How Does The Magic Of Chopping Someone In Half Work?

Magicians use optical illusions and other techniques to create the illusion of cutting someone in half. In this version of the trick, the assistant lays down on what appears to be a regular table, which is two tables pushed together. The assistant is the one cutting the person in half.

To create the illusion of sawing two women in half simultaneously, magicians use various props and techniques, such as false bottoms in boxes. In London in 1921, a magician cut his assistant in half and then magically put her back together again. The basic idea of the trick is to create the illusion that a person (traditionally a woman) is being sawed in half, usually while inside a box, and then magically restored to one piece.

The Cutting a Person in Half Trick is a well-choreographed illusion involving mirrors, cleverly designed boxes, and highly cooperative assistants. Despite numerous iterations of the Sawing in Half illusion, the core concept remains: a person is seemingly cut in half, only to be miraculously restored to their original state. Illusionists around the world are taking part in an online celebration this weekend to mark 100 years since magician PT Selbit first performed the trick of sawing a woman in half.

In this trick, a magician appears to saw a woman in half, separating her body into two separate halves that are then reassembled and reunited. Method one involves presenting the chest or box side-on to the audience, who assumes the box is only wide enough to accommodate the magician’s lovely assistant. A magician cuts his assistant in half and then magically puts her back together again.