Criss Angel Mindfreak - Halloween Special
Magician-illusionist Criss Angel celebrates Halloween and honors the 79th anniversary of Harry Houdini's passing with a series of nifty tricks capped by a spectacular (and potentially grisly) escape from a hungry woodchipper. Among Angel's crowd-pleasers is his extraordinary leap into the belly of a fellow illusionist (Angel dives into the guy at the latter’s navel level, disappearing completely); the swallowing of five long needles, which he then pulls from his belly; and an old-fashioned mentalist act out on the streets of Long Island. There's also a visit to Angel's friends, metal band Korn (where the performer yanks thread from his eyeball), and a nostalgic visit to the magic shop that inspired him as a boy. After paying respects at Houdini's grave, Angel gets locked and handcuffed inside a wooden box and placed on the conveyor belt feeding the chipper's rotating blades of steel. The result could be a wonder, or it could be a bloody mess—either way, one's pulse quickens.--Tom Keogh