talkmagic.co.uk

Hi

just wondering what tricks everyone is using for Halloween. I don’t have any spooky tricks, but I have got about £100 to spend on some

I purchased three cups. They are tall and much like champaign flutes, only with a wider, shorter bell (the part that you would put your drink in!). The bell is a skull, resting on a skeletal hand and the arm itself is the shaft of the cup. They are plastic, but look pretty cool. I'm using little skulls as the balls and candle pumpkins as the final loads. Total cost:
Under 5 dollars.

Next up is a skull that is rubber with foam inside. Very light, looks good. I also purchased some very thin material that is black with silver moons, stars and such on it. I'm having that sewn up in double thickness (I know a really talented seamstress) and I'll be doing a skull/zombie presentation with that. Total cost: Under 20 dollars.

Look around. The stores a filled to the brim with Halloween stuff that can be used for all kinds of different tricks. You don't really need a magic shop for this stuff, right now. And, you get to choose your own materials, rather than buying what someone is marketing to you as a magic trick (how many times have you bought something and thought, "I'll never use this just because the materials look dumb?"). Be creative!

Mike.

The web would be an ideal trick for this genre.

http://www.magicbox.uk.com/product.php/001/00088/

It's only in recent years that UK stores have stocked a large selection of Halloween items but they're catching up fast! Poundstretcher, Wilkinson’s and ASDA all have items similar to those Mike mentions - especially the skull flutes and skull candles and also little pumpkin candles. None of them cost a fortune so creativity can be economic as well as entertaining!

It's very true that, with a bit of thought, you can use cheap Halloween stuff to perform effects.

However, if you are specifically looking for "bizarre" magic, then try this:

http://www.blackhart.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

I haven't ordered from them for over a year, but the things I bought from them in 2003 were good. They use a lot of simple principles, but produce some nice spooky props.

EDIT: The link seems to be rather slow, but gets there in the end.