Blizzard is not a new effect, but it is an awesome one.
So here is the deal. You hand out a deck to be mixed. You ask your spectator to name any card whatsoever and then remove that card and the other 3 cards of the same value and place them face down on the table where the spectator is sitting. As the performer turns away, the spectator mixes the four face-down cards. The performer then eliminates 3 of the cards and turns over the fourth and – it is the thought of card. OK, that’s one in four. But, then the other three cards are turned over and they are blank. Weird! But them the performer takes the remaining 48 cards in the deck, them over and spreads them to reveal that they are all blank! The only card in the entire deck is the thought of card. That is the knockout punch!
For $40 bucks you get the Blizzard gimmick which is very well-made, come in a red bicycle back and looks great. I expect the gimmick to last a very long time because of the durable material it is made with.
You also get about an hour and a half downloadable instructional video from Penguin Magic using Erik Tait as the main teacher. The instructions are very good and include some live performances. He presents a method that is slightly different than Dill’s method, but are both very effective. I am partial to Dill’s presentation however. What is fantastic is that there is a live performance by Dill and a great interview conducted by Kozo while getting a hair cut by Dean. In the interview, Dill discussed his reluctance to go on the Johnny Carson show and how he decided to go for it. You also get instruction how to perform Colossal Blizzard, and get some additional handlings from Luke Jermay and Magick Balay.
The trick requires a move that seems very bold, but flies by in an offbeat moment of nonchalance. The result is just fantastic and it is an excellent way to close a set. The trick can be reset in a few seconds for table hopping.
The trick is also as easy to learn and perform as it is astonishing.
The marketing text claims that:
“Dean Dill’s ‘Blizzard’ caused a storm on its release decades ago. The method flew by everyone! I loved demoing this effect when I worked at Showplace Magic and am so happy it’ll be available again.” – Paul Vigil
“Dean was a monster when it came to fooling people – especially magicians – very badly and Blizzard was one of his most diabolical creations.” – R. Paul Wilson
“I will never forget the little smile Dean had after showing me Blizzard. He was smiling as he knew how badly he had fooled me. It’s great to see this amazing trick come back to the magic community. Buy it, learn it, perform it.” – Kozmo
“One day I was sitting in Dean Dill’s barber shop when he performed Blizzard for one of his customers. After he finished, I was surprised at the trick but, after some thought, I thought I figured it out. Dean “accidentally” left the deck on the table and the spectator went for the deck. I quickly grabbed it and took it away. I was floored as there was nothing to see. Not only had Dean fooled his spectator but he had fooled me badly. Dean just gave his typical little laugh. Wow. Blizzard left an impression on me for many years. If you learn this, it can do the same for your audience.” – Jesse Dee
“Unfortunately Dean is a magician I never had the pleasure to meet. I familiar with his work and I and I was and still am a huge fan. Blizzard fooled me years ago when a magician performed it for me. I was completely fooled and amazed. It is routine that will elevate your show. I say: GET IT!” – Bill Malone
“Dean Dill gave me my monthly haircut for many years (he did the best he could with what he had to work with). There was never an appointment that didn’t include me getting fried by some devious Dean deceit. Nearly as entertaining was hanging out after and watching the reaction of the next target. Blizzard was particularly great in that regard. Watching Dean boldly do the “secret move” right in front of the unsuspecting sucker was a real treat. If I didn’t know that Dean was a good Christian man, I’d believe he was in league with the Devil.” – Mac King
“I watched Dean fool just about everybody with Blizzard.” – Bob Kohler
“I hate to admit how badly Blizzard fooled me — even when I knew what to expect.” – Gregory Wilson
“This is Dean Dill’s best selling trick because it is relatively easy to do and it is incredibly impactful.” – Martin Kaplan
After your audience has examined the deck, vanish the ink off every card except the one they named. Once you reveal the blank deck, your audience will have no way to backtrack on how you accomplished this absolute miracle. This is the definitive work on the trick that fooled a generation of magicians. This is Blizzard by Dean Dill.
Here’s what happens:
The magician asks the audience to name any playing card. There’s no equivoke, fishing process, or weird scripting. The card they want is the card you use. The magician removes the selected card, along with the other three cards of the same value. The spectator mixes the four cards face down on the table, and then the magician successfully divines which of the four is the named card. Then, in an astonishing moment, the audience never sees coming; the other three cards are turned over and revealed to have blank faces. Then the rest of the deck is turned over, and it’s completely blank. The only card that isn’t blank is the card the audience named, and everything can be examined.
The stories of Dean Dill’s barbershop are legendary. Magicians would travel from around the world just to be fooled by the local barber. You knew that when you stepped inside, you would see something amazing, and the trick that fooled them all was Blizzard. In addition to a redesign of the gimmick to make it more durable and easy to use than ever before, you will be getting the complete work on the Blizzard plot. The tutorial, nearly 90 minutes in length, also features the complete work on Colossal Blizzard by Tony Miller, an advanced handling of Colossal Blizzard created by Luke Jermay, and Colossal Blizzard 2.0 by Magick Balay that leaves you 100% clean without any deck switches at all. This is the last word in blank face deck effects. The audience names the card, and with no forces, no sleight of hand, and no magician’s choice, their card is inevitably the only printed card in a sea of white. Put your audience on ice with Blizzard by Dean Dill.”
I can highly recommend this trick and believe you will be very happy with this revamped classic.
