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Matthew St. Cyr Special user The Dark Woods of New England 793 Posts |
Another in the line of Universal Monster routines that I've been working on is Dracula's Mirror.
"Now true, the Count disliked mirrors, for his reflection could not be seen from within. But Professor Abraham Van Helsing knew the real reason that Dracula despised mirrors. His essence. . .his evil. . .his soul could be captured within. After what became known as The Harker/Westenra Incident, Van Helsing and Dracula met on several more occasions. The professor final vanquished the Count in 1896, successfully capturing his soul in this very mirror....." At this point I would show a small box, with a mirror on the inside lid...much like the one seen in the 1931 version of Dracula. The box is lined with black velvet is seen to be completely empty. "When the mirror absorbed the evil of the Count, it could only absorbe is essence...his evil. Van Helsing knew that some of Dracula's evil and curse was helf in the ring that he wore on his left index finger. Should this ring ever fall into the wrong hands, a new reign of bloody terror would ensue. And so, the professor hid the ring as well. The ring, the mirror, and Dracula were seemingly gone forever. A few years ago, I got a call from an old friend of mine who runs an curio shop in Boston. He was very excited about a package that had come into his possession from London. I immediately rushed to his shop and this box is what he showed me. When we opened the box the only thing inside was this piece of paper..." Opening the box I will display a small aged piece of paper with a handwritten note that says "This box is not for you" and it was signed "VH" "After realizing what in fact this box may be my friend allowed me to take the box home to discover what secrets may lie within. Sadly that was the last time I saw my friend. That night, his curio shop was consumed in flames and him along with it. After about a year or so, I finally solved the boxes riddle and I would like to show you what I found." Having taken the piece of paper out of the box, the interior is seen to be empty. The lid is closed and when reopened, there is a golden ring with the crest of Dracula inside. "This, friends is the ring of Dracula. Now Van Helsin was right. This ring contains pure evil. I will show you what I mean, but you must listen to my instructions implicitly. I need a brave soul for this experiment. You miss, you will do fine. Now, when I hand you this ring, I want you to put it on your index finger of your right hand." Before handing her the ring, I will open up the box and show her reflection in the mirror. I close the lid and hand her the ring. "Now place the ring on your finger. We must act fast, or else the evil may become too strong for you to handle. LOOK! LOOK IN THE MIRROR!" The spectator looks in the mirror to see that she now casts no reflection! I slam the lid of the box. "Hurry! Take of the ring and give it to me. Are you alright? Do you feel okay? Any longer and the ring would have been too much for you and you would have been possessed by it's evil!" I open the lid again showing her reflection to her. I ask her to place the ring back into the box where it visibly vanishes. Well, that's the basic story I've got and I've got NO IDEA how that blasted box is going to do the reflection bit.....but would love to hear what you guys think!
The Wonder Lies In The Dark Between The Stars. . .
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handa Inner circle Pittsburgh, PA 1357 Posts |
MSC,
Let me know what you come up with...a non-reflecting mirror is something I'd be very interested in performing as well! (We've come up with two ideas...neither are practical for what we want to do and wouldn't fit into a small box.) To only temporarily hijack your thread, I put together my own homage to the Classic Monsters entitled "Universal Fear." PM me for info. Chris |
Michael_MacDonald 1964 - 2016 Washington 2034 Posts |
I would wager that you could use a simular set up to the dager head chest if you rig it right it will show what is on either side of her but not her....
just a thought. |
Matthew St. Cyr Special user The Dark Woods of New England 793 Posts |
Hhhmmm...that could be an interesting possiblity! Or maybe instead of no reflection, her reflection is transparent....that might be a little more doable....
The Wonder Lies In The Dark Between The Stars. . .
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Peo Olsson Inner circle Stockholm, Sweden 3260 Posts |
Or maybe you can use two different mirrors ( one ordinary, one blank ) and the principle of the Substiution Trunk or the Card Box (dealers item) which has a magnetic plate in it so you can switch two cards in the blink of an eye ... you get the general idea by now I hope ...
Pictured to the left my hero and me during FISM 2006 in Stockholm.
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askernas Loyal user Sweden 293 Posts |
Well .. how about having the mirror sort of semi-reflecting? ... have it treated so it gives a murky relfection .. with some "blind spots" .. to give an appearance of an old, old mirror ...
that, along with some good old fashioned psychological suggestions á la Luke Jermay, and it could render the person to actually experience something... By having the mirror not 100% reflecting, but giving a "murky" reflection with "blind spots" ... and proper suggestion, I guess it could work .. but it would require the proper wording and good acting, but definately an idea ...
Micke Askernäs
www.askernas.com |
Matthew St. Cyr Special user The Dark Woods of New England 793 Posts |
Yeah, the more I think about it a "semi" reflection I think might actually be more effective than no reflection....
The Wonder Lies In The Dark Between The Stars. . .
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ptbeast Special user Oregon 831 Posts |
We have brainstormed the idea of a mirror that didn't cast one's reflection several time on these boards and elsewhere. While lots of ideas were thrown out, none turned out to be very practical. askernas idea, on the other hand, really sounds like it could work very well. Not only is the method very practical, it has a certain logic to it. After all, you said yourself that the evil "may BECOME" too much to handle. She is still dealing fighting with it. Hence the murky mirror rather than completely vanishing. Yes, I like it.
Dave |
Bill Fienning Special user 635 Posts |
Black glass mirrors are used for scrying. They are reflective, but give a minimal image. This might be a simple solution. Use a regular mirror initially to cover the black mirror that is permanently attached to the inside lid of the box.
Some small purse mirrors women use are thin. This could be used for the first (normal) mirror.
Bill Fienning
"It's More than Tricks" |
TuKanz New user Kentucky 51 Posts |
Where could you find a black glass mirror?
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Silvertongue Inner circle One day I will die leaving behind 2426 Posts |
http://www.goldentreewands.com/convex.htm
they are known as scrying mirrors so check about and you will find many different types, there are also other threads in this forum with some great ideas so check them out too... john dee, queen elizabeths magician had one made of black obsidean I think its in the albert and victoria museum, very cool...
For as long as space exists,
And living beings remain in cyclic existence, For that long, may I too remain, to dispel the sufferings of the world. -Shantideva Engaging in the Conduct of a Bodhisattva |
Mystician Inner circle Wallachia 3485 Posts |
Okay, I have a really tacky idea that probably won't work, but what the hey, that's what I'm good for, right ?
Assuming you perform the trick in your own parlor or whathaveyou, that is, a controlled environment; and you always perform the effect at the same spot.. you could substitute the mirror for a very carefully shot photograph from that exact spot and angle, and have the photo of course with glass in front of it; given a very quick viewing, it might just pass off as the real deal. But probably not. I had a similar idea a couple of years ago for "Dracula's Ring", involving a Mirage3D holographic thingy, but angles with that thing are, as they say, a female dog.
Just hanging out with the rest of my fellow dregs.
http:// www . phrets . com Visit http://www.bizarremagic.net |
Spellbinder Inner circle The Holy City of East Orange, NJ 6438 Posts |
As long as we're posting ideas that won't work, here's another: I can't remember what horror movie I saw this in, but someone looked into a mirror and saw herself from behind; a view of the back of her head. In many ways that sight could be scarier than not seeing yourself in a mirror. Can we fit a laptop screen into the lid of the box and a tiny broadcasting color camera onto your tie clasp?
Professor Spellbinder
Professor Emeritus at the Turkey Buzzard Academy of Magik, Witchcraft and Wizardry http://www.magicnook.com Publisher of The Wizards' Journals |
askernas Loyal user Sweden 293 Posts |
Don't forget the motion sensors on the mirror that transmit back the exakt position to the laptop mounted on your chest that controls the robotic arm for the camera so it repositions when the poor spectator moves the mirror around ...
I guess you can always disguise it as a dancing hank, or a tentacle or something ... (don't know which would be scarier )
Micke Askernäs
www.askernas.com |
Rocketeer Special user Westchester, NY 965 Posts |
FWIW, it's a lot easier to add something to a mirror image than it is to subtract something. If you have a half-silvered mirror you can make an image or object appear in it by placing it behind the mirror and illuminating it strongly. Years ago Candid Camera did a stunt in a barber shop where they used this principle to have ghostly faces appear in the mirror as a patron was looking at it. The faces were actors standing in a dark room behind the mirror. When the barber (who was in on the gag) looked the other way, they'd hit the light on the guy behind the mirror and his face would appear in the mirror. Really freaked out the customers.
You could use this principle on a small scale to make a word, number, image or whatever to appear in the box like the one you described. You'd need just the half-silvered mirror, an LED and a watch battery. If you made the box well enough it could stand at least a cursory examination. Could be a winner. If you make one, send the royalty checks to my PayPal account.
I'm selling my hardcover autographed limited edition copy of Jerome Finley's "Thought Veil"
PM me for info. |
pkg Inner circle The City of Ithobaal I son of Hiram I 1356 Posts |
Anybody remembers the mechanism of The Ring of Sheherazade?
Double posters should be shot!
No really!! |
billyboy1957 Regular user 113 Posts |
Dr John Dee's shew stone is in the British Museum but I believe it is in store rather than on show, or at least it was a couple of year's ago when I had a gander at it. It is also not known for sure that he actually used this one because he had a selection.
Ian |
Bill Fienning Special user 635 Posts |
Sometimes metaphysical stores have black glass mirrors from which a small piece could be cut. I have also seen black glass squares used for decorative purposes, but not recently.
I have not tried the black mirror idea, so I'm not sure that it reveals the effect you want. A very small mirror (I was thinking something like 2 inches or less on each side), shown very briefly, would probably work better than a large mirror.
Bill Fienning
"It's More than Tricks" |
Matthew St. Cyr Special user The Dark Woods of New England 793 Posts |
I'm liking the black glass idea. The spectator wouldn't be looking at the reflection for long. . .
Perhaps the effect could be accentuated by performing by candlelight... What if maybe the sides of the mirror were regualar mirror and the mid section was black glass....if performed by candle light, it would be hard to distinguish where one leads into another....just the reflection would seem murky....
The Wonder Lies In The Dark Between The Stars. . .
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