REVIEW: Creature Shock by Peter Loughran

Hello all!

Well, election day has come and gone....I'm just glad that I won't have all of those damn political messages clogging up my answering machine.:)

Just a quick reminder that Murder By Magic is available again here at Hocus Pocus but ONLY until the end of the year and then it is GONE forever. It really is the ULTIMATE corporate magic show and can easily play for 400, 200 or 20 people! Pros around the world who have made the investment continue to praise it. The clock is ticking.:)

On to this week's review: Creature Shock by Peter Loughran. It's available from Hocus Pocus for $699.

AD COPY: The performer introduces a small magical chest and explains to the audience that this chest is actually a portal or a gateway to another dimension, and this is how magicians have been making animals and objects appear in their magic acts for centuries. He will now reveal to the audience how the magical gateway works and will now demonstrate the illusion.

The performer introduces several playing cards that have different names of animals on them that a magician might produce or make appear in their magic acts, for example a Dove, Rabbit, Canary etc. He has someone in the audience select a playing card, and show everyone what they have picked. The card is shown to have the word "Rabbit" written on it.

The performer now opens the chest and shows it to be completely EMPTY. The chest is closed and then the door is opened and a rabbit is pulled out of the box just like magic! The audience is thrilled but wants to see more, so the magician offers to do it again, and this time they can select a different card.

The next card is turned over, but to the magician's horror, the card says "Gorilla". The performer seems confused and starts to utter..."What does that card say?...A Gorilla?...how the heck could a Gorilla fit inside this small...." Then before the magician has a chance to finish his sentence, the small chest starts shaking violently out of control, the front door busts open and a giant Gorilla arm comes lunging out towards the audience, and reaches for them and the magician. The magician, frantically struggles, but manages to somehow contain the beast and close the door. The chest still shaking wildly, the performer decides to ditch the prop, and move on to a much easier and less dangerous card trick.

A hilarious and action packed routine great for all ages, full of laughs and surprises, a guaranteed hit at your next show.

You can use any small animal or object that will fit inside the load area instead of a rabbit. The inside boasts a clear coat armor finish that makes it virtually stain proof and animal droppings will easily be cleaned up after each show.

You can show the box empty before the first production, and then show it again empty after the first production and before the gorilla makes its appearance. It is also possible to once again show the box empty after the gorilla has been contained.

Creature Shock is fully self contained, and requires no special clothing, just pick it up and perform it, simple as that. Sets up and Resets in about 1 minute and is very easy to do. Built like a professional illusion and tricked out in polished aluminum.

Creature Shock is very deceptive from just a couple of feet away, and great to perform up close or on stage. Just as people begin to think the gorilla arm might be, being animated by simple puppetry, you turn so that the audience can see both hands are still on the outside of and still holding the chest. The Gorilla arm itself also appears much longer than any of your own arms which only add to the impossible appearance of the illusion.

Packs small and plays big!
No animals were harmed in the making of Creature Shock; however some of the humans didn't make it.

Creature Shock comes with professionally built illusion chest, playing cards, and instructions.

This illusion is built on order, please allow 2-4 weeks turnaround time

Custom ATA Case - Please add USD $199.99

WHAT YOU RECEIVE: You receive the specially designed box itself and written instructions along with routining ideas.

QUALITY: I love the fact that not only is Peter's stuff modern-looking (no damn dragons spraypainted!) but by adding the silver metal corner protectors, the box is well-protected. The written instructions are very detailed - the workings are so simple that Peter could have done the 'one sheet treatment' with this release but he goes into much more detail.

DIFFICULTY: This is one of those effects that from a technical standpoint is really easy, maybe a 1 on a 10-scale of difficulty, but the true secret of this effect is selling the idea that a gorilla is trying to get out of the box. You'll need to do some acting and work on your blocking, which leads me to...

ANGLES: The angles are quite good on this for the first production of the animal or whatever you produce the first time, but for the gorilla, you want your audience in front of you. If you have audience members sitting on the sides or in back, you'll be busted. In my opinion, while the trick is deceptive from up close, the angles on this will keep me doing this strictly on stage where audiences are more easily controlled (as opposed to birthday shows!)

AGES: I feel this effect may be too scary for daycare-age kids, but thus far in my performances, kids of a wide range react really well to it! So far I've used it for audiences from K to 5th grade and the responses have been incredible.

MY THOUGHTS: The first time I did this, the audience lost their minds! The screams and laughter blew me away! I did it early on in the show and when I was building to my big climax trick, several kids in the audience called out, "Bring back the gorilla!" That was REALLY cool, as I had held off on ordering this effect until I  had a place for it in one of my school assembly shows. Once I found the right place for it however, it fit like a glove.

One thing I should mention - if you do this as a way to produce a live animal, make sure your animal is not a 'chewer,' as the first time I performed this, I used a rat and the little beast chewed a hole in the gorilla hand! The secret compartment where the animal is hidden is the same place where the gorilla arm is.

In my case, I simply switched to producing a non-live animal for the first production. After making that switch, the quality & reaction to the effect did NOT drop at all as the nature of the production (based as it is on a fantastic classic principle) is so deceptive that pulling anything out of the 'empty' box is mindblowing.

RATING: Peter Loughran continues to deliver big-time with his releases and this is no different. 10 out of 10.