Haunted by Peter Eggink (Paul Harris Presents) gimmick included
Haunted by Peter Eggink (Paul Harris Presents) gimmick included
Instead of some of the normal manufacture hype that goes along with all the new magic tricks, we turned Haunted by Peter Eggink over to our Chief Product Reviewer, Evan Bishop. Below you'll find his two cents...and much more on this great effect.
Effect (in short): A deck of cards animates itself and cuts to the selected, signed card! Some important things to note:
DVD Production Quality: The dvd is very high quality, as we have come to expect from Paul Harris Presents. The only bad aspect I noticed was the few times that Peter was a little hard to understand-although that was mainly because of his accent.
Teaching: The teaching sections of the dvd were a bit brief, and I would've liked to hear Peter talk more about some of the little tips and specific details that he has discovered over the years of using Haunted. It would've also been nice to see Peter talk about different ways to get the gimmick in or out of play (I will discuss a few later) and what to do if the gimmick were to break during a performance. The dvd is only about 40 minutes long, with about 30 minutes of that being instruction, so I don't know why they didn't include more info.
Crediting: With many people commenting about how similar Haunted is to some other products that have been released in the past, I was surprised that the only credit Peter spoke of was the original Al Baker effect. I definitely think this should have been addressed better.
Gimmick Quality: Haunted comes with two hand-made gimmicks and extra "supplies" to make more if you need/want to. Although the gimmick does seem to be of a good quality, one of mine broke after about two days of use. I'm not sure if I had a fluke or if I just accidentally did something stupid that caused it to break; it was more likely the latter! The other gimmick is still working fine for me now. Again, you CAN make more of the gimmicks (pretty easily) if something happens.
Practicality: One of the strongest selling points for Haunted is the fact that everything is examinable (without any pocket work). The gimmick is super easy to introduce into the deck, which allows you to be able to perform any other tricks with the deck and then go into Haunted whenever you like.
How Does It Compare To Other Haunted Decks? Obviously there are many other versions of the basic Haunted Deck effect, with the original being created by Al Baker. Haunted is treated as a holy grail in the ad copy, but as with most effects, there are some advantages and disadvantages to it. The advantages are mainly its practicality, examinability, zero-angle restrictions, and the ability to walk completely away from the deck. Other Haunted Decks require that the deck be close to your body but allow you to more carefully control the movement of the deck.
The animation in Haunted is self-contained, so although you can get the movement quite consistent through practice, the movement happens out of your direct control. Also, with many Haunted Decks the tool being used (IT) could break before anything even happens, leaving you in a very awkward situation. With Haunted, any problems with the gimmick could be detected before actually getting into "performance mode."
Considerations: Because of the nature of the gimmick, I don't feel totally comfortable carrying it around in my pocket; however the gimmick is super thin so it is possible (and recommended) to carry the gimmick inside the box with the other cards (you can ring in the gimmick later using Paul Harris's Free Ride utility move from Art of Astonishment book 3). Also, the gimmick is somewhat fidgety, so you will have to do some careful experimenting to make sure it works just the way you want it to.
Mark Traversoni's Bonus Handling: Watch this video:
You can accomplish THAT with Haunted thanks to Mark Traversoni, who discovered an alternate handling that allows for a LOT more animation to occur. Granted, I haven't been able to make mine animate as quickly as Mark's does in the video, but I have gotten the deck to slide off and the card to creep out. Once you learn his version on the included .pdf download, I think you'll be quite happy with Haunted by Peter Eggink.
Overall: If you have always wanted to do the Haunted Deck effect but didn't like the restrictions of the past versions, Haunted is a great alternative. I don't think it's the holy grail, but it certainly is good. Professionals and hobbyists alike will love the features that Haunted allows; however, professionals may be irritated by the many variables that can affect the gimmick's performance. Overall, I initially just thought it was okay, but as I learned to perfect it (thanks to Mark's great advice) I have really grown to love Haunted. My final score for Haunted by Peter Eggink is 84%
What If It Doesn't Work? As I mentioned earlier, you should be able to detect problems with the gimmick before actually going into the animation phase. If you DO notice a problem, just go into a different effect. The practicality of the Haunted gimmick allows you to easily use the deck for any other trick.
Other Methods For Making Haunted Examinable: The dvd provides you with one major way of leaving the deck totally examinable. If you are an experienced magician, you may recognize that you can also use other techniques such as a motivated pocket-ditch action, a gambler's cop, or another tool such as the UCCU! This allows for even greater flexibility with Haunted.
Another Tip: Perform Haunted on top of an inverted wine glass for even better drama. I must give credit to Dean Barlow from the Cafe for this idea. You can watch an example of this here:
Enhancing the Experience: Haunted is a powerful effect; however, it can be weakened through poor presentation or cheesy acting. When I was rehearsing in front of my mirror, I quickly realized that contorting my face and making large hand motions (in typical PK style) would simply make a joke out of the effect. I now usually have the spectator hold/focus on his card, place it back, and then place their ring on top of the deck; everyone then places their hands flat on the table and concentrates. With some proper suspense, the movement is super eerie. Oh, and lastly, don't be afraid of the silence. Silence, stillness, and a dark environment build suspense and can make even the smallest movement of the deck seem like the real thing.
Other Recommendations: For a Haunted Deck that takes place in the spectator's hands you may want to check out Chill by Tom Wright; or for a different type of PK effect, give the classic Haunted Key or Banachek's PK Pen a shot.
Questions? Although I tried to cover everything in my review, I may have left something out, so if you have any questions or comments please send them to info [AT] trickshopmagic.com and we'll post them here to this page.
Instead of some of the normal manufacture hype that goes along with all the new magic tricks, we turned Haunted by Peter Eggink over to our Chief Product Reviewer, Evan Bishop. Below you'll find his two cents...and much more on this great effect.
Effect (in short): A deck of cards animates itself and cuts to the selected, signed card! Some important things to note:
- Nothing attached to you
- No threads going to the deck
- No difficult sleight-of-hand
- It resets instantly
- Everything is examinable before and after
- Can be performed 100% surrounded
- No lighting restrictions
- The spectator can be the last person to touch the deck
DVD Production Quality: The dvd is very high quality, as we have come to expect from Paul Harris Presents. The only bad aspect I noticed was the few times that Peter was a little hard to understand-although that was mainly because of his accent.
Teaching: The teaching sections of the dvd were a bit brief, and I would've liked to hear Peter talk more about some of the little tips and specific details that he has discovered over the years of using Haunted. It would've also been nice to see Peter talk about different ways to get the gimmick in or out of play (I will discuss a few later) and what to do if the gimmick were to break during a performance. The dvd is only about 40 minutes long, with about 30 minutes of that being instruction, so I don't know why they didn't include more info.
Crediting: With many people commenting about how similar Haunted is to some other products that have been released in the past, I was surprised that the only credit Peter spoke of was the original Al Baker effect. I definitely think this should have been addressed better.
Gimmick Quality: Haunted comes with two hand-made gimmicks and extra "supplies" to make more if you need/want to. Although the gimmick does seem to be of a good quality, one of mine broke after about two days of use. I'm not sure if I had a fluke or if I just accidentally did something stupid that caused it to break; it was more likely the latter! The other gimmick is still working fine for me now. Again, you CAN make more of the gimmicks (pretty easily) if something happens.
Practicality: One of the strongest selling points for Haunted is the fact that everything is examinable (without any pocket work). The gimmick is super easy to introduce into the deck, which allows you to be able to perform any other tricks with the deck and then go into Haunted whenever you like.
How Does It Compare To Other Haunted Decks? Obviously there are many other versions of the basic Haunted Deck effect, with the original being created by Al Baker. Haunted is treated as a holy grail in the ad copy, but as with most effects, there are some advantages and disadvantages to it. The advantages are mainly its practicality, examinability, zero-angle restrictions, and the ability to walk completely away from the deck. Other Haunted Decks require that the deck be close to your body but allow you to more carefully control the movement of the deck.
The animation in Haunted is self-contained, so although you can get the movement quite consistent through practice, the movement happens out of your direct control. Also, with many Haunted Decks the tool being used (IT) could break before anything even happens, leaving you in a very awkward situation. With Haunted, any problems with the gimmick could be detected before actually getting into "performance mode."
Considerations: Because of the nature of the gimmick, I don't feel totally comfortable carrying it around in my pocket; however the gimmick is super thin so it is possible (and recommended) to carry the gimmick inside the box with the other cards (you can ring in the gimmick later using Paul Harris's Free Ride utility move from Art of Astonishment book 3). Also, the gimmick is somewhat fidgety, so you will have to do some careful experimenting to make sure it works just the way you want it to.
Mark Traversoni's Bonus Handling: Watch this video:
You can accomplish THAT with Haunted thanks to Mark Traversoni, who discovered an alternate handling that allows for a LOT more animation to occur. Granted, I haven't been able to make mine animate as quickly as Mark's does in the video, but I have gotten the deck to slide off and the card to creep out. Once you learn his version on the included .pdf download, I think you'll be quite happy with Haunted by Peter Eggink.
Overall: If you have always wanted to do the Haunted Deck effect but didn't like the restrictions of the past versions, Haunted is a great alternative. I don't think it's the holy grail, but it certainly is good. Professionals and hobbyists alike will love the features that Haunted allows; however, professionals may be irritated by the many variables that can affect the gimmick's performance. Overall, I initially just thought it was okay, but as I learned to perfect it (thanks to Mark's great advice) I have really grown to love Haunted. My final score for Haunted by Peter Eggink is 84%
The Trick Shop Talks Back!
Gaining Consistency: Although I had some trouble getting a consistent, large animation at first, after experimenting with it for a while and using Mark Traversoni's helpful tips, I am now able to get a really great animation about every time. Be patient with the gimmick, try out different options and notice the difference in animation. Eventually you'll get it.What If It Doesn't Work? As I mentioned earlier, you should be able to detect problems with the gimmick before actually going into the animation phase. If you DO notice a problem, just go into a different effect. The practicality of the Haunted gimmick allows you to easily use the deck for any other trick.
Other Methods For Making Haunted Examinable: The dvd provides you with one major way of leaving the deck totally examinable. If you are an experienced magician, you may recognize that you can also use other techniques such as a motivated pocket-ditch action, a gambler's cop, or another tool such as the UCCU! This allows for even greater flexibility with Haunted.
Another Tip: Perform Haunted on top of an inverted wine glass for even better drama. I must give credit to Dean Barlow from the Cafe for this idea. You can watch an example of this here:
Enhancing the Experience: Haunted is a powerful effect; however, it can be weakened through poor presentation or cheesy acting. When I was rehearsing in front of my mirror, I quickly realized that contorting my face and making large hand motions (in typical PK style) would simply make a joke out of the effect. I now usually have the spectator hold/focus on his card, place it back, and then place their ring on top of the deck; everyone then places their hands flat on the table and concentrates. With some proper suspense, the movement is super eerie. Oh, and lastly, don't be afraid of the silence. Silence, stillness, and a dark environment build suspense and can make even the smallest movement of the deck seem like the real thing.
Other Recommendations: For a Haunted Deck that takes place in the spectator's hands you may want to check out Chill by Tom Wright; or for a different type of PK effect, give the classic Haunted Key or Banachek's PK Pen a shot.
Questions? Although I tried to cover everything in my review, I may have left something out, so if you have any questions or comments please send them to info [AT] trickshopmagic.com and we'll post them here to this page.
Product Reviews for Haunted by Peter Eggink (Paul Harris Presents) gimmick included
Haunted by Peter Eggink (Paul Harris Presents) gimmick includedJordanJanuary 24, 2012Very impressed with this work. As far as haunted deck routines I this method may not be 100% new but I like the handling taught by Peter Eggink on the DVD. This is one of the magic purchases I don't regret!
