If you’ve ever fumbled through a dusty old deck of tarot cards, hoping they’d reveal something about your future, Tarot (2024) might just make you think twice before you shuffle again. This horror flick, helmed by first-timers Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, deals a hand that’s both terrifying and delightfully over-the-top. The film taps into the old-school charm of supernatural slashers, where a group of friends find themselves in a deadly game of cosmic consequences.
“[Tarot combines] inventive beasties with the kind of jump scares that’ll fling popcorn from your lap.”
The premise of Tarot hinges on a birthday bash gone terribly wrong in a creepy Catskills mansion. Cue the horror movie checklist: a group of college friends, a recently-ended relationship stirring the pot, and, of course, a mysterious item unearthed in the least welcoming part of the house. In this case, it’s a tarot deck with a dark history. Our birthday crew, including Haley (Harriet Slater), Grant (Adain Bradley), and a handful of others, find themselves literally facing their fates as each card draws them closer to their doom.
The movie shines brightest when its ghastly tarot manifestations take center stage. Each character is assigned a tarot card that spells out their gruesome end, and the filmmakers indulge in these moments with gusto. There’s a wickedly creative kill sequence for each, and together they stitch to make a competent tapestry of scares. These scenes are where Tarot plays its strongest hand, combining inventive beasties with the kind of jump scares that’ll fling popcorn from your lap.
There’s the eerie encounter with The Hermit, where Lucas (Wolfgang Novogratz) meets his major arcana in a shadow-filled train station, illuminated only by the dim light of a lantern. Then there’s the claustrophobic showdown in an elevator, where group joker Paxton (Jacob Batalon) meets the contorting and terrifying Fool. And too, The Magician’s scene unfolds like a macabre magic show, as Paige (Avantika Vandanapu) becomes an unwilling participant in a deadly trick. This sequence, perfectly tailored for a James Wan-esque audience, delivers terror with a side of tragic theatrics. (However, the latter does arrive a tad late in the film, stalling the frenetic finale with an elaborate, suspenseless setup.)
With a deck stacked with so many villains, Tarot rushes from one scare to another, leaving little room for anything else. The result is characters that feel as thin as the cards they draw and a plot that’s merely a conveyor belt of calamities. Dialogue is snappy, sure, but often feels like it’s engineered for efficiency rather than effect, with lines that seem designed to fit neatly into a tweet rather than contribute to any real character growth.
What’s more, the film seems blissfully unaware of its own paint-by-numbers approach to the horror genre. Unlike horror classics that nudge and wink at their audience, acknowledging the familiar dance of dread they’re leading, Tarot plows ahead with earnest seriousness. We know we’ve seen this plot before; a little tongue-in-cheek awareness like in Cabin in the Woods or Evil Dead 2 would go a long way. A bit more irony might have saved Tarot from feeling like just another standard spooky shuffle.
Despite the lack of depth and missed opportunities for genre commentary, Tarot still manages to be a fun ticket if you’re in the mood for straightforward scares. Olwen Fouéré, as the seasoned occult expert, brings a brief respite from the mayhem with her exposition-heavy role, grounding the film’s wilder flights of fancy even if her character is a walking trope.
“…if you’re itching for a night of easy thrills and no-frills horror, Tarot deals a hand that’s well worth the gamble.”
In the end, Tarot is best suited for those looking for a light, scare-heavy cinema outing. It’s the kind of film that might not make it into the Horror Hall of Fame, but will certainly provide a few shrieks and shudders for a date night. And while it might not be remembered as a trailblazer in the genre, its card-themed carnage will surely entertain those just looking to enjoy the ride. So, if you’re itching for a night of easy thrills and no-frills horror, Tarot deals a hand that’s well worth the gamble.
