"Holey Sh*t" by Anthony Owen and Pete Firman
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available direct from TVMagic.co.uk
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

"Holey Sh*t", an effect by Anthony Owen and Pete Firman, is a strikingly visual piece of card magic that will knock 'em for a loop, period.

Owen and Firman began with the original Kaufman/Krenzel/Dingle creation, "Holy P.O.D." and re-vamped it a bit, throwing gimmicks and gaffs at it that make it a bit cleaner and a bit more powerful. Considering how good the original routine was, that's really saying something.

In short, the effect is a visual vanish of a selected card from between two other cards. As with most magic, it's the details that make "Holey Sh*t" special.

The spectator selects a card which is placed into the center of the deck. A magical gesture and the top card of the deck is turned over, revealing the chosen card. The deck is placed aside and the chosen card is placed between two cards with large holes in the middle of them. All three cards are shown on both sides throughout this. The chosen card is plainly visible through the holes in the cards. The cards are then struck with the fingers and in that instant the card is no longer seen. The selected card is gone that quickly and that visibly. The two remaining cards are now separated and shown front and back -- there is simply nothing there. The deck is spread and the selection is seen to be the only face-up card in the face down deck.

This is one of those rare times words don't do this one justice. Check out the video here to see just how startlingly good this looks.

Okay, so it looks good and it gets great reactions. Let's get to the details.

There are two versions taught in the "Holey Sh*t" package. The first version is what I reckon could be called "the basic version" and it's taught by Firman on the DVD. The second version is a bit more involved, a lot cleaner, and my personal choice when it comes to performing this. This second version is called "Redesigned Sh*t" and was created and written by Anthony Owen.

The two versions are both very easy to do. The sleights involved are simple and work easily in conjunction with the gimmicks and gaffs giving a very clean appearance to the proceedings. Next, and wonderfully, the deck -- supplied by you -- is normal in all regards; simply get the "hole" cards out of the way and you're back to a normal deck, ready for other things. The instructions, both the DVD and the softcopy notes, are extremely thorough and easy to follow; you'll have no trouble picking this one up.

Now, to the differences.

The basic version of "Holey Sh*t" leaves you with a reset issue and leaves you open to dealing with some heat dissipation caused by the gaffs. In short, you're up for a trip to the bathroom and putting off spectators from asking about the cards with this one. You'll also need a table to lay things on as you go. These problems don't exist with "Redesigned Sh*t", although you do introduce an extra special something into the proceedings (which you probably already have or can pick up for $10 or so and is nicely logical in the presentation) and you'll need another set of the gaffs (available from TVMagic.co.uk, or fairly easy to construct yourself -- why the creators didn't include them, I don't know). All in all, the basic version is good for one-offs or more formal occasions while "Redesigned" is more workable for most strolling situations.

The routine is different as well. Essentially, the climax has changed. The selected card doesn't appear face up in a face down deck; it shows up in a wallet back between the "holey" cards. Personally, I like that finish -- it seems more magical to me, more special -- but either one is nice enough.

Besides, it's the vanish that gets 'em and, in both flavors, "Holey Sh*t" is one great looking vanish, to the point that bringing the card back is almost anti-climatic.

Overall, "Holey Sh*t" is one for card folks looking for something visual and something different and that will get gasps from spectators and leave them uttering expletives of their own.

"Holey Sh*t" by Anthony Owen and Pete Firman
In a Blink: 9 Out of 10

Practicality: 10
There are two versions taught here: the standard version on the DVD and "Redesigned Sh*t" on paper. The first presents some challenges in terms of reseting and repeating things, problems which are solved in the "Redesigned" version (with a few additional purchases). Otherwise, no real issues present themselves: you start and end with a clean deck, there are no angles to sweat, etc.

Workmanship: 9
The gaffs are very well made using Bicycle stock, but wear and tear is a natural with this one and you'll end up replacing a piece of this fairly quickly. Luckily, doing that yourself is not an insurmountable task, just a bit of a pain, and extras are available.

Documentation: 10
Firman does the instruction here on the DVD and does an excellent job from covering crediting (in as thorough a manner as you could ask for) to the proper misdirection and everything in-between. At times Firman seems a bit lost and comes across a bit too juvenile for some tastes, but these are minor complaints compared to how well he covers the material. Anthony Owen put together the "Redesigned" notes and they are well written and well illustrated with photos throughout. Big thumbs up on this.

Effect: 10
Do this one once and you'll be hooked -- spectators' jaws drop before the climax even hits.

Presentation: 10
Presented as a climax to a short "Ambitious Card" piece in the basic version and a transposition in the second, and as something special, more difficult, more magical, this one plays very well with that theme.


Shane

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