1Gather people around you and display a set of keys. Hand them around for inspection.Ad
2As the keys circulate through your audience, tell a story about them.
- Explain that, although the keys look perfectly normal, they are really anything but. One particular key was said to belong to an elderly person found dead on a doorstep in the freezing cold. The key had apparently fallen out of reach and the owner expired in the frigid cold attempting to retrieve it. The previous owner, though, is still trying to gain entrance to a warm refuge from beyond the grave.
3Place the key ring in the palm of your hand, with your palm up.
4Gesture over the keys. Give the appearance of raising or lifting one of them without touching it.
5Slowly squeeze the keys. If you can, squeeze the bottoms by clenching your palm a bit rather than by wrapping your fingers around. This motion is more subtle and will lend authenticity to the trick. Pointing your fingers towards the audience (as shown in the previous photo) will also help disguise what is going on.
6A key will rise out of the center of the bunch.Ad
We could really use your help!
- Have 10 or more keys on your ring.
- Practice this motion before performing it in front of a crowd, so that you know how to do it and what to expect of your keys.
- Don't do a trick twice in the same audience. It will cause the audience to figure the trick out.
- Feel free to embellish or adjust the story that goes with this trick. The story, or patter, is a big part of what makes a magic trick work.
- Don't use too heavy a key chain. Try yours for balance and if necessary, remove it so that the keys handle easily.
- Usually, the key that pops out is the one that has colored plastic on either side. Try it with your own set of keys and you'll find that one key likes to pop out more than the others. If you can confidently indicate this key as the one that is haunted, the trick will be even more convincing.
- If you're circulating keys in an audience of the general public, circulate extras that aren't important to you and won't compromise your personal security, just in case they get lost.
And remember, DO NOT tell anyone the trick!
Things You'll Need
- A key ring with several keys on it
Sources and Citations
- Original article courtesy of magician Andrew Mayne. Shared by permission.