Houdini’s Last Trick – Peter Eggink – A Review
Gimmicks and Online Instructions
Review by Rick Carruth

This is the Ad Copy:

From your wallet you remove a picture of the Great “Houdini” – everyone is familiar with the fact that Harry Houdini was the world’s greatest escapologist and still is a huge inspiration to every magician in the world.

You begin to tell the story that you’ve shot this “instant” picture from an actual picture of the iconic magician, during your visit at the “Houdini Museum”: Analog pictures are known for their ability to capture energy and other spiritual phenomena.

You are introducing your spectator to “Houdini’s famous card trick”: You explain that Houdini would have a spectator think of any card and then magically revealed the chosen card in his breast pocket of his jacket.

Here is where the experiment starts… the spectator holds the picture in between her hands to “connect” with the master magician’s energy (or the picture can be set aside so no one is able to touch it again).

Next, ask your spectator to memorize any card from the deck.

As if Houdini’s spirit actually came through, your spectator feels a strange sensation…when you ask your spectator to open her hands and take a close look at the picture again, eerily and magically their chosen card has now appeared and is revealed inside Houdini’s breast pocket in the photograph!

In the end the photo may be fully examined.Houdini’s Last Trick comes complete with the ready to go gimmick, photograph and online instructions.

This is really a beautiful, brand new rendition of Peter’s ingenious “Ghost-Tag” which was a blockbuster release 15 years ago.

“Houdini’s Last Trick” opens up for a great patter and emotionally involves your spectators throughout the routine with an nostalgic, spiritual feel to it.

You will LOVE this.
Special engineered gimmick!
Self working!
EERY and MAGICAL card revelation!
Fits inside your phone case or wallet!
Always ready to go!

My Thoughts:

I have a soft spot for effects that appear truly magical. Sometimes one needs a bit of science to pull that off. Houdini’s Last Trick has the gimmick and the story to add something very unique to your routine.

First, although magician’s say anything can be performed for a large audience with proper presentation, I would recommend this effect for close-up and walk around. It’s great for restaurant work too. The gimmicks are fairly small, and the visual is even smaller, and perform best in small groups.

As described in the ad copy, the performer tells a story of Houdini and a photograph the performer took at the Houdini Museum. He relays a story of an effect supposedly made famous by Houdini, where Houdini ask a spectator to name a card… and then pulls that card from his jacket pocket.

The performer introduces the photo and a deck of cards. The ad copy implies the spectator has a free choice of any card in the deck. Actually, the spectator has a free choice where he/she cuts the deck.. or something similar that allows the spectator to find a specific card.

After a card is selected, the spectator holds the photo in his hands, and after a few seconds sees his chosen card slowly appear in Houdini’s breast pocket. It’s definitely magical and will stun your spectator.

I don’t think it’s a big secret that the power of thermal technology is at work here. Holding the card in the hand causes the card to appear. It’s been used in other effects to one degree or another, and I think this is one of the very best uses I’ve seen. I think the idea of using the Houdini photo is smart thinking and will resonate with the audience.

I’m going to show my age here.. I had to use a magnifying glass to see the identity of the card in Houdini’s pocket. Like the markings on some marked decks.. some of us have a little trouble reading small print. Having two pictures, one gaffed and one not, lets me show the ungaffed picture beforehand and lets the spectator examine it with the magnifying glass to their hearts content.

Personally.. I give the spectator a deck of cards, direct them to a cross cut force, and I remove the top half for them after the cut. While they are looking at the top card of the ‘bottom’ half.. I apply a small piece of two sided tape to the top of the packet in my hand. I drop it on top of the half on the table and ask them to drop their card on top of the entire deck. I get them to cut the deck a couple of times. Now, I ask them to hold the deck at eye level and look at the side of the deck. I ask them to give the deck a little squeeze and estimate the thickness. (..about a inch ). I ask them to cut it another time of two and bring it to eye level again and give it another squeeze. I try to convince them the deck looks slightly thinner, maybe by just a card or two. I get them to turn the deck face up, spread it, and find their card. They can’t. I haven’t touched the deck. After a little patter, I get the spectator to take the magnifying glass once more and examine the Houdini picture. There’s his card … in Houdini’s pocket. This adds a vanish, in the spectator’s hands, to an already strong trick…

The photos are quality, the teaching is thorough, and you should get many performances from the gimmicks. Again, I like to see technology used in magic. It adds a little something rarely seen by the spectator. I recommend this for Roadshow readers.

$39.95 From Murphy’s Magic and all their associates…
https://www.murphysmagic.com/Product.aspx?id=67674