Tarot – Movie Review (2/5)

TAROT is a horror movie with a PG-13 rating, so expect jump scares but nothing too bloody. Practical effects are at the foreground but the story remains superficial. Based on the book “Horrorscope”. Read our Tarot movie review here!

TAROT is a new horror movie out on PVOD a few weeks after its theatrical release (May 3, 2024). As with any PG-13 horror movie, the violence and steamier scenes have been left out. That’s never a problem for me as long as the story and character work.

While this horror movie is a solid 90 minutes or so of entertainment, it never really got under my skin. It’s the kind of horror movie I can watch one night and be fine with, but I wouldn’t consider rewatching it. Still, I can’t shame it much because it isn’t bad. It just isn’t really good either.

Continue reading our Tarot horror movie review below. Find it on digital from May 28, 2024.

Horror + Horoscope = Horrorscope

This 2024 horror movie is based on the novel “Horrorscope” which was also the original title of Tarot. I have to admit, I found this title to be better. Both because it’s more horror-inspired than naming an object. Though, obviously, this title follows the path of the hit horror franchise Ouija.

Anyway, in Tarot we meet a group of friends who are reckless with some of the rules of Tarot readings. They use the cards to read each other’s horoscope, which I didn’t even know was a thing. Unfortunately, this particular set of Tarot cards is cursed, so they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil.

Now they will come to face with the fate the cards predicted. For our group of friends, all their reading can be interpreted as somehow meaning death. And that’s what we see happening. One by one, their reading comes true and is a path to their death.

A great cast, but superficial characters

I must admit that I had no real expectations of Tarot, so – for me – it was a pleasant surprise to see a lot of practical effects. Creatures from the Tarot cards come to collect each victim and with one glaring exception, the effects are largely practical with intricate and impressive masks and make-up.

Also, I really enjoyed the actors that were cast in Tarot. There’s a real problem with just killing them off one by one and having them exist somehow in a vacuum solely within this group of friends. Even as they start dying, we never really see them talking to their family or interacting with anyone else.

This makes for a very superficial story that has characters eerily close to being paper cut-outs. The actors portray their respective characters with integrity and often a tongue-in-cheek approach to being in a horror movie.

It’s just that whenever we get close to seeing what lies beneath the face value of a character, the person is killed. Still, I have to give credit to the cast. It mostly consists of actors you’ve seen before and will surely see again.

From Harriet Slater (Pennyworth), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn: The Foundation), and Avantika (Mean Girls) to Jacob Batalon (Ned from MCU‘s Spider-Man), Wolfgang Novogratz (Assassination Nation), Larsen Thompson (The Midnight Club), and Humberly González (Utopia Falls).

Olwen Fouéré adds depth

There is one person apart from the group of young adult friends. Someone who knows about these cards and can possibly help them.

She’s portrayed by the brilliant Olwen Fouéré, who is just killing it (not a spoiler) in genre productions these years. From Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Cult Killer and soon The Watchers. Between her, Lin Shaye, and Betty Buckley, we have The Golden Girls of Horror and I am loving it.

Someone really should make a movie with all three so now I’m trying to speak this into existence. Add Jill Larson (The Taking of Deborah Logan) or Deanna Dunagan (The Visit) and we’re truly golden!

Watch Tarot on PVOD now!

As mentioned above, Tarot was previously called Horrorscope after the book it’s based on, which Nicholas Adams wrote. The writers and directors are Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg. Yes, they are both co-writers and co-directors which is something we see quite a lot with horror movies these days.

One of the best (and most successful) examples was Talk to Me (2023).

While Tarot is nowhere near the level of Talk to Me in terms of brutal and crushingly terrifying horror, it does manage to entertain. However, I can’t ignore that while Talk to Me is on all my top lists and could be a permanent fixture for Halloween or any Friday the 13th, Tarot won’t be.

It’s too much of a “paint-by-numbers”-experience. We’re watching this group of friends succumbing to their fates before the ending comes along. Not only are we desensitized to the many deaths – due to never really knowing the characters – but the actual Tarot ending is also desperately lackluster.

In fact, the ending of Tarot is probably just too pretty and neat for me. It’s the proverbial final nail in the coffin in terms of being a “once was enough”-kind of movie. A shame as it could have been more.

Tarot premiered in theaters on May 3 and is out on Streaming (PVOD) from May 28, 2024.

Details

In Theaters: May 3, 2024
On Streaming: May 28, 2024 (PVOD)
Directors: Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg
Writers: Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg
Cast: Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, Avantika, Jacob Batalon, Avantika, Humberly González, Wolfgang Novogratz, Larsen Thompson, Olwen Fouéré