A scary movie about tarot cards, horoscopes and fortune telling, but with a curse! For those who like the supernatural, or the demonic, “Tarot” is screening in theaters near you. However, the only thing scary about this film is its score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Tarot” was released on May 3 and is distributed by Sony Pictures. It was written and directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, the two have produced other films together such as “Blink,” “Distant” and “Expend4bles.” The film was based on the 1997 novel “Horoscope,” a story about high school students being hunted by a serial killer.
Based on a group of college friends who rent a mansion in the woods, the group stumbles upon a cursed deck of tarot cards. Despite the many creepy signs that would discourage the average person from getting a reading, the whole group decides to get their fortune told using the cards. That mistake would lead to the demise of many and would call for a dynamic trio (eventually duo) to break the curse.
The cast consisted of many different personalities, and astrological signs, but I only recognized a few. Namely, Avantika Vandanapu; I immediately recognized the actress from her role as Karen in the 2024 adaptation of “Mean Girls.” Based on her performance in “Tarot,” I think she has great “final girl” potential in future horror films.
Another familiar face was that of Jacob Batalon. Batalon was recognizable from his roles in the “Spider-Man” series (Tom Holland’s version). In this movie, he plays the token “this can’t be happening” friend. He was comedic and expressive, making for a memorable character.
Now, we all know actors need work to pay their bills just like us. Not every role is taken with the intent to win an Oscar or an Emmy. As I see it, “Tarot” was an opportunity for actors to pay their bills while gaining exposure.
As someone who owns a deck of tarot cards, I was intrigued by the “Tarot” trope since seeing trailers months ago. One thing about the trailers for this movie, they gave everything away! There were several deaths that were predictable (because of the trailers), and many of the scenes lacked surprise.
I did not like this movie. It only derived its horror from jump-scares (a tired means of inducing fear), and it was not as funny as a proclaimed “horror-comedy” should be. I’d give it one and a half tarot cards out of five.
The film is rated PG-13, which makes sense. Perhaps that target audience will enjoy the movie more than experienced movie-goers.