Magic and horror might seem like natural bedfellows as they both rely on mystery, illusion and the anticipation of something you can't quite explain. But when Ellis set out to make Darkness Is Coming, he wasn't interested in simply making magic look spooky. "Many effects lend themselves to horror themes: swallowing razorblades, slicing a knife through your arm, unexplained writing appearing from nowhere. It’s an area of magic that is often visited but usually with tongue firmly in the cheek. You might see a performer dressed as a comical vampire doing these at Halloween," he tells me.
"I wanted to go a different direction. I have become proficient at getting gasps of astonishment, so my challenge was to get a completely different reaction from the audience. By combining a mysterious tale they need to unravel themselves with a deadly serious presentation, the audience starts to find it harder to differentiate between the lines of theatre and reality. It creates this delicious uneasiness that pervades the entire show. My aim is to create a sense of tension that won't let up."
It was important for Ellis that removing dialogue didn't mean removing narrative. In its place, it is the magic that becomes part of the storytelling. "Surprisingly, it holds the key storytelling element. Add to that a constant visual projection and relentless soundtrack giving additional clues, a story unfolds if you look hard enough. Of course, if you just want to turn off your brain and enjoy some extremely graphic magic effects, you can absolutely enjoy it on that level too," he laughs.
The production takes its cue from Grand Guignol, the French theatre tradition known for its graphic depictions of horror and violence. "People came to this theatre for an experience, not only to see a show. The audience endured the terror of the shows because they wanted to be filled with strong feelings of something. Frequently, the 'special effects' would be too realistic and often an audience member would faint during performances. There is a good mix of that with Darkness Is Coming. Even if you were to recognise a magic classic like the linking rings, in this instance it is performed with barbed wire that slices through the fingers of the performer."
Ellis has been performing for over five decades, which raises an obvious question: after all this time, how do you keep finding something new to engage with? "Magic is still the most unexplored of all artforms. Every year I create a new 90 minute work, and my current show, House of Games, has become so successful it sold out for the rest of the year a few weeks ago!" he says. "Normally, I would end it in December because I have a new work I want to debut in 2026, but it has been so popular I am extending it for at least six more months. The frustrating thing for me is that I don’t have enough time to develop all the shows I want to do!"
Darkness Is Coming takes that curiosity in a much darker direction. Not amazement, but discomfort. Not 'how did he do that?', but 'what exactly am I watching?' "People come to my shows for a fun night of amazing magic. Darkness is Coming is NOT fun. So I am hoping that the Melbourne Fringe audience, most of whom will have no prior expectations of me, will take a chance on this and enter the darkness."
FRINGE FIVE FAST ONES
1. My pre-show ritual is listen to music. Dane Certificate writes most of the music for my shows. Before every show is 30 minutes of his incredible pre-show music. This centres me and puts me in the right head space ready to become the magician.
2. If a song was to play each time I entered a room, it would be "Lemon Tree" by Fools Garden.
3. If I could instantly become amazing at one skill, it would be magic.
4. If I were forced to eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be the Smorgy’s buffet.
5. The hill I will die on is that EVERYONE needs to see a REALLY GOOD magic show at least once in their life.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: The Laneway Theatre, Northcote (exact location included with tickets)
Season: 1 - 17 October | Thur - Sat 8pm
Duration: 50 minutes
Tickets: $40 Full | $30 Concession & Hump Day Wednesday
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival
Image credit: Tim Ellis
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