DEAD RINGER

Stone, Jeff

Stone Cold Magic

(Based on 6 reviews)

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"Dead Ringer is truly spooky and guaranteed to amaze people." - Jay Sankey

"Dead Ringer is the PERFECT piece of spooky Mentalism to add into you work for Halloween, or any time of year. It’s a simple method allowing you to deliver your presentation in the spookiest way possible.  - Joe Diamond

The spectator and magician play the role of a pair of serial-killer twins. The two of them play a game to decide the fate of the victims by having the spectator place a tiny skull on the photographs of those she chooses to be the victims.

The remaining photograph proves to be the twin of the photograph in an envelope that has been in view the entire time.

  • NO SLEIGHT OF HAND
  • 100% FREE CHOICES
  • NO SWITCHES
  • NO MULTIPLE OUTS
  • NEVER MISSES

COMES COMPLETE WITH:
  • An eerie collection of vintage photographs, printed on a heavy cardstock
  • The perfect size, dead-black envelope
  • 6 ghastly miniature human skulls
  • Corked glass amber vial

Reviews

James Sanden

Official Reviewer

Feb 20, 2023

In Jeff Stone’s Dead Ringer the magician and spectator play the role of twin serial killers. Using six vintage photographs, together they use miniature skulls to decide which pictures are of the victims, leaving one remaining to be that of the killer. Once a killer has been chosen, the performer shows the decisions they and the spectator made were correct, revealing a matching picture of the other twin in an envelope that was in full view since the beginning.

Dead RInger comes with six pairs of vintage photographs (so the performer can choose which pair are the twin killers), a black envelope to hold the matching photograph, and a corked jar with six small skulls in it. Instructions are in the form of a 29 page PDF that goes into the history of the effect and method, as well as alternative handlings and approaches. It’s well written and clear, though there were a couple of small errors that should have been caught in the editing process.

The instructions also include alternative approaches and handlings, as well as several additional methods (some requiring the purchase of additional props.) The website where the PDF can be downloaded also offers a different effect that can be used with the same props, wherein the spectator freely decides how many of the photographs are of victims and how many are survivors, then the magician shows he or she predicted those same numbers.

At its core, the method is one many magicians will be familiar with, but Mr. Stone has given significant thought to the inherent weaknesses in the standard handling, and has found solid, subtle and effective solutions for all of them. Some of these solutions can be applied to other effects using the same method, and some are inherent to this script and presentation, but all make the method more deceptive and the effect stronger.

As Mr. Stone will admit, the effect itself is creepy. He recommends against presenting it too seriously, but he does delight in “fun” creepy, which is what this routine can be. The idea of asking a spectator to pretend to be a serial killer with you and choose which people live and die is an interesting and evocative one, though certainly not for every audience or every performer. However, if this is your cup of tea, you’ll find Dead Ringer to be a practical, intriguing and effective piece to share with your audience.
(Top ▲)

Doc Johnson

Official Reviewer

Oct 03, 2022

Overview

WHAT YOU GET

You get a two sets of six old fashion looking photos, a black envelope, a really cool small glass vessel with small skulls inside and a cork top, online instructions, all in a nice plastic container.

WHAT IS COOL

This whole thing is REALLY cool

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

There is not much bad to say. The instructions are really good and cover a primary handling as well as alternative handlings.

I agree with everything he says in the instructions, but I have a small disagreement. He recommends that you don’t mix methods in this mentalism routine, and while I agree that is probably good advice, I do think there is room for a slight exception that I will discuss in the recommendation section.

I love the photos, they are a mix of men and women, and a good mix of individuals whose “look” could be interpreted as killer or victim. The little bottle of skulls is genius.

I think the premise of a “twins” plot is also genius. Jeff talks about how this was the suggestion of Jay Sankey, a personal friend of Jeff’s, and I think most of us agree that Jay IS a genius, so no surprise that he comes up with a genius suggestion.

AT A GLANCE

Skill level required: 2 of 5.
Audience management skill required: 2 of 5.
Performance angles: 360 degrees
Reset time required: You can reset in front of your audience.
DIY time involved in advance: None.


Effect

You show six old photos. You tell the participant that one of these photos is actually one of a set of twins, twin murderers. The rest of them are their victims. One of them is selected and it matches the photo of the other twin in the envelope.

Method

The method is good, and well taught. In addition to the primary method, he talks about alternate methods. I have a slight modification in the suggestion section

Product Quality

The product quality is exceptional. The cards are really cool "old looking" photos and the little glass vial with skulls is SUPER COOL!

Ad Copy Integrity

The effect is true to the ad copy. In fact, when you learn about the presentation, it comes across even stronger in real life than what an ad can convey.

Final Thoughts

LOVE IT!

Suggestions

I like the method he describes. However, I suggest this alternative ending: “I can’t make this last decision. You decide, and push one toward me.” You could take this a step further and say: “Now, do you want to use the one you pushed toward me or discard it”, and pick up the other card and use it to turn the card over or do a Mexican turnover.
(Top ▲)

Elliott Smith

Official Reviewer

Sep 06, 2022

I just received Dead Ringer today and have already starting playing around with it ... I love it! Yes, this spooky mentalism trick is perfectly themed for Halloween but I can see so many opportunities to performing this anytime of the year.

This is a really unique effect that is not another 'card trick' and you can do this anywhere, anytime, strolling or parlor with no reset time just gather everything up and you are ready to go. The nice thing about Dead Ringer is that you can do this to some of the same spectators another time with a different outcome. Another really nice thing about this trick is that your spectator basically does all the work, shuffles the photos, makes all the choices and all you have to do is develop and perfect your presentation. Yes, you do have to do a little something but no big deal, you will learn it in minutes even if you are new to magic.

The instructions are very clear and concise and the props you receive especially the photo cards are of very high quality, not flimsy and will last for many performances. However if you want, it is mentioned that you can ‘rough them up’ a bit to add a little character making them look old and worn which adds to the spookiness. This is a definite buy, well worth the investment. You will not only have fun performing it and making it your own but will really freak out your audiences making them believe you actually have psychic powers!
(Top ▲)

Stuart Philip

Official Reviewer

Sep 01, 2022

Overview

This trick is very spooky and allows you to really get into a creep story. It is easy to perform and not complicated to learn. Jeff Stone provides a very detailed explanation on the history of his inspiration and the trick. It is somewhat of a treatise on the particular method and how to make it as bullet proof as possible.

You can repeat this trick over and over and have a different outcome every time and never miss!

The ad copy states:

"The spectator and magician play the role of a pair of serial-killer twins.

The two of them play a game to decide the fate of the victims by having the spectator place a tiny skull on the photographs of those she chooses to die.

The remaining photograph proves to be the twin of the photograph in an envelope that has been in view the entire time.

NO SLEIGHT OF HAND
100% FREE CHOICES
NO SWITCHES
NO MULTIPLE OUTS
NEVER MISSES
COMES COMPLETE WITH:
An eerie collection of vintage photographs, printed on a heavy cardstock
The perfect size, dead-black envelope
6 ghastly miniature human skulls
Corked glass amber vial
"Dead Ringer is the PERFECT piece of spooky Mentalism to add into you work for Halloween, or any time of year. It's a simple method allowing you to deliver your presentation in the spookiest way possible."
- Joe Diamond"

You need to know your audience before performing this trick. Some can totally get sucked into a murder mystery and other may not. Choose wisely and you will scare the hell out of your spectators.

Effect

Dead Ringer is creepy murder mystery with old pictures of people from 100 years ago. There are evil murderer twins lurking among innocent citizens and in the end, the victims are all killed by the evil twins. Spooky right? What happens is that 6 cards are laid down on the table and one at a time. Each card has a sepia toned picture of someone that loved long ago. Mini skulls are placed on the pictures one at a time until there is one left. The remaining card is revealed to be the killer.
An envelope that has been in full view the entire time is opened and a picture of the murderer is revealed...thus the evil twins!

Method

The method of selecting which cards are eliminated is not a new one, but implementing correctly it is very fooling. Stone gives proper credit to Roy Baker and several others for the elimination method that makes this trick possible. Among those that are acknowledged are Ken de Courcy and Bob Neale. He also acknowledged Jamie Daws for some inspiration behind Dead Ringer.

Product Quality

The quality is totally solid. Great cards, sturdy packaging, cool mini skulls and a nice shaded mini vial with a cork. The 29 pages of instructions are very clear and well written and easy to understand.

Ad Copy Integrity

The ad copy is accurate and fair and I had no issues with the sales pitch. The trick can in fact be performed over and over with different evil twins every time.

Suggestions

Wait for the Halloween season to trot this out.
(Top ▲)

Stephan Sloan

Official Reviewer

Aug 30, 2022

Dead Ringer by Jeff Stone is a small and pocketable bizarre magic routine which will allow you to spotlight your story telling skills. If you are not familiar with bizarre magic it is a branch of mentalism whereby the emphasis is not on flashy eye catching magic but on the ability of the performer to engage the mind and the imagination of the spectator with a story. The magic typically happens at the end and the presentations are usually woven around tales of the arcane, the strange and the mysterious.

Dead Ringer is typical of these types of effects and the methodology in play is not new to card magicians or bizarrists. What is a bit different with Dead Ringer is the education in the history and variations of using said method. Most often there is only one way to attain the outcome but Jeff Stone elucidates variations which not only can be applied to this particular effect but other presentations you may have that use similar methods. You are also given choice of you killers and victims. Perhaps one day you feel that the evil ones should be men and then another day you feel they should be women. You are given enough props to change up the presentation as you see fit.

What you receive are high quality photos and an amber colored vial which houses the skull shaped markers. Small and portable you can take your bizarre magic show on the road.
(Top ▲)

Paul Budd

Official Reviewer

Aug 21, 2022

I don't give many things 5-stars. I almost NEVER give any magic effect 5-stars, to be certain. But Jeff Stone has knocked it out of the park on this one. For the money, and mental effort required to learn/perform, this one is a grand slam! Bizarre effects with clean, well-designed props have always been my kryptonite! If you are like me, this will be right up your alley.

Included in the small, hard plastic case is: 12 well-designed auntique portrait photos (think early 1900's or late 1800's), an old-fashioned brownish glass medicine bottle, a small black envelope, and 5 tiny skulls. There is also a card/label with a QR code which will lead you to a mini web site with a trailer video, instructions in PDF form, and some other little clever bits and amusements. The written instructions in the pdf are clear and (per his usual), Jeff explores all manner of weaknesses/strengths/quirks in terms of the effect and the history of the method used to deliver the effect. You really have access to some of his interesting thoughts. Jeff has performed the heck out of this one, and it shows.

If you do walk-around at Halloween, or at cocktail mixers or restaurants or darned near ANYWHERE, this is a great trick! No, it isn't entirely "in-the-hands", but only requires a tiny bit of table space to perform. It re-sets in all of 6 seconds. This would play for that LOUD table of patrons, or for that quiet, melancholy group of retired teachers. The 2nd-graders and below crowd? You might want to pass on this one for them...it is a twinge on the darker side.
(Top ▲)