If you are still puzzling how the Evasion by Mickael Chatelain penetration trick works, let me unlock the secret for you.
I will explain in details with supporting images and video snippets, together with the psychology behind this magic trick.
How the locked picture of Harry Houdini and the playing card could slip out from the shackle of the padlock, sandwiched between two plates.
This so-called escape magic trick using the two wooden-like plates is simply ingenious.
They evoke images of the wooden crates and trunks used by the legendary Harry Houdini in his Underwater Box Escape and Metamorphosis Trunk.
Furthermore, the gimmick concealed flawlessly with the wooden-like features, which I would expose and explain soon.
Welcome to another post from the Info Ruckus Magic Trick Secrets Revealed series.
This closeup trick Evasion with penetration effect is visually convincing and entertaining enough.
If it is presented well, pulling out the picture of the chained Harry Houdini or the playing card from the padlock shackle seems impossible.
Effect:
The famous photo of the heavily-chained and locked Harry Houdini, with a hole near the bottom.
Place it between two wooden-like plates, which also have a hole each; so the three holes are aligned.
Padlock the holes of the picture of Houdini sandwiched between two plates.
Now the cardboard picture is tightly trapped within the two plates.
With a quick pull, the locked Houdini picture slips out from the padlock shackle.
Mysteriously, the hole at the bottom of the picture is still intact.
Watch Evasion by Mickael Chatelain demo video.
Evasion By Mickael Chatelain Trick Secret Revealed
This trick is similar to Mickael Chatelain Card On Ribbon trick, which I have revealed and explained in my past post.
It is almost the same as his other close-up trick called “Prison“.
To avoid the padlock shackle, he has to shift the Houdini picture or the playing card, just above the holes of the plates, as shown below:
However to move the picture or the card upward, its top edge can be seen above the set of plates, as illustrated with white dotted lines below.
Strangely, in the video, you do not see the top edge of the picture/card above the locked plates.
This is how he does it:
There are two points in this short video sequence at 0:38, which you have to focus on:
- after he has lifted up the top plate, before turning it over to cover the picture
- he is about to completely cover up the Houdini picture
Let’s analyze his right hand movements.
The first spot is at 0:38, after he lifts up the top plate, he gives it a quick pull or tug to lengthen it.
Hidden Extension Piece Inside Top Plate
Yes, this top plate can be extended, by pulling out a secret hidden piece, as indicate with white dotted lines.
It is well-camouflaged together with the cross piece features (like the wood strips).
This extra piece is to keep up with the raised picture or playing card, in order to hide it.
Many people would assume the cross pieces are design features; to make it looks Houdini’s wooden box.
Actually they are there to conceal the gimmick of this Evasion by Mickael Chatelain.
By the way, you can see there are three pieces when he opens up the plates at 1:02 and 1:36.
The second point is, as he is about to finish placing the top plate over the picture, his middle finger pulls or drags up the picture, at the semi-circle cut-out at 0:40.
This is the time, the picture is raised up slightly, so that its hole would not be locked.
NOTE: To see it clearer, slow down the playback speed to 0.25.
This is taken from the other video using the King of Hearts card, when he pulls out the hidden extension at 0:25.
Likewise, he uses his right hand middle finger to lift up the King of Hearts card at 0:27.
Hence, with the lengthening of the front plate, the back plate should be comparatively shorter.
The back plate is indeed shorter, as you can see from the visuals below, captured from the video clips.
But the viewers do not notice this disparity in length between the two plates.
It is because his hand is hiding it, under the pretext of holding them together, as he turns them around, as part of routine.
Evasion Front Plate Extended Piece
Here are visual proofs, the Evasion trick uses the extended piece hidden in the front plate.
Compare the distance differences of the cross piece from the plate bottom edge in the four pictures below:
This is before the extra piece is pulled out from the plate.
This is after the extended piece is pulled, so the distance is wider.
These are taken from the demo video using the King of Hearts card:
The secret piece is still inside the front plate, so the distance is shorter.
Now you can see the difference, when it is drawn out.
Most viewers missed this visual clue, because they fixate on the picture of Houdini or the playing card.
Magicians know how exploit the viewers’ attention, to achieve the seemingly impossible tricks.
I would explain it in more details in the psychology of this trick below.
Evasion Cross Bars On Plates Not Paired
Another not so obvious clue, is the four cross pieces across the two plates.
When the the top plate is extended out, the supposed corresponding cross bars are not in line anymore.
Most viewers would miss these parts of the prop because they appear to be a design feature, to look like Houdini’s wooden box.
Extended Gimmick Piece Pushed Back Into Plate
To finish up the trick, he has to slide the extra piece back into the plate.
In order to avoid the viewers from seeing him pushing the extended piece back into the plate, he misdirect your attention to the card.
At 0:55, he brings the Houdini card right in front the camera, but you can still see his left thumb quickly pushing in the extended plate.
For the King of Hearts demo, at 1:29, again he uses the playing card to shield it from being seen, when he pushes in the sliding piece.
So is for the other demo video, at 0:50, he moves the card towards the camera, to block off the secret move.
Anyway, you can still see his left forefinger pushing in the extended piece.
This is how Evocation by Mickael Chatelain Houdini and King of Hearts penetration trick is done.
Psychology Of Evocation By Mickael Chatelain
For this trick, the magician uses the art of misdirection to manipulate your attention.
First he wants you to focus your attention at the card before and after the trick.
He keeps pointing out the holes on it, when the trick secret is at the prop.
Just as what he does when he performs the “Melt Card” trick.
He diverts your attention more to the normal card or the bill, but not the gimmick card, as seen below.
Then he purposely turns the two plates around, when he can just hook in the padlock straight away.
The magician knows your eyes will follow his quick hands movements, and not forgetting the direction where his eyes are looking.
They are subtle, but they can unconsciously influence your perception and attention.
Using the legendary escape artist-magician Harry Houdini as a concept for this trick is a clever ploy.
It incorporates both the escape (actually is penetration) effect and the prop design perfectly.
The two plates made to look like the wooden features of boxes used the late Houdini, is called “deceptive designs” in psychology.
As I have already mentioned above, most folks would overlook this prop design, and that is where the key secret is hidden.