This post is part of my movie-a-day challenge in which I will watch a film every day for 365 days. Today is Day 263! You can see all the posts for this challenge HERE. To see the original Movie-a-Day Challenge post, click HERE.
Hey everyone!
So, I took the plunge into the spooky depths of the 2024 film “Tarot” this weekend, and let me tell you, it was a mixed bag. I went into this one with my expectations dialed waaaay down, having skimmed through some less-than-stellar reviews beforehand. And to be honest, they weren’t wrong. This movie isn’t going to win any awards, but hey, I’ve definitely suffered through worse horror flicks.
Being a bit of a tarot enthusiast myself (after all, I wrote an entire book series about a teenage boy who reads tarot), I was intrigued by the premise – a group of friends unleash a curse after messing with a mysterious tarot deck. Classic horror setup, right? What kind of bugged me is that they kept using the terms Tarot and Horoscope interchangeably. They’d deal out the cards and say, “I’m going read your “horoscope”, which, as anyone who’s dabbled in divination knows, is a completely different thing. It’s like calling a pizza a taco – it’s just not the same!
The movie’s setup is actually pretty cool and taps in the whole mystic vibe with a horror twist. It revolves around this group of friends who find an ancient tarot deck—not your run-of-the-mill card set you’d pick up at a quirky little shop, but something really old and creepy looking. Naturally, they do what any of us would do (not really — well, me, maybe)—they start playing with it. And, yes, chaos ensues. So you can guess what starts to happen next…Yep, it spirals into a nightmare of prophecies coming true, with each card draw leading to some intense, freaky events.
The plot itself is your typical “cursed group of friends get picked off one by one” scenario. Nothing groundbreaking, but the actors did a decent job of portraying their characters’ fear and confusion. Jacob Batalon, who you might recognize from the “Spider-Man” movies, provided a few much-needed comedic moments, but even his charm couldn’t save the movie from its predictable twists and turns.
Now, the action scene were pretty solid. The directors managed to keep the tension up, and there were a couple of jump-scares that actually got me—a rare feat!
But, guys, some scenes were so darn dark! I’m not just talking about the vibe, but literally, the lighting. There were moments when I was squinting at the screen trying to figure out who was doing what to whom. A little more light would have made those scenes a lot more gripping instead of a puzzle.
The use of the tarot theme was pretty clever though. It’s not just a gimmick; it actually ties into the plot and the characters’ development throughout the movie. The whole mystique of tarot readings and fate adds a layer of suspense—like, how much of our lives can we control, and what’s just destined to happen? Pretty deep stuff for a horror flick!
So yeah, “Tarot” is a bit of a mess and it isn’t going to win any awards for originality or execution. Still, it’s not the worst horror movie out there, but it’s definitely not a masterpiece either. If you’re a die-hard horror fan or just curious about anything tarot-related, you might find some enjoyment in it. But if you’re looking for a truly terrifying or original experience, you’re better off shuffling this one to the bottom of your watchlist.
Until tomorrow,
Roger