Movies That Would Make Great Magic Tricks

[Josh Burch]

I have been thinking about plots for new magic tricks lately. I don't really care about the method as long as it gives the effect I'm looking for. One thing that has been fun has been to look at a movie and try to extract a magic trick from it. I'm completely lost at how to execute most of these but I really want to!

Jurassic Park - There's a scene in one of the sequels where a dinosaur walks through the suburbs. I'd love for the premise of a trick to be that there is a dinosaur living in my backyard. I'm not sure what the trick would actually be but I'd love it if it built a little. First, you open up the back door and put a raw hot dog on a plate then close the door. When you open it again it the hot dog is gone. Then you put a dog bone on the plate and repeat the actions again. The bone vanishes.

You then prove that the dinosaur is there or something by placing a cellphone out on the porch on a timer. When you open up the last photo it's a picture of a dinosaur or something.

Or, you could put a deck out and all of the cards would vanish with the exception of one. There might even be remnants of the cards scattered about like the dinosaur ate them all. The only unharmed card would be the selected card left on the plate.

Sixth Sense - You somehow convince your friend that they have been dead the duration of the trick. I'm thinking of taking a picture with their phone where they vanish. They then do some sort of light and heavy type of effect. At the end of the trick you reveal that they are dead, that's why they couldn't lift up the box. You show the photo for proof.

Truman Show - I like the idea of trying to prove to your friend that you are being watched. You then go to a vending machine enter in a code and the dollar bill taker prints out a photo of you and your friend standing right there.

I could keep going, but I'd love to brainstorm on some of these. Also, I'd love to hear about tricks that you might adapt from movies.

 

[010rusty]

This is a really good post! I’m getting back the cinema phase of my life. Anyway, my style of performing used to be based on my favorite movie of all time Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Where each trick was like a room and although it was intended to attract only 1 kid everyone else watches In extremely joy and even participates a little. You know, without Killing them and putting them in my candy(good search that theory for a FUN time). I don’t follow that much anymore but it was a decent template for people like me who had problems with audience interaction. anyway to actually answer the question

Nightmare on Elm street- The spectator sits on stage on a square box covered with a blanket. the spectator begins to Describe their dream last night. In great detail. You ask them stand up and remove the blanket and they now see that it is now the exact mini fridge (or whatever) from their dream, and while they are in awe and not paying attention to you, you remove your jacket to reveal you are wearing the exact shirt from their dream!the audience sees and flips, then your spectator turns around to see it as well.
(This was based on the infamous couch scene from the movie where Nancy is describing her dream and everyone agrees That they dreamt about the same creepy old man)

Space jam- this trick is not going according to plan. You just can’t seem to find the spectators card. You ask the spectator to find it they go through each card 1 by 1. They can’t either!!
It seems to have disappeared!! but wait! Out of now where the looney tunes starts appearing on each card. They each hold up a sign with a letter. And when spread out they say “LOOK IN THE BOX STUPID” and with the spectator holding he box the WHOLE TIME sure enough their card is right inside.

Ground hog day- exactly what you think. you’ve been here before. Cursed to relive the day. You know what your spectator is about to. Take a napkin and you write it down. tell them to say anything. And whatever they say will be written on that napkin.
(Or just do the classic TicTacToe prediction trick.)

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

This is a really good post! I’m getting back the cinema phase of my life. Anyway, my style of performing used to be based on my favorite movie of all time Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. Where each trick was like a room and although it was intended to attract only 1 kid everyone else watches In extremely joy and even participates a little. You know, without Killing them and putting them in my candy(good search that theory for a FUN time). I don’t follow that much anymore but it was a decent template for people like me who had problems with audience interaction. anyway to actually answer the question

Lately I've been working on a routine based on a scene from Willy Wonka!

 

[Josh Burch]

Ground hog day- exactly what you think. you’ve been here before. Cursed to relive the day. You know what your spectator is about to. Take a napkin and you write it down. tell them to say anything. And whatever they say will be written on that napkin.
(Or just do the classic TicTacToe prediction trick.)

I like this premise for a lot of prediction effects. You start the presentation with, "You're not going to believe this but this is the 300th time I have experienced today. See I knew you were going to have that reaction. You want proof? Take a card..." I like that a lot!

 

[Josh Burch]

Lately I've been working on a routine based on a scene from Willy Wonka!

Is it the car wash scene?

 

[010rusty]

Lately I've been working on a routine based on a scene from Willy Wonka!

I remember way back when you pitched me the idea of doing Wonka Vision on your phone. I thought it was a great idea and played around with it.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

I remember way back when you pitched me the idea of doing Wonka Vision on your phone. I thought it was a great idea and played around with it.

That's it haha. It's an invisible deck but with a similar presentation to the Wonka Vision scene.

Is it the car wash scene?

Isn't that the premise behind one of the card tricks in the Pure Imaginations book that was just released?

 

[Josh Burch]

Isn't that the premise behind one of the card tricks in the Pure Imaginations book that was just released?

Yes, it is. I like the idea of Wonkavision

 

[CaseyRudd]

I like this premise for a lot of prediction effects. You start the presentation with, "You're not going to believe this but this is the 300th time I have experienced today. See I knew you were going to have that reaction. You want proof? Take a card..." I like that a lot!

The scenario going on in my head as I read this I imagine doing a classic force asking them to take a card, and then casually show them the rest of the deck after they have taken the card out and say "and every time I have done this before, out of all of the cards you always choose the (insert card here)".

I've also thought it would be a cool idea to do something based around the spinning top in Inception. If it stays spinning and doesn't fall over, you're in a dream and not in reality. And as the top spins on the table it slowly starts to levitate, proving that this wouldn't happen in the real world and that you're currently dreaming.

 

[010rusty]

ET- I loved the idea of secretly hiding something from everyone.

So, throughout your entire performance your audience believes at something is in your front jacket pocket as if you have something hidden. You never mention or talk about it. But your audience is able to infer something is up. Constantly between tricks it keeps making noise producing light, and fire. You struggle to sit still as it is Jumping around. Then as your grand finale you finally admit you have something in your jacket and you pull out a completely normal stuffed animal of a whatever. They grab it and are completely baffled on how it was able to bounce around and make noise, and you say, “I found him in a cornfield. Idk what he is or what his name is. I couldn’t find a tag of anything that said what his name is” they should quickly notice a large collar with a tag on it and written on the tag is...
THE SPECTATORS NAME. They keep the stuffed animal and you end your set in great fashion.