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Thread

Wayne Houchin

(Based on 1 review)
From magician Wayne Houchin - a founding member of Theory 11 and creator of Sinful (Quarter Through Soda Can), Stigmata, Indecent, Ultragaff and Control - comes THREAD, an effect during which a length of thread is seemingly pulled through the performer's mouth and out of his eye.

In 2000, Wayne Houchin created an effect that would become his opener for the better part of the next decade. The concept was strange yet exciting. Raw, visual, and striking in its simplicity. Four years later, WH was brought in to consult on a groundbreaking new project: the first weekly magic television series in 40 years. A&E's Mindfreak went on to become a worldwide success and WH's THREAD has become one of the most talked about and sought after effects from the series.

THREAD is intended for the serious performer only. On this DVD WH performs and reveals The Geek Method - the exact method and presentation he has used to open his performances for almost a decade. He then teaches The Sleight Method, which is based entirely in sleight of hand and can be performed safely.

  • Featuring The Geek Method + The Sleight Method
  • Learn the classic Gypsy Broken And Restored Thread
  • Live Performances | Special Features | Interviews | Director's Cut

Reviews

Christopher Carey

Official Reviewer

Mar 17, 2009

Wayne Houchin's THREAD is a wonderfully visual piece of geek magic. It's something that, if you can pull it off, will allow you to add a bit of shock to your show with little risk.

After the usual David Fincher-style demo, accompanied by eerie piano music, Mr. Houchin explains two methods plus his take on the classic GYPSY THREAD. The first method is full-on geek and Houchin has added a couple of touches that make this illusion a convincing and practical one. The second method uses a gimmick and minimal sleight-of-hand but it's no where near as good and I question if one could even do this method in a close-up or "street" magic setting. There's just too many angle considerations when you're inviting people to look right at your eyeball and hand.

Due to genetics, SOME of you will be able to do the geek version and some of you will not. Let me just say that after trying to do this over a period of three days with various lengths of thread, my eyesocket does not meet the requirements to perform this bit of grossology. And let me tell you, I was quite disappointed. This has nothing to do with Mr. Houchin. He's not out to make a quick buck with this. After all, he's been doing this for many years and could have released it a long time ago. But be warned, if you buy this, there is a chance you will not be able to perform it.

There's a second reason you may not be able to perform this. Even though the method provided should make it quite comfortable for most, it WILL bother some. I perform the HUMAN BLOCKHEAD. Any of you who have experimented with that geek effect understand that you must learn to ignore your sneezing reflex or you'll have a disaster. The same thing applies here. Your body naturally rejects foreign objects and your eyeball will be telling you this. You'll have to learn to ignore that signal.

On a positive note, even though it wasn't original, it was very nice to see the GYPSY THREAD taught correctly on video. Book descriptions are nice, but I think video is the best way to teach GYPSY THREAD and Mr. Houchin does a wonderful job.

The production values, the instructional methods and the proper crediting are all spot-on here and for the price being asked, it's worth the risk. If I was sure everyone could do this, I would have given THREAD my highest recommendation.
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