theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Halloween Effects?

Crimson Ace

Crimson Ace

Jun 5, 2010
140
0
New York, New York
Hey guys i'm not sure if anyone has asked about this yet. But do you have any effects in mind for Halloween? Preferably effects that can be done on an individual basis. Or perhaps for a small group. I'm not running a haunted house here. Just thought that it would something fun to entertain my friends with...........and to hopefully freak them out a bit......or a lot >.>
 
some of the tricks from my halloween show:
SAW, Freak,the criss angel razor blade thing(a version of it) and more..
Cant wait for my halloween Show !
 
Get yourself a copy of Rick Maue's BOOK OF HAUNTED MAGICK as a starter, anything from Borodin or Ed Solomon would be appropriate as well as certain pieces from Docc Hilford such as you'd find in his book BAND OF THE HAND... he's got some very clever bits such as a spirit bell routine with a borrowed cell phone, some very nice Jack the Ripper routines and Swamp Water (a classic).

You'll also find some nice stuff here http://www.blackhart.co.uk/page53.html
 
Craig Browning said:
Get yourself a copy of Rick Maue's BOOK OF HAUNTED MAGICK as a starter, anything from Borodin or Ed Solomon would be appropriate as well as certain pieces from Docc Hilford such as you'd find in his book BAND OF THE HAND... he's got some very clever bits such as a spirit bell routine with a borrowed cell phone, some very nice Jack the Ripper routines and Swamp Water (a classic).

You'll also find some nice stuff here http://www.blackhart.co.uk/page53.html
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I second every single thing in this post. Plus with everyone else apparently doing thread and saw these effects will set you apart from the rest. I really love Docc Hilford's stuff and Rick Maue.
 
You can do the Lifesaver trick that Dan Sperry did on America's got talent. Or he did a coin in one eye and took out of the other on Masters of Illusions. Not sure what the name of that trick was but a good one for Halloween.
 
SimplyMagic14 said:
You can do the Lifesaver trick that Dan Sperry did on America's got talent. Or he did a coin in one eye and took out of the other on Masters of Illusions. Not sure what the name of that trick was but a good one for Halloween.
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Why?

Why would anyone want to do something that's been done... especially on TV?

What about ORIGINALITY?

What about creating material that is "yours" and not the same stuff all the other wannabes are doing?

Why not choose to stick out from the rest by doing your own thing and building up your own name?

Too many of us look at every magic Tv spot as they would a catalog in some store rather than the demonstration they are meant to be; an inspiration for you that allows you to see where you could end up IF you are original, creative, and different enough to catch the eye of booking agents, talent buyers and of course, the consumer.

If you go out and do this particular routine along with any dozen other tricks you've seen Criss, David or whomever else do on TV or YouTube you can get work as a filler act. As such you might see salaries of $300.00 to maybe $600.00 a gig. Alternatively, you could create your own act and do material that is not as common or "commercial" and as such, stand out from the rest of the pack. This allows you to become a brand name and your are hired based on what makes you different, not what makes you the same boring thing you see on any given street corner. Why you take on that mantel you will find yourself easily getting offers of well over $1,500.00 to as much as $5,000.00 and that's for working small private functions, not even corporate type gigs.

I know you were looking at the Halloween question, but even at that, we owe it to ourselves and our patrons to do "more" than what they've already seen. We need to impress them by being who we are, not who or what we can mimick.
 
Craig Browning said:
What about creating material that is "yours" and not the same stuff all the other wannabes are doing?

Why not choose to stick out from the rest by doing your own thing and building up your own name?
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Well, that requires two things. First, the desire to go pro, which most people here have. And the self-discipline needed to actually put in those 10,000 hours toward true mastery, which almost noone here does.

As long as we're at it, I'm going to throw in my support for The Book of Haunted Magick and Docc Hilford's works. I've had the chance on several occasions to sit down with Rick and Docc and pick their brains and they're some of the sharpest men in the business.

If you haven't yet, consider some of Richard Webster's books on cold reading.
 
I second The Book of Haunted Magick. I work at a haunted house and very much do enjoy the theme the books has to offer.
 
I'd go to your local magic shop and ask them to order either Ghost Glass II for you, or Fuse. These are wonderful utility devices, that you can apply to a wide range of effects, and can easily be adapted to paranormal or bizarre plots.

Bonus is their not -too- expensive, I think you'll pay less than 30$ bucks each, and they will last you for a very long time. I've had my Ghost Glass II now for over two years, and it's not even half empty yet.

You could also look into Eugene Burgers book called "Spirit Theater" if you wanted some good séance information.

If you've never worked with Bizarre magic before then it may be just what your looking for! Tony Chris has a great introductory DVD on Bizarre magic called Karnival of Magick.

jrobarts05 said:
...Through and Through...
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While JRobarts gave some other REALLY great suggestions, I disagree with this one. This isn't a trick. Most people don't have the stomach to do what this DVD teaches. Further, I don't recommend this kind of effect to ANYONE under the age of 18. You could seriously hurt yourself if you don't know what your doing.



For my review on Fuse, you can click this link here.

For my review on Spirit Theater click this link Here.

And if you'd like my review on Karnival of Magick then please click here.

All the best to you and your spooky endeavors!
 
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Craig Browning said:
Why?

Why would anyone want to do something that's been done... especially on TV?

What about ORIGINALITY?

What about creating material that is "yours" and not the same stuff all the other wannabes are doing?

Why not choose to stick out from the rest by doing your own thing and building up your own name?

Too many of us look at every magic Tv spot as they would a catalog in some store rather than the demonstration they are meant to be; an inspiration for you that allows you to see where you could end up IF you are original, creative, and different enough to catch the eye of booking agents, talent buyers and of course, the consumer.

If you go out and do this particular routine along with any dozen other tricks you've seen Criss, David or whomever else do on TV or YouTube you can get work as a filler act. As such you might see salaries of $300.00 to maybe $600.00 a gig. Alternatively, you could create your own act and do material that is not as common or "commercial" and as such, stand out from the rest of the pack. This allows you to become a brand name and your are hired based on what makes you different, not what makes you the same boring thing you see on any given street corner. Why you take on that mantel you will find yourself easily getting offers of well over $1,500.00 to as much as $5,000.00 and that's for working small private functions, not even corporate type gigs.

I know you were looking at the Halloween question, but even at that, we owe it to ourselves and our patrons to do "more" than what they've already seen. We need to impress them by being who we are, not who or what we can mimick.
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Didn't this make anyone else laugh? This is like, a Jr HS kid who is in the art club asking someone, "hey, I want to create a nice piece for the exhibition at the end of the month, what kind of picture should I create?" and then someone replies, "hmm, you should try to do something like this person's work, because it suits you well, and I think it would be really good." THEN, someone like this poster says, "OMG!!! How can you ever expect to go PRO and get the BIG BUCKS by copying everyone else's work???? You gotta be original and only create some new things, so instead of getting like 600 dollars, you can get like 2000 dollars and make it big time!"

The problem with this is, you are skipping about a gazillion steps in between.

There is nothing wrong with trying to learn other people's material. Heck, I even bet you do an ACR. News flash, you didn't create that. True, eventually, you will want to branch off and start making things more original, or creating brand new things altogether, but, you can't skip the learning and adapting stages.

So, back to the OP, please forget what this person said for now and if you want to learn some material that you have seen performed, please go ahead and do so. Learn why those magicians have been successful performing those tricks and learn to make them your own eventually.
 
Lets not put Craig down too much here. He's got a valid point. All-be-it one delivered from on top of a soap box. However that being said I think Steer also hit the nail on the head. Unless you are playing the game as a professional, and even then I'd say on a national level, imitation isn't going to affect or hurt you any. I agree that it's important to be original, but you learn by imitation. You've got to start somewhere.
 
tokyoUW said:
Heck, I even bet you do an ACR. News flash, you didn't create that.
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I love it when people shoot their mouths off with absolutely no clue who they're talking to. Even funnier when they miss the goddamn point entirely.

Learn why those magicians have been successful performing those tricks
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Like everyone recommending those same tricks hasn't? Do you honestly believe that anyone recommending Thread here can tell you why it's good?

The point Craig was making is that you ignorant slobs are recommending flavor-of-the-month tricks with the rationale of, "Dude, this was on TV!" That's the extent of the logic on display here. And there we have a problem.
 
tokyoUW said:
Didn't this make anyone else laugh? This is like, a Jr HS kid who is in the art club asking someone, "hey, I want to create a nice piece for the exhibition at the end of the month, what kind of picture should I create?" and then someone replies, "hmm, you should try to do something like this person's work, because it suits you well, and I think it would be really good." THEN, someone like this poster says, "OMG!!! How can you ever expect to go PRO and get the BIG BUCKS by copying everyone else's work???? You gotta be original and only create some new things, so instead of getting like 600 dollars, you can get like 2000 dollars and make it big time!"
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Aren't you a teacher? I'd hate to be in your class if so. True, people do have to be influenced by others in their art. BUT in magic if you are taking an effect such as Saw or Thread, that is the the bulk of the trick. To put your poorly executed analogy to use, it is like me taking a picture of a MC Escher piece, tracing the picture and coloring it a different color. It still Eschers work but your coloring. If you presented this to the art community, you will get laughed at. Unfortunately the magic community is a lot more forgiving.

The problem with this is, you are skipping about a gazillion steps in between.

There is nothing wrong with trying to learn other people's material. Heck, I even bet you do an ACR. News flash, you didn't create that. True, eventually, you will want to branch off and start making things more original, or creating brand new things altogether, but, you can't skip the learning and adapting stages.
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Why don't you google Craig Browning instead of humiliating yourself further.

So, back to the OP, please forget what this person said for now and if you want to learn some material that you have seen performed, please go ahead and do so. Learn why those magicians have been successful performing those tricks and learn to make them your own eventually.
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Oh yeah, disregard that person's opinion because mine is soooooo much better. That is complete Bull ****. Don't worry about creativity now, worry about it later when you think you are the ****! Fook that mofo.

I'd rather start with "Oh look some guy is pulling a thread out of his eye...how can I make this more freaky? Oh I know, lets do the needle swallowing trick but with my eye!" that is how originality truly shines through.
*goes back to breaking bush in the woods, because he refuses to take the beaten path before him.*

Plus, hiking is much more fun that way. ^^
 
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