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Dan Baines
Manage episode 516928524 series 3552922
A spirit pressed the bedsheets. A duvet peeled back on its own. And a mummified fairy hoax fooled the world. We sit down with artist and prop-maker Dan Baines to explore how subtle methods and rich storytelling turn haunted curios into unforgettable theatre. From forensics in London to Lebanon Circle’s museum-quality creations for BBC, Warner Brothers, and major exhibitions, Dan shares the craft choices that make bizarre magic feel real: distressed textures, believable provenance, and clever tech that hums quietly beneath vintage veneer.
We dig into the roots of Victorian séance magic, spirit cabinets, slates that “write” with sound and vibration, and haunted keys that only move when the story has earned it. Dan shows how theatre informs his work, like the “corpse candle” inspired by fiber optic fireflies on stage, and why the best switches happen early, sometimes under a glass lid that lets spectators “watch” their choices the whole time. His celebrated From Hell take on Out Of This World replaces red and black with blooded blanks and mortuary photos, reframing a classic plot into something that lingers long after the reveal.
There’s a wild journey through viral deception and ethics too: the Derbyshire Mummified Fairy that launched a million clicks, museum “relics” that began life in a studio, and the quiet power of letting myths breathe. We also time-travel to the Doomsday Gathering’s growth into a world-class bizarre magic convention, swapping notes on design constraints, stage noise, and why simple methods are a gift, they free your brain to tell better stories.
If you love haunted aesthetics, old-school methods, and narrative-first magic that truly crawls under the skin, this is your Halloween comfort listen. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the macabre, and leave a review telling us which effect gave you chills.
Dan’s Desert Island Tricks:
- Spirit Cabinet
- Spirit Slates
- The Corpse Candle
- ‘Haunted’ Effects
- Out of this World
- Switch Boxes
- Scurot
- Lazy Booktest
Banishment. Singing unannounced
Book. Dunninger's Complete Encyclopaedia of Magic and
Three Men in Search of Monsters
Item. Bellarmine Witch Bottle
Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk
Chapters
1. London Hauntings And From Hell (00:00:00)
2. Halloween Setup And Guest Introduction (00:02:22)
3. Lebanon Circle Origins And Craft (00:03:04)
4. Doomsday Gathering: Growth And Community (00:07:06)
5. Breaking Into Film, TV, And Viral Hoaxes (00:10:19)
6. Museum Pieces, Disney Sightings, And Odd Commissions (00:15:24)
7. The Island Format And Pick One: Spirit Cabinet (00:18:39)
8. Victorian Séance Tools: Spirit Slates (00:22:55)
9. Theatre Sparks: Corpse Candle Concept (00:28:24)
10. Haunted Props And The Power Of Subtlety (00:33:28)
11. Out Of This World And Real Blood Tricks (00:39:59)
12. Hoaxes, Ethics, And Hidden Provenance (00:46:20)
13. Switch Boxes And Deceptive Design (00:51:03)
14. Scurrot: The Skull, Tarot, And Three Outs (00:56:04)
15. Story First: The Lazy Book Test (01:02:06)
16. Banishment, Books, And The Witch Bottle (01:06:41)
17. Where To Find Dan And Final Halloween Close (01:11:22)
117 episodes
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