There’s nothing like a little geek magic to make it look as if you’re doing damage to yourself. And if spectators freak out, it’s even more fun. In Saw, Sean Fields has created an impressive bit of geek magic that makes it look as if you are sawing a piece of thread into your neck, right into your adam’s apple.
You unravel a length of thread, visibly saw the thread straight into your throat by moving your hands back and forth, and the spectators see the thread embed itself into your flesh. To end, you pull the thread away from your throat and the spectators see it lifting the skin and tearing apart. This one is easy to setup and perform and angle-proof. And it’s convincing.
Four Ways to Saw
The DVD offers three variations on the effect. In one, you swallow a lifesaver and when you pull out the thread, the lifesaver comes with it. In another you draw the thread through one end of the “incision” instead of tearing the thread away from your throat. And in the last effect, you swallow some thread and then appear to pull it out from your throat, a variation on a classic carny trick.
Once you’ve finished this little beauty, there are no wounds or scars on your neck. You’re fairly clean. The effect requires some setup before hand that has to be out of site of spectators, but it’s quick. While you can repeat without resetting, it’s probably best to completely reset for the strongest effect. You’ll have to experiment to see what works best for you.
Just Passing Thru
From the description, it may sound as if the thread appears to pass through your neck, but this is not the case. The thread appears to break the surface of the neck’s skin and embed itself. I encountered no problems setting-up the trick and learning and performing it, but it took some practice and experimentation to work out the ending. (When done wrong, I found the ending rather painful.)
To see what the effect looks like, view the video on the Ellusionist site, which provides a good representation of the effect and how it plays. If you like the trick, you can purchase the DVD and learn and perform Saw that same day.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
Dealers can purchase from Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
