Cesar Alonso is an electronics wizard. In my opinion no other bell comes close to this one. It looks exactly like an old school bell and it can be examined. The only drawback is the price tag but it really is a superb tool for the bizarrist.
I bought the Death Watch box and routine from Nick Birch at Dark Artefacts as soon as I got the bell because every spooky bell needs a resting place right. The wood is aged to match the bell handle and the routine comes with aged photos.
The Death Toll bell really looks like a service bell from the lobby of a hotel from yesteryear. Bruce Ballon and Christopher Taylor came up with this great idea for a spirit bell. Bruce supplied a 32 page performance manual with the bell. Superb.
The bell is sturdy and uses a different method to the other bells. It is still under your command and can be used for spooky routines as well as pseudo hypnosis etc. The key in the photo is RFID enabled by Magic Clover in Paris.
Tim Wisseman makes some of the finest electronic bizarre magic. I started buying his creations when he was making props for Outlaw Effects back in the mid 2000’s. Tim’s attention to detail in ageing the props is extraordinary. He still makes these. And his prices are great!
The Departed is fashioned after a carny-type “trick” where the con artist would pull on a hidden string to ring the bell or move the musket ball. Thanks to Tim, that’s just a clever red herring. I replaced the musket ball with a bullet and a penny. This was to go with my WW2 theme.
This is another of Tim Wisseman’s creations. The original apparatus was called the Hobbs Box. The PK box is a bit smaller but still packs a serious punch so that the performer can ring a bell or have something thrown off the top of the box.
The best thing about this piece is that you can make your own gaffed props. You can see in the image above some rune-stones that I gaffed on the casting cloth that actually came with the box. In my opinion this is one of the most versatile bell props (given that the box does the magic).
If you want a bell that looks completely unique and uses a method that will fry the brain of a physicist, then the Nick Wenger Spirit Bell is for you. This is the original version – some of the later ones had a rope that burst into flames (The Bell From Hell)
It can be completely dismantled and reassembled by a spectator. In my opinion, it also looks a more like a Victorian graveside bell with its ropes and pulleys, than the others. Its great for seance type performances, especially those involving premature burial. Top notch.
Nick Birch at Dark Artefacts in makes some of the best, aged and uniquely themed props in the bizarre business. This follows the Dybbuk Box theme and is tied to the Holocaust. I haven’t performed with it yet because I do have some worries about upsetting someone.
The box has two very frightening features as the bell can be triggered and the drawer opens on command. It’s a very heavy and authentic looking prop but I do believe some courage is required on the part of the performer (especially if you aren’t Jewish yourself).
Curators and creators of bizarre and storytelling magic apparatus
