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Wild Card, I had some old books on crafts and hobbies when I was a kid (still have them somewhere in storage in my Dad's loft, I think). It was common to include a section on magic, which of course would have to be gimmickless stuff, or at least only using things that could be bought or found easily by most children.

I can recall taking an old mortice key from my Dad's tool drawers (as with most men, including me, he doesn't throw stuff like that away), and it was perfect for Haunted Key. I can't recall if I tried it after reading it in a magic book, or some general work on hobbies. I wonder if that key is still there...

Taking a much more modern example, 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' explains how to do a couple of coin tricks. They have recently released some spin-off magic sets too ('Card Tricks', 'Magic Set' and 'Illusions').

Thanks for the advice Part-Timer, along with everybody else!

the haunted key addition that accompanies the golden key trick is a passable key and alows a follow on trick but it is the very nature of the design that alows you to add a neo to it so you can do the haunted key trick, sit it on a table or in a glass and use your auntie bertha for other pk effects.

I always present it as a demonstration of PK - mind over matter. I showed it to an 8 year old recently. He thought I had an IT.

magicofmind wrote.
a nice way to present this is to tie an imaginary hair to the end of the key and use it to pull the "tang" or head over, one of the great thing about this trick is in a kid enviroment they can snatch the key from your hand and still find nothing, which gives you ample opertunity to set yourself up for the bend mentioned earlier.

remeber folks this prop though a good trick in of itself can lead into other miricles, even if you just use it as a wand for a strike vanish.

Ive done this many times, and never once have i used a " special" key.

but then, as ive mentioned before, this is in part down to being a locksmith in an early job.
I got to handle hundreds of different mortice key blanks, and found the point of ballance on almost all of them.

queen of clubs wrote:Isn't the whole concept a bit poor anyway?

A key you've placed on your open palm turns over? That's all. It turns over. Oh my god! Someone take my elbow, I think I might need a new nappy!

'pick a card and I'll find it.' Sounds a bit dull and boring, doesn't it? You would argue that you have many ways of making this interesting though, whether it be with clever presentation, or a novel way of producing the card.

Same here - your presentation is the key to making the trick work. In the right routine, with the right presentation, this is a killer. If you perform it for children, you'll know that it gets them every time, and they can examine it before and after, and wave their hands about over it during.

If the key was on the edge of a table then yeah, fine. But in the palm? Like anyone is going to believe it's got nothing to do with your motor movements.

I've had accusations of magnets, wires, wind and hairs, but never motor movements...if you do it right, your hand doesn't appear to move at all.

I'd be embarrassed to include this in a set.

That's a little disappointing Kate. You're very skillful with a deck of cards, but you have to appriciate that card magic is just one part of magic. When I was younger, I thought that card magic was extremely boring and pointless. I've come to appriciate the skill involved, and enjoy it now as much as any other branch of magic.

Everyone has their own opinion, and if you don't like this, then that's just fine. I'm not a huge fan of Card Warp, despite agreeing with the consensus that Roy Walton is a legend. Whoever said that there's no such thing as bad tricks, just bad magicians is probably right.

As the others have said though, it works, it impresses, and it wouldn't be as popular as it is if it didn't.

Wildcard- The book "Street Magic" by Paul Zenon has the gimmickless haunted key in it

cymru1991 wrote:Wildcard- The book "Street Magic" by Paul Zenon has the gimmickless haunted key in it

Cheers! I have the book, didn't even think to look in it!

You're right, Max. I just happen not to like it, and I have no desire to include it in anything. I accept that other people disagree but isn't that the whole point of a forum? We all muck in and throw a few opinions around?

I just think that a key, in your hand, that rolls to one side, isn't too amazing. Even with brilliant patter, I'd think that if there was anyone in the audience who thought it was "real" then they would be very gullible. But that's just my opinion which I am basing, admittedly, on absolutely nothing

The main problem I have is that it has such an obvious explanation (even if the solution the spectator arrives at is wrong, the opportunity for someone to think they know how it works is just too great). I like a "trick" to seem next to impossible to work out or explain, but even if this was performed in a very entertaining way, I'd still think (as would, I assume, 99% of laypeople) "Yeah, funny, cool, entertaining, but you probably just leaned your hand a bit and the key was weighted in a particular way or summink". Do you see what I mean?

I'm also hugely prejudiced against the effect because that bloody Zenon did it. I don't like him.

I'd want a key placed on the edge of a table, with the flat bit that you hold over the edge and nobody anywhere near it. Then it turns over. That's how I'd perform it if I ever had to.

I'd also probably have to have a deck of cards involved, haha. Maybe some sort of... "key card". Now there's something nobody's ever come up with before...

Paul Zennon's Book "Street Magic" explains the method very well. I agree with the Queen od Clubs that this effect is a little lacking in tension if performed by the wrong person. However, any resonably competent magician can make it seem amazing.

I'm pretty sure my Dad isn't intending to perform it as a magic trick to be honest, probably just as an interesting little number down at the pub.

My 17 year-old said that this was obvious and I challenged him to do it with a random old key. He did It may not have taken 30 secs but at least 20.

When it comes down to it, a key rotates on the hand.

queenie, i'll put up my haunted key against your ac any day, try it on a pack of cards in your hand with the meerest bevel of the deck you can make the key turn......stop halfway through the turn....and on, of cause you will need the same amount of practise it takes to learn to do a perfect farrow shuffle but hey your a dedicated lady right.

its horses for courses, all i can say is in the ten so years iv'e done this iv'e had about a dozen calls that it turns because you tilt your hand but none who could explain how it turns stops half way then turns the other way, all under my control and as ive mentioned before you can gaff the key so you can use it for pk effects too.

queen of clubs wrote:You're right, Max. I just happen not to like it, and I have no desire to include it in anything. I accept that other people disagree but isn't that the whole point of a forum? We all muck in and throw a few opinions around?

I just think that a key, in your hand, that rolls to one side, isn't too amazing. Even with brilliant patter, I'd think that if there was anyone in the audience who thought it was "real" then they would be very gullible. But that's just my opinion which I am basing, admittedly, on absolutely nothing

The main problem I have is that it has such an obvious explanation (even if the solution the spectator arrives at is wrong, the opportunity for someone to think they know how it works is just too great). I like a "trick" to seem next to impossible to work out or explain, but even if this was performed in a very entertaining way, I'd still think (as would, I assume, 99% of laypeople) "Yeah, funny, cool, entertaining, but you probably just leaned your hand a bit and the key was weighted in a particular way or summink". Do you see what I mean?

I'm also hugely prejudiced against the effect because that bloody Zenon did it. I don't like him.

I'd want a key placed on the edge of a table, with the flat bit that you hold over the edge and nobody anywhere near it. Then it turns over. That's how I'd perform it if I ever had to.

the bit people miss, is doing it in their hands. Its very simple.

i agree with dale completely...

plus, if you add in a small group of people standing/sitting around all saying/thinking the word "turn" as you do it...

plus, if the darker side of things is more "you", you can always introduce the key on a chain, and use it as a pendulum too...

I like the other bit, where you hang it down, between your index fingers.
though ive never been able to get it quite right to perform it.
I know how it works, but i shake a bit.