Editing Escapology (section)

== In fiction ==
{{in popular culture|section|date=April 2025}}
*''[[The Grim Game]]'', a [[1919 in film|1919 film]], stars [[Harry Houdini]] as a young man who is bound and imprisoned on numerous occasions by a gang who have kidnapped his fiancée. Considered by many as Houdini's best film. Lost for over 90 years and rediscovered in 2015 by escape artist and magician [[Dorothy Dietrich]].
*''Haldane of the Secret Service'', a 1924 film directed by and starring [[Harry Houdini]], who is repeatedly restrained by villains who murdered his detective-father. Filmed at Beaver Kill Falls in [[Valatie]], NY.
*The novel ''[[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]'', written by [[Michael Chabon]] and winner of the 2001 [[Pulitzer Prize]], features escapology as an important plot point.
*''[[Ragtime (novel)|Ragtime]]'', by [[E.L. Doctorow]], features [[Harry Houdini]] as a major character, and uses escapology as a metaphor for the struggles faced by the American immigrant.
*In American [[superhero]] [[comic book]]s, many superheroes like [[Batman]] are trained in escapology, which is invaluable when dealing with [[deathtrap (plot device)|deathtraps]]. However,  superheroes who are escapologists by profession include [[Mister Miracle]], [[Justice Machine|Ms. Liberty]] and [[The Escapist (character)|The Escapist]]. (Mister Miracle and The Escapist were both based on escapologist-turned-comic artist [[Jim Steranko]].) Houdini himself appeared as a time/space traveler in the comic book series ''Daring Escapes featuring Houdini.''
*The 1953 biographical film, ''[[Houdini (1953 film)|Houdini]]'', starring [[Tony Curtis]] in the title role, depicted many of Houdini's escapology performances.  Curtis' performance artist character, The Great Leslie, also performs a suspended straight-jacket escape at the start of the film ''[[The Great Race]]''.
*In 1971, [[Christopher George]] played an escape artist named Cameron Steele in the TV movie/unsold series pilot, ''[[Escape (1971 film)|Escape]]''. Steele was a non-performing escapologist and night-club owner who, like [[Bill Bixby]]'s Anthony Blake (''[[The Magician (U.S. TV series)|The Magician]]''), habitually helped people in trouble.
*In 1982, [[Griffin O'Neal]] played a junior escapologist named Danny Masters in the film, ''The Escape Artist''.
*In 1983, real-life escape artist Bill Shirk played himself in a film called ''The Escapist''.
*Yorick, the main character of the comic book ''[[Y: The Last Man]]'', is an escape artist.
*In the 1991 film, ''[[The Linguini Incident]]'', [[Rosanna Arquette]] plays an aspiring escape artist.
*The novels ''[[Specific Gravity]]'' and ''[[Ontario Lacus]]'' by J. Matthew Neal (2007 and 2008) features a scientist who is also a master escape artist.
*[[Paul Adam (English novelist)|Paul Adam]]'s ''[[Escape from Shadow Island]]'', first published in 2009, features young escapologist [[Max Cassidy]]. Two further books in the series, ''Jaws of Death'' and ''[[Dead Man's Bay]]'', will be released in April 2011{{update after|2011|04|30}} and 2012 respectively.
* Houdini himself - or rather his ghost - appeared in an episode of ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]''; not having lost his touch, the protagonists' ghost traps could not hold him for more than a minute. 
*Adam Phillips's essay "[[Houdini's Box]]" uses Houdini himself, as well as a young victim of sexual abuse and other examples, to discuss escapology.
*The console video game [[EXIT (video game)|Exit]] focuses around the exploits of the self-proclaimed escapologist known as Mr. ESC.
*The 2006 movie ''[[The Prestige (film)|The Prestige]]'' deals with two magicians who employ increasingly difficult escape illusions in a competitive one-upmanship, with tragic results.
*In the 2013 film, ''[[Now You See Me (film)|Now You See Me]]'', [[Isla Fisher]] plays an escape artist named Henley Reeves. In an interview, she says, "I watched all of Houdini’s work and [[Dorothy Dietrich]], who is a female escapologist, who is amazing, you have to watch her."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/isla-fisher-now-you-see-me-interview/ |title=Isla Fisher Talks NOW YOU SEE ME, escapist tricks, the cast, and THE GREAT GATSBY |publisher=Collider |date=2013-04-15 |access-date=2017-02-26}}</ref> “I got to train with Dorothy Dietrich, the first lady magician to catch a bullet with her teeth."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/movies/2021005059_islafisherxml.html |title=Isla Fisher finds her comfort zone in supporting roles &#124; Movies &#124; the Seattle Times |access-date=2013-06-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407095646/http://seattletimes.com/html/movies/2021005059_islafisherxml.html |archive-date=2014-04-07 }}</ref> Fisher studied the life and work of Dietrich to prepare for the role. "Dorothy is a real female escapologist who is working today. She was the first woman to capture a bullet between her teeth, which is an amazing feat. She's not only good at misdirection, but she also connects emotionally with the audience, so she's better able to involve them in the stunts."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coveringmedia.com/movie/2013/05/now-you-see-me.html |title=Now You See Me (2013) |publisher=Covering Media |access-date=2017-02-26 |archive-date=2017-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311203817/http://www.coveringmedia.com/movie/2013/05/now-you-see-me.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>