talkmagic.co.uk

Thank you very much everyone. Some good food for thought there.

Bmat I've seen the card for Nosferatu routine before as Tony made it available on one of the bizarre magic sites for free before, but obviously without the props. I performed it a few times, but I'd rather steer away from card tricks.

Craig I remember there were a few vampire themed routines on dragonskull, but google now flags it up as being infected. Does anyone know what's going on there?

I have directors cut horror edition and know the routine. I was thinking maybe that would serve as an introduction to the subject. I remember the Dracula book test that was brought out. It used a gimmicked book. I think I'd rather just use an old Bram Stoker book and find a suitable book test to go with it, rather than going for the gimmick. Then I can have a nice old book.

The crucifix tricks are probably going to cause problems. Lebanon circle released the cross which burned 666 into cards, but I don't think Dan sold many so it was stopped. I was thinking alternatively maybe smoke effects rather than fire. The vampire being able to turn into a fog.

Thaumaturge I did see that and am quite tempted. I'd probably change the presentation, but does look good.

Paul I'm trying to avoid spending more money on your writings. Enough has gone on your books, excellent as they are. I've just got Freddies tarot book to read, so that's reading for now. I was thinking about seance work or at least seance effects. But a bit more on my research later.

Mark I was thinking maybe effects involving some form of change box. I doubt I'd be able to get hold of the effect you mentioned any more, but thanks for the info.

Thank you everyone. That was a lot more than I expected.

Mr_Grue wrote:Vampire cluedo! It was Van Helsing, in the sunhouse, with the clove of garlic...

Maybe the noughts and crosses prediction from Mark Wilson

How about you have four silver coins on the table that wer the last coins given to Judas before he died (and supposably became cursed to walkt the earth a a vampire for
his sins). The vampire can take on an human form and so one of the audience members decides (with out you knowing who will play the vampire).
They each then pick up a coin and the one is the vampire, cant seem to pick it up..in fact they cant even stand the site of it....

All acheiveable my friend, with some nice dual reality or psuedo hypno. Copyright - Chris Carter 2010

There are lots of detective-type effects out there that could easily be adapted to a vampire detection theme. I immediately thought of "Red Handed" from Phill Smith's Mitox, for one.

Lebanon Circle's "From Hell" could be used to determine which ladies were victims of Dracula instead of Jack the Ripper.

I like the idea of silver coins and vampire detection. I could quite easily do Max Maven Kurotsuke with 4 silver coins and one non-silver. From hell I do like performing, but think I'll keep that with my Ripper routine.

I like the idea of silver coins and vampire detection

Thankyou feel free to use it - complimenting me at all times though!

If you happen to own a sanada gimmick......

place a mirror flat onto your table.
cover it over with a piece of fabric, or something , so that the mirror reflects when you want it to.

you then have a number of small, identical items.
these items representing virgins.

one of the virgins is infected by a vampire.

you display the mirror.

you then explain that vampires, cast no reflection within the looking glass.
one by one, you pass the objects over the mirror.. all are visible.

save the last one.

the vampire.

( which you load into the sanada, rendering it invisible for a while)

you could then cast a spell over the object, removing the vampire... Stabbing it with a pencil...

thus when the lifeles corpse is passed over the mirror, her reflection can now bee seeen... and she goes to her eternal rest.

Naturally the identical objects are round spongy things..

I think sponges have to saved for the Lizzie Borden bunnies trick. Although maybe some of the sponge rocks could be used for something. As for twilight, I think that is best avoided.

Other possible bits to think about.

Elizabeth Bathory has been mentioned. There are a number of routines out there, but I don't want to go to heavily away from Bram Stoker unless I shift towards a history of the development of the vampire myth.

Bram Stoker associates opens up a whole load of possibilities. For a man who wrote one of the most famous horror stories of all there doesn't seem to be masses written on him. As a student he worked for the Dublin Evening Paper, co-owned by Sheridan Le Fanu opening up possibilities for bringing Carmilla into it.

He became friends with the actor Henry Irving, who is said to have inspired Dracula. Irving was the first actor to get a knighthood. Through this friendship Stoker became the manager of the Lyceum theatre in London.

Through this he becomes part of high society making friends with Arthur Conan Doyle and the painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Doyle was a distant relative of Stoker and Stoker was present at Doyles second wedding.

An interesting connection to the occult is Pamela Colman Smith. Stoker hired her as an artist for the museum when her mother died. Pamela was just 11. Pamela later went onto co-create the Rider-waite tarot and was a member of the order of the golden dawn. She became a member at a time when there was strife between Mathers and Aleister Crowley. Stoker is rumoured to have been a member of the order, but nothing is known for sure.

Amongst others he knew Oscar Wilde and met two US presidents.

He had an interest in mesmerism and phrenology, so some sort of personality reading seems to be in order. Get the callipers out and start measuring heads. Could be quite amusing.

So quite a few extra possibilities.

Michael Diamond has a great stand-up effect on the theme of the Highgate Vampire using a coffee vase as an urn - it's in his Book of Shadows - definitely worth a look if it's something on the showy side you're looking for - not technically Stoker, but it might give you food for thought.

Our own Billet Pencil maker, Christo, has a stake effect...smash and stab type thing coming out...Vampire-esque.

My old "vampire card trick" was to have a card selected and signed, lost in the deck, then I bit the deck and one card was found to have bite marks (hole punches) in it; to top it off the back of the card was then the only red backed card in a [whatever coloured (usually not red)] deck.

I miss Univeristy and goth chicks sometimes.

Le Sigh`

Are there any good liquid effects anyone can think of that could be adapted to the theme. Something maybe nice and visual with maybe water turning red.

Oddly enough, I was thinking about this thread yesterday and wondered if there was any mileage in the old water into wine trick. Tends to be more of a merlot than a rich red wine, though. From a vein, perhaps.

Another possibility is to use a mirror glass.

While I am not familiar with the workings, I think that the magic kettle trick could be adapted for this sort of plot.

How about a Multim In Parvo routine using dark red liquid - Ribena or similar - signifying the increasing amount of blood required as the Vampire grows older.....