures with them.
In 2009 my favorite house was the Sick Asylum. In 2010 My favorite house was the Night Scare Before Xmas.
I can't wait for Pirates Of Emerson to come back this year! I've had a blast both times i was here. -
Review from Lee C.
Pasadena, CA
10/28/2010
If you work on Halloween every year -like I seem to- head on out to Pleasanton to get your Halloween on early. I thought $20 was a bit expensive for an event like this, but once I got there I saw exactly where my money goes. These folks are obviously putting a lot of time and effort into making this a legitimate haunt year after year.
There are 6 different attractions, each with its own theme, characters, and creepiness level. The Mananimal Lab (featuring guts, a mad scientist, and a wall made of organs and other body parts) was my overall favorite, but KillBilly Cabin (with chainsaw wielding hicks in a trailer park) was a close second.
The PROS:
-Very creative and painstakingly detailed rooms in each of the haunts.
-Good use of lighting, music, and make-up throughout the park
-Genuine creepiness of haunts and scares by members of the crew (A few of the ticket-takers did well in character and were spooky as hell)
-Not very crowded on the Wednesday before Halloween (though Game 1 with the Giants in the World Series probably helped out there)
The CONS:
-Regrettably paying 8 bucks to park.
-You only get to go through each haunt once.
-Lack of pirates. I only remember seeing two pirates all night. Yeah, there's a pirate ship parked out there, but even the haunt called "Pirates of Emerson" wasn't all that pirateish. Where's the booty?
Overall, well worth the drive, and your hard earned $20. Especially if you don't get to celebrate Halloween on Halloween every year. -
Review from Elizabeth E.
Fremont, CA
10/31/2010
I've been going to Pirates of Emerson for so long that when I first started going while it was in Fremont the parking was free. While all other years have been either great or excellent, this year was terrible. The lines were too long and entrance was too expensive, the houses were not scary (and I'm normally a pansy), and they didn't control how many people they let in at one time so you were always shoved between a random group of people and you'd miss out on being jumped out at.
There were 4 different price points as well for entrance: $20, $25, $30, $35. $20 was general admission; after that you'd get a speed pass plus these stupid things called, "monions" which either allowed you entrance into other 'scary' things, re-entry, or let you play carnival games, etc.
As I mentioned earlier, the houses inside were not scary at all. It was all very predictable and the timing at which people inside scared you was always lacking. The first house we went into only had about two people actually attempt to even scare us. The whole thing was a shame seeing as how last year's performance by everyone was excellent.
Granted, we went on a closing weekend night but they should have prepared to be busy and should have been able to accommodate that appropriately.
Will I recommend it again? No :(
Will I attend again next year? Probably not :( -
Review from CalBear H.
Berkeley, CA
10/29/2010
It was ok, I can't say it was great or it sucked. It definitely was NOT scary for me.
My only complaint is that they set up the theme houses on this very dusty parcel of land. You don't realize it when you're in the house and looking around and perhaps screaming once or twice, but when you get out, you'll realize that you have a mouthful of dirt. I recommend wearing a mouth and nose cover when you go in. -
Review from Stephanie L.
San Jose, CA
10/10/2010
Best $20 well spent for 6 haunted houses/mazes! I went last night with my boyfriend, his sister and her boyfriend. We asked the guy at the ticket booth if we would be able to get through all of them within 2 hours. (We got there around 9 PM and they close at 11 PM). And we did!
Don't bother getting the speed pass, you'll only be in line for like 10-15 minutes or less. Each haunted house/maze was pretty solid, as well as the characters! Good scares! I'm glad we decided to go here. -
Review from Drew P.
Hayward, CA
10/25/2010
I was here on Friday 10/22/10.
I received free vouchers from our Penny saver rep as a thank you.
Normally the passes are $20 per person.
We get there and there is a $8 parking fee... screw that, we parked across the street and walked in.
ORDER YOUR TICKETS BEFORE HAND! With our vouchers we got right in but the ticket purchasing line was a good 10 minutes long at 9pm.
There is 6 main houses/exhibits, they punch your ticket each time so you can only go in each one once!
The best thing about this is there are about 6-12 real people in each exhibit scaring people so that helps with the fright factor!
The lines were long for each exhibit but it was Friday. About 5-20min per line.
It was worth it because we got to go for free, but if your over 18 or so its not really your scene.
Caters best towards 13-18 year old. They still put a lot of time and effort into this thing though so if you love Halloween you will love Pirates of Emerson. -
Review from Jade M.
San Francisco, CA
11/2/2008
I only came cuz the bff loves these type of haunted house places...so me the bf and the bff came here the night before halloween..
It looked cool from the street, you could see the big skeleton head from afar..
It was basically broken up into 3 diff "scare" rooms....we braved the first one...there was plenty of scares and thrills...though one of the pirates in there not only scared the crap out of me but managed to step on my foot! I hobbled my way through and I have to admit was pretty fun!
Tickets were $20...not a bad way to spend a thurs night! -
Review from Crystal L.
Oakland, CA
4/15/2008
I come here every year a week before Halloween, I love it. I always get scared. I just wish the prices were a lil bit lower.
For only 2 attractions.
But Parking Kinda Sucks -
Review from Erin M.
10/21/2007
I'm a huge fan of haunted houses. Anyone from So-Cal has heard of Knott's Scary Farm- on of my favorite things to do for Halloween. I love them so much, as a high school student my friends and I worked with the local community center to create one.
Anyway, they say that Pirates of Emerson is the best in the bay area. I stopped by on Saturday night with my boyfriend, totally excited. We showed up at around 8pm, with little to no lines; by 10pm there was a 15-25 minute wait for each house. I regret not throwing down the extra $10 for a "speed pass" to surpass the wait... but $20 seemed a bit steep to start. If I had it to do again, I'd plan to hit up the best rated houses first, because towards the end I got so tired of waiting in lines that I almost didn't go to all of them.
So, my thoughts on each haunted house::
PIRATES OF EMERSON- We started with this house simply because it had the shortest line. On our way in they gave us each a pair of 3-D glasses, making the psychedelic images stand out as we walked through. This haunted house didn't have a particular theme besides having a weird, trippy atmosphere.
THE ASYLUM- This house was really scary, if not simply due to the strobe lights. Most of the scary parts of this house were unexpected startles (ie something jumping out at you), although the actors did a pretty good job of acting like crazys. This is one of my favorite houses.
BILDGE RAT MAZE- I'd say a complete waste of time- a large maze set up under strobe lights. It would be pretty cool, except they used chain link fencing. All they would need to do to step this up is hang black draping over the fence so you couldn't see through the entire maze. Also, the entrance is also the exit- leaving little mystery.
DENSMORE MANOR- This house follows the typical old women's haunted house theme. You'll walk through the living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom. It is short, and near the bottom as far as interest.
HEARTSTOPPERS- We went in this house toward the end, so I had been getting tired. The theme is Western, which is unusual but refreshing. There is a point where you have to push through padded walls to get to the next point- creative but unnerving, because you have no clue what is happening. All in all, a fun house.
REBEL YELL- This is the first house near the entrance, so there is a perpetual long line. We were so tired of waiting, that we almost skipped this house. It would have been better off- The house is short, and I don't know if the workers were on the 10 minute break or what, because we didn't have anyone jumping out and scaring us for the better half of the house.
All in all, I had a good time. I HIGHLY recommend you spring for the speed pass, because the waits are a pain. Overall, well made Haunted Houses for a fun evening. -
Review from tasha s.
Hayward, CA
10/29/2007
I was a first time visitor to this place - we got there when the doors opened - and a good things since by 8pm, the place was packed. We went for the extra $10 ticket ($30 total) for the SPEED PASS - no waiting, and good thing - I really don't want to stand in line on a cold night!
There was a FREMONT POLICE CAR there as well - guess for added security in case things got out of hand? Lots of teens, and 20-somethings. Maybe we were the oldest - late 30's-early 40's?
I certainly would not bring a child here - maybe a 14+ could handle it? I did some young kids like under 10 so not sure if they were going in the haunted houses or not.
So on the scares. We went in 6 houses - and all were pretty great. The people who put it on really have an eye for detail - everything was meticulous. The ASYLUM was super gross ... PinHead was there too, chainsaws, sounds, and more.
Was I scared? Not really but it's kind of freaky/eerie, and my friends were fund to be around getting scared.
One "scare" I didn't like - the barbed wire fence/strobelight thing - dang, that freaked me out. Can you imagine if you were on acid & going through this (not like anyone on yelp has ever done that but just imagine as if you had heard about that stuff)? Ok, maybe lots of ibruprofren or maybe lots of coffee.AAAH. I couldn't get out, and it was irritating me big time. I could people getting anxious with this one.
I only give it 4 stars b/c of the price. It's kind of steep for $30 BUT then again, the people have to get paid - and it's not like the people working here are rich or anything. I wouldn't go again only b/c I've been but if you haven't gone - check it out, get the speed pass too. -
Review from Marina N.
10/17/2009
I was very excited to find this attraction a few years ago. It's not such a far drive from SF and it's worth it to hang out with your friends, drink some cheap hot cocoa while sitting on the haystacks on a chilly night, and see some fun scares.
I love the fast pass and if your goal is to hit a few different haunts the same night or if it's freezing cold outside, I would get it. But if you're there to hang out with your friends or it's not too cold out, I wouldn't spend the money. Part of the fun is just hanging out in line while monsters walk around the crowd, creep up on you, and give you a scare.
The number of attractions at Pirates of Emerson varies each year. I recommend saving the best for last. You want to time your visit so that you hit the ship attraction before or after peak time. It's a very creative and well-done attraction.
The rat maze is horrendous. The strobe light makes me nauseous because it is unending and you have no choice but to see it while you navigate your way through the maze. Btw, there is no sign warning epileptics of the strobe light. Strobe lighting can trigger seizures in photosensitive epilepsy. One year, a girl asked me if it's worth waiting in line for this attraction and just to be funny, I said "not if you have epilepsy." Well, she actually did so she decided not to go in to be on the safe side.
Pirates of Emerson was featured on America's Scariest Halloween Attractions. Apparently it started as a family & friends haunt at a private home and just got so popular that they made it commercial.
P.S. I haven't found any good haunted houses in San Francisco. If anybody can recommend a good haunted house in SF, pls LMK! :) -
Review from R S.
NY
2/2/2007
I have heard of people traveling from out of state to go to this thing.
It is a great haunted house for a first time visit. They do not change it much so overall it is the same every year.
There is a level of professionalism and quality production put into it. If you go to their website they have a trailer for what to expect, but that thing gives away a lot.
When driving through Fremont on 680 look for the giant lit up skeleton head and you'll find Pirates of Emerson. -
Review from Kevin L.
11/29/2009
BEST TWENTY BUCKS I HAVE EVER SPENT.
Two friends and I went through the six separate houses together and it was so much fun! Our triplet was really a perfect number since we kept alternating who led the grupito and who was at the back. A lot of the scares were really really well thought through. For example, in the brothel one, we were chased by a hulking guy with an axe into another room where we ran straight into a dude with a chain saw, who then proceeded to have us poop our pants while running out of the exit screaming. Everyone waiting in line then laughed at us and probably did a slow clap... The insane asylum was probably the most disturbing since the sets were straight out of a horror movie. Guys coming at you with air guns from under hospital gurneys, guys jumping out of a crawlspace in a rancid kitchen, good lord, I love this place.
Bilge rat maze was probably our least favorite, but even that one was kinda cool since the strobe lights made the wire fences seem to spin and hover.
No real need to buy the speed ticket, though that could have been the fact that we showed up right when Pirates opened up that night.
Tips:
1) Especially as it gets crowded later in the night, try to give the group ahead of you some time before you move along so you don't get scares spoiled for you.
2) BRING A DIAPER. -
Review from Alex R.
Phoenix, AZ
11/14/2008
I went here back in October with my Cousin and Friend. We decided to get into the Halloween Spirit by trying to get the crap scared out of us.
We started the night by going to the haunted house on the left as we walked in. It was filled with your typical scare tactics. Dead bodies, skeletons, cobwebs etc., adorned the walls. There were scary noise and screams all the way through the house and of course people jumping out to try to startle you.
I have always felt that startling someone is a cheap thrill, yes if you jump out from behind a wall and I am not expecting you, I will get startled ok congrats I am not scared I am startled. In this house the groups were so close together that I could see where the person was going to jump out long before I got to that spot so I knew what to expect.
The next haunted place was set in a swamp. This was actually pretty cool I felt like there was more for me to look at and get distracted by as I walked through the place. Again it was adorned with cob webs and dead bodies and had people jumping out at you.
After this we went to the maze. The maze seemed like a good idea and it was with flashing lights all around to help confuse and disorient you. My only problem here was that is was a chain-link fence so you could see everyone in front of you and where they were going and easily navigate through the maze.
Finally, we went to the Fortune Teller, this was a cool feature it was nice to get my fortune read. It also helped that they had some guy dressed up as as swamp creature patrolling the line and harassing anyone who got frightened by him being there.
We got there kind of early so the place was not packed at all. We actually spent less than an hour there and at 20 bucks to enter its kind of a lot to ask for not even an hour of entertainment. On the flip side had I had to wait in line for long periods of time I would probably be just as annoyed as I was for not being there for an hour.
They also counted a movie being projected of Pirates skateboarding and their snack bar as features for the place. Ummm sorry but that's kind of lame, your feature is the snack bar where I can buy over priced food? Um no.
Also, you can only go into an attraction once. If they had let us go in to each one twice I am sure they could have earned another star but sadly this i not the case not even on a night when the place is dead. ha ha.
All in All while I have a lot of problems with the place I will probably go back again next year. Now that I know what I am in for I wont be disappointed well at least not for the above mentioned complaints. -
Review from Lori K.
11/5/2009
I came here with a group of friends for the first time this Halloween. Paid $20 for admission and $3 for parking. We wandered around 5 haunted houses and a wire fence strobe light maze in a little less than 2 hours. I'd say we spent over half the time waiting in lines.
Initially I thought that $20 was a little steep, but after seeing each attraction, I realized that it's actually a fair price for the effort they put into setting everything up. They did a pretty good job with the set-up, special effects, and scary details within each of the haunts.
The actors were also pretty good. Their makeup and costumes were great and most of them really got into character. They did everything from chasing you around a corner while giving you an evil death-stare, to popping out from nowhere and screaming in your face. And yes, they even got a few shrieks out of some of the guys in our group. That to me, was entertainment all on its own.
Costumed staff members tried to make sure people entered in pairs in order to avoid congestion inside the haunts, as well as allowing for the highest scare potential. If you're a wimp like me, you can rush up to the people ahead of you as soon as they let you in.
The wire fence maze was a little disappointing. Maybe it was because you could see through the walls. Another thing I noticed was that the second half of the maze didn't seem to be much of a maze considering there were really no wrong turns to take. Strobe lights were pretty trippy though... one of my friends slammed straight into a fence and bounced backwards in shock. Not sure if that was their intent when planning the maze, but it was pretty funny nonetheless.
Overall, I can't say I had the the most thrilling time here, but it was good entertainment for Halloween. -
Review from Siobhan N.
Oakland, CA
11/2/2008
Last night - we ventured out in the rain to see the Pirates of Emerson. The night before our friends bought us the fast pass tickets ($30 in lieu of $20) which there was really no need for because it was very empty, i'm sure due to the rain and it being the last weekend.
We had so much fun getting spooked by snarling pirates and literally in your face wenches I thought my girlfriend was about to smack down - lol. There were 2 haunted houses - the big one was really nice - we enjoyed opening doors and the animatronics were pretty cool.
Unfortunately, the maze was too muddy so we missed out. The fortune teller was a nice touch however.
Overall it was good scary fun. The not so fun part - trying to get the mud off our shoes. We'd check it out again next year. -
Review from Sabrina A.
San Jose, CA
11/1/2009
I've gone for the last three years and though I've enjoyed myself it has been less so each year.
The haunts used to have a 3-D one, a fortune teller and actors who seemed a bit more into it.
This year was of course crowded on Halloween around 10pm. The line went fairly quick and after a fair amount of time we were in. There were 6 spots to stand in line either to go into a haunted house or the strobelight maze. I liked the Asylum, one person comes out of the fog randomly, that got me! Another haunted house had a guy with a chainsaw who chased us! Of course I was screaming like a girl!
By the end of the night though it seemed as if many of the haunts had lost their actors, seemed quite sparse and lost it's feel of being scared.
Overall it's fun because you can make it what it is, silly, cheap thrilling and I certaintly love my haunted/horror stuff. So no it isn't amazing but it's fun especially with a honey of friends to stand in line with chat, cuddle or point at other people's costumes. -
Review from Crys B.
Cupertino, CA
11/11/2009
Fun and silly, occasionally startling, but I wouldn't say scary. If you have allergies, beware, even those with mild allergies had problems with all of the stuff in the air. The price isn't bad for an evening of playfulness with your friends. FYI, no face masks or any other costuming that covers your face is allowed, nor is anything that could possibly be deemed a weapon, such as a chain dog leash.
Tips: Wear comfy shoes, take your allergy meds, and buy your tickets in advance.
Biggest annoyance is the address... The address they list on their website is more than a mile away from the actual haunted houses, so hope you've got someone with you who has been there before. -
Review from Sara F.
Albany, CA
11/2/2009
The Mister and I had a great time at Pirates of Emerson, despite our matching colds. The Pirates of Emerson are actually a pirate guild that put on the "Haunting Fields" once a year near Halloween night. I was surprised how packed this place was on Halloween.
Parking is $3 and in a big lot right next to the attraction. The whole place looks like it's an abandoned field when it's not a haunted house. I highly suggest you buy your tickets online before going as we were able to cut the whole line to pick up our tickets. If you want to save even more time, they have the "fast pass", which is $30 but allows for no waiting in line at all at any of the six attractions. There's also a concession stand if you want a smoothie or some other treat.
Each attraction was done quite well and was scary. Our favorite was the "Sick Asylum". Definitely worth $20. I'll be back next year. -
Review from Matthew R.
San Mateo, CA
10/13/2008
This is a diffrent experiance so It is worth seeing once. A lot of work and time has been put into building and making the area a fun place to go but I was left disappointed for a few reasons
1) Variety. I was under the impression there were 4 or 5 diffrent houses. There were 2 (although the 2 were fantasitc) and a maze. Even on the ticket we get it lists the food bar and an open air movie screen as attractions...
2) Price. We paid for the 30 speed pass (since it was a saturday we thought it would help, very few people were there) I felt a little ripped off by 2 hours for 20 for the majority of people. And we wee told we could only go into each house one time each...
3) The way they scare you is simple. They pop out and say boo. I had fun but it feels odd to pay so much just to have a house created to hide a bunch of people to say boo, scare me other ways please.
I had fun but only three star fun. -
Review from Rita V.
10/26/2008
This place is really scary!! I came here with a group of 12 friends on a Saturday night, and it didn't seem that packed. The ticket for Pirates of Emerson is $20, which is a bit pricey to me.
As soon as you walk in, there is a center area for people to sit and rest. There are 2 haunted house, 1 maze, and a fortune teller for people to enjoy.
We went to a haunted house first. I was immediately scared when I walked in, since it was dark. I was anticipating people jumping out and scaring me! After a few screams, I realized I couldn't take it anymore..lol. I clung on to my boyfriend really tight, and I allowed him to walk in front of me. When my eyes was closed, I got hit in the butt by someone! I thought the pirates aren't supposed to grab you. I couldn't wait to exit the haunted house!
Afterwards, we went to the second haunted house. This one has a huge skeleton outside. This one seems longer and scarier! As soon as we entered, I basically hid behind my boyfriend the whole time. I can hear the pirates asking my boyfriend 'Who is hiding behind you?'.
My favorite one is the maze. There were so many paths to choose from. When we saw the exit, we kept hitting a dead end..lol. It was nice when everyone started working together by shouting out 'dead end' before we even entered the path. Watch out for some of the zombies walking the maze. Apparently they don't move out of your way, so I I got punched in the face by the zombie. I hope it was an accident!
You are defintiely not safe until you are back in your car. When you are walking around or waiting in line, there are a few pirates scaring people.
I kept getting scared by this one pirate. I screamed, ran away, and clung on to my friends for safety. I even dragged my boyfriend to get away from the pirate..lol.
Pirates of Emerson is a good place to go if you want to get scared and have a good time with friends!! I like how all the workers were in character by talking like a pirate. The makeup on their face is amazing and scary! -
Review from Kelsey P.
Fremont, CA
10/26/2010
Went here last night 10/25/10. Let's just say it was...okay. PROS: it's extremely well themed and decorated, the event is in a dark, secluded area which adds to the ambiance, the few pirates that roam are great, you'll get a scare or two...and that's about it. CONS: 8 dollars for parking is absurd, 20 dollars for a ticket for only 6 mazes (you can go through each ONCE) that are very short (2 minutes max) 2-4 actors per maze, some of which don't do anything, and a staff that doesn't enforce rules. We were stuck behind a group of obnoxious adults that kept stopping and going in the emergency exits and decided to grab me by the shoulders and shake me. Idiot. Ruined the maze completely. Personally, I'd spend the extra few bucks and go to another haunt event where you get roller coasters, shows, and the opportunity to go through mazes multiple times with 20+ scare actors.
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Review from clarisse c.
Hayward, CA
10/5/2008
I've been here the past two years and so far I've been satisfied, but I do agree on the price being TOO much.
I love being scared and I love going with friends, so the people you go with is a big thing because you tend to feed off each other and it makes it more hilarious. Every time I go one of the pirates always ends up following me around because you can read the fear on my face. Not as scary as Freddy Kreuger, but still.
The worst part is probably the maze with the strobes light. Stay away if you have seizures. My BF lost his glasses. LOL NERD. and my friend ran his face into the fence. Not fun.
I'd recommend it if you like getting scared, BUT if you're one of those people who like to prove you don't get scared, why bother going haha -
Review from Ceece S.
Campbell, CA
10/12/2009
I came here 2 Fridays ago. The entrance fee is $20; $30 if you want the fast pass, but there were minimal lines. I'm assuming this will change as Halloween approaches.
There are 6 attractions this year - Pirates of Emerson, CarnEvil of Chaos, The Goredello, Sick Asylum, Miners Revenge and the Blige Rat Run.
I enjoyed the maze! I know people think it's lame that it's chain link and you can see right through it, but with that disorienting strobe light going off and actors chasing you around, it's takes awhile to navigate to the exit.
The CarnEvil of Chaos was by far the scariest house. Like crap, I need to get to a porta potty stat, because I think I just wet myself, scary. I will have nightmares of maniacal clowns for years to come.
Be warned, the actors MAY touch or bump you. I'm thinking the physical contact isn't intentional, but with everyone running around in a panic in almost complete darkness, accidents happen.
And this isn't like Gyros where the actors pop out, startle you and then allow you to go on your merry way. The actors will actually get up in your face, follow you around for awhile, yell at you, and otherwise terrorize you...lol
I love that even in between houses, there are scary pirates roaming the crowds/lines and engaging the patrons.
$20 well spent! -
Review from Nicole V.
Fremont, CA
11/1/2010
The day I volunteer to be at the head of the group for a haunted house is a sad, sad day. I was extremely disappointed not only by the change in location and prices, but by the lack of scaring.
This was my experience:
1 Paying $8 for parking instead of the $3 they charged for the last couple years when they decided to nix the free parking.
2 Waiting in line for close to an hour to buy my ticket.
3 Finding out $20 would only get me general admission this year and I would have to pay up to $35 to get the "full experience".
4 Not only waiting in long lines to get into the ghost houses, but being overcrowded inside each and every one of them and therefore just missing every single worker jumping out of their hiding spot to scare us. It felt as though you were still waiting in line even when you were inside the ghost house.
Even the maze was a disappointment, all the strobe lights were towards the back of the maze, so it was fun and harder to try to find your way out while you were at the back of it, but the beginning was easy to see through, and the exit is next to the beginning, so therefore the closer you got to the exit, the easier it became.
I'm really sad things turned out the way they did this year. This use to be the one attraction I looked forward to every year, and to see it go from great to less than mediocre is devastating.
I will not be returning to Pirates of Emerson again unless they return to Fremont, and hopefully reduce their prices to at least what they use to be. -
Review from Karen G.
Santa Clara, CA
10/13/2008
I agree with Matthew R. that it was overpriced for the attraction. I was also expecting 4 or 5 things, but there was one big haunted house, a smaller haunted house and a chain-link fence maze with annoying strobe lights. It was pretty quiet this past Friday but they only let you go through a house once. That's pretty lame. The big house was pretty good though.
I think you can find better haunted houses if you go to the corn farms around Gilroy, but it was nice to go here early in the month when there weren't any lines and it was a short drive away. I wasn' t sure either if we should get speed passes but the manager said the first two weekends are always quiet, and it gets busier from that point on. Maybe that'll help people trying to decide next year. -
Review from Lisa L.
Walnut Creek, CA
9/25/2010
Pirates of Emerson's annual haunting fields is the sh**!!!!
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Review from kristy B.
Concord, CA
10/24/2009
We had so much fun! We went with a big group, over 20 people. But only went into the haunted houses 2 at a time. The makeup was done excellent and the actors did a great job! We did not get the fast pass and are happy we didn't. We enjoyed standing in the lines, that moved quickly, it helped build the anticipation!
Each theme was played out through the entire house -
We jumped and even screamed out loud....
The only suggestion we all said: The chain-link strobe light maze would have been fun had it been longer! Maybe taking you into some darkness and then back into the strobe lights. Don't get me wrong it was great, my hubby walked straight into a fence - hilarious!
They really took a lot of time getting the attractions set up! Really great. Can't wait to see what they have next year! -
Review from anthony e.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/24/2010
I have been to Pirates of Emerson the last three years and was impressed the last two year. This year was good but not like it was when it was in Fremont. i felt like there was a lot dead areas meaning not action going on just a lot of dark corners. i felt like there was less people jumping out and scaring you in some of the houses
i also noticed that there are a lot of uneven surfaces in the houses I almost tripped in the Kill billy Kabin because of step from one room to another not being level.
the carnevil was ok as well played a few games just another way to fill space and give you more options to do things. We also did the electric chair thing as well nothing exciting about that either.
i would recommend to visit for a good Halloween scare. -
Review from Chris F.
San Jose, CA
10/27/2008
Overall good, scary fun! For $20, you get access to two haunted houses (one big, one small), a chain-link fence maze with strobe lights, and a fortune teller. A bit overpriced...
Anyway, the larger haunted house was the better of the two. Lots of scary, good times. The animated skeletons outside makes waiting in line a little more bearable. The second house was smaller and wasn't as scary as the first. You end up walking through the corridor without anyone scaring you for a good portion of it.
The maze could've been a little better. More actors and probably someone with a chain saw or something could've added to it, because eventually, the maze got old and everyone just started following everyone else around.
I didn't care for the fact it is located in a piece of land lined with dirt, though. Parking is literally a dirt road, and you end up inhaling piles of dirt and dust while waiting in line. I ended up sneezing tons of brown bits after getting home from this.
Well executed haunted houses, but could've given more for the $20 admission. -
Review from Sunni F.
Redwood City, CA
11/2/2008
Went on Halloween with a group of friends. I was expecting more people there and extremely long lines but the rain kept some people away. There was still a good sized crowd and the lines were long but moved quickly. It was muddy but the straw they laid down helped with that.
There were three main attractions: a rat run maze and two scare houses. The maze was okay. The rat run maze is a chain linked fence maze with strobe lights. At first it doesn't look difficult to get through but the strobe makes it challenging. The scare houses were good. The larger one better than the smaller ones. We were screaming and laughing all the way through both houses. However, the timing separation of the groups weren't enough and we ended running into other groups. They did a great job setting the mood with the animatronics, characters and music (it felt like a scary disneyland). We also meet with the misfortune teller at the end.
Overall, it was good scary fun; we had a great time. We were in and out of there in about an hour and a half. I only wished there was maybe one more attraction. It was much better experience than Gyro's Fear Factory.
$20 general, $30 express (no lines) and $3 parking -
Review from Liz L.
Burlingame, CA
10/12/2008
So this is the first time I've been here... I went here with my bf, his cousin and gf and two other friends.. so 3 girls 3 guys... and obviously us being total chicken girls... we went into the first haunted house maze.. and I'm not a fan of scary things... I love scary movies but put me into the scene.. I DON'T THINK SO... so all I remember was clenching on so hard to my bf arm cutting off his circulation to his arm and my circulation to my fingers were going out.. and I had Cathy grabbing onto my whole body behind me and Merryl grabbing onto her arm from behind her and all of us screaming and the bf's behind them.. SO YA... AS FOR US.. I DONT THINK WE SAW MUCH BUT being grabbed and screaming our asses off and sweating like hell trying to get out... and the guys getting spooked also and remember we all have thick jackets on by the time we got out it was freaking hot as hell...
ended up at the rat maze? with the strobe lights... that thing took forever and all I remember was running around with my bf and I see Cathy and Nico on the other side of the fence and Nico runs into the fence.. seriously that was so hard to get out of but hella funny... that was a good one...
the last haunted maze wasn't to fun because they had these loud pops that would go off in your ear... but I do like the first maze..
apparently last year they had like 5 mazes? according to my bf.. but they moved part of it to santa cruz.. they had a projector screen showing off last years thing and how better it was... and 20 bucks for 3 mazes wasn't all that good.. atleast 10 bucks for the 3... but you'll get a kick out of the rat maze because all you see is a bunch of people running in circles and GUYS running into fences thinking this is the way out.. :)
and glad to say finally my circulation to my fingers came back.. .and us three girls were loosing our voices and jumping up and down all crazy and ya...
oh and some dude believed the fortune teller.. .haha... that was hella funny because he believed what she said and ya.. if she says touch the magic ball.. IT WILL SHOCK YOU.. it's what the thing was made for... you can find those at Spencers except in a clear ball with the light..
