Mikes Film Talk

The 2024 teen horror film Tarot is enjoyable hokum. It is scary? Not really. It is an almost by the numbers cautionary tale. On the same level as using a Ouija board. Both of these are essentially the doorway to bad things and not toys. The youngsters in this film based on the Nicholas Adams book, Horrorscope learn this the hard way.

The Tarot Story

A group of young friends decide to read the Tarot cards to learn their fate. They break a sacred rule and a curse is put upon them. Death comes for all of them.

The Tarot Cast

Harriet Slater is Haley.

Adain Bradley is Grant.

Jacob Batalon is Paxton.

Avantika is Paige.

Olwen Fouéré is Alma.

Let’s Talk

Directors/co writers Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg (Who plays Wells in the film.) run with this one. It is fast paced and, to a huge degree, fun. Is it overly original? Not necessarily. Tarot feels a little like a riff off of Talk to Me, or perhaps Long Time Dead (2002).. The film can even be seen as a “kissing cousin” to the 2009 ensemble horror, Open Grave.

Regardless of the low scores passed on by viewers, the film is not that bad. Okay, so it is not overly scary, although there were a few scenes that almost made me jump. It is predictable? Yes, but despite this setback, the whole thing works.

*Tarot has been around, seemingly, forever. My first wife and I got a reading from her paternal grandmother. Memories of the event are hazy, but old granny had been doing these readings for years. Much later, the things she pointed out were proven to be true. Creepy? Oh yes, but nobody died.

Of course the old dear’s cards were not cursed. At least as far as I know, but they were flaming accurate. *

The premise of Tarot is that these cursed cards also work; in a bad way. One by one the participants of this little ritual die badly.

It Works

There are some boo-boos. A Hungarian peasant, read as witch, invents the things in 1890. The emphasis on her nationality suggests she probably did not speak or write in English. The cards, however, are actually in English.

Whoops.

Despite this and several other mess-ups, aka plot holes, the movie entertains and keeps the viewer interested. As one reviewer states, this is a popcorn munching bit of fun.

I agree.

The Verdict

Tarot earns a shaky 3.5 star review. It scores lower due to those questionable CG VFX and referenced “boo-boos.” Tarot earned at least one star because of Jacob Batalon’s presence. The film is streaming on Netflix and can be rented via Prime.

The film itself looks suitably shiny and glossy. At 92 minutes runtime, what can you lose?

The Trailer