Tarot (2024) Review
- lowlightreviews
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Director: Spencer Cohen, Anna Halberg
Year of release: 2024
Countries of origin: Serbia, United States
Spoiler status: Beware, major spoilers ahead
Genre: Supernatural horror
Tarot is a supernatural horror movie that both thrills and disappoints. It reminds me of the horror movies of the 2000's, especially Final Destination. The premise is pretty similar: you can't outrun your fate. But where Final Destination dominated, Tarot failed thanks to some unfortunate plot holes and a basically useless character. To be fair, the idea behind the plot was pretty solid, and the movie had some great dread-inducing moments as well as jump scares. This is one of those movies where I can't really decide if I liked it or not. The story about the cursed tarot cards was interesting, and the scares landed perfectly, yet somehow, it wasn't enough.
If you're a fan of Y2K horror in search of something new(ish) that will have a familiar vibe, you should give Tarot a chance. But be warned, there's much left to be desired.
The plot of Tarot
The premise of Tarot is very simple. You can't run from your fate, no matter how hard you try. As I mentioned already, it's very reminiscent of Final Destination, where the same premise is used to tell a story. Does this mean we can treat Tarot as a case of plagiarism? Definitely not. Even though the base of the stories is the same, that's where the similarities end. Where Final Destination built an intense and intriguing world, Tarot went the other way. Clumsy storytelling, a big plot hole, and a character who barely served any purpose.
So where is that thrill I mentioned in the intro?
Even though there are plenty of negatives that pull the movie into the mud, there is one redeeming quality I have to mention. Even though some might consider jump scares cheap and tacky, this supernatural horror managed to incorporate them mostly successfully. I myself am not a big fan of jump scares, but strangely, they worked for me in this movie. It's a shame that this alone isn't enough to make a good horror.
Is Tarot actually scary?
Warning: This section contains a major spoiler!
Even though Tarot has some great jump scares and an eerie vibe, I can't say that it's actually scary. It's more like those 'dumb teen horror movies' where you scream at your screen, even though you're well aware that the characters can't hear you. I think the word I'm looking for is infuriating. It's like Murphy's law, but here it's "If they can do the dumbest thing possible, they will do it".
The idea behind the cursed tarot cards is that they will tell you how you'll die, but a less talked-about fact here is that the cards also tell you how to avoid this fate. If you know how to listen, of course. Madeline (Humberly Gonzalez) could've easily survived her attack, had she stayed in the car as her tarot card told her to. Same with Elise (Larsen Thompson), she should've stayed away from the ladder, and everything would've been fine.
(!!!BIG SPOILER ALERT!!!) Now, what I can't wrap my head around is the fact that Paxton survived his attack. His final outcome card showed The Fool, with the note that he's going to come through for his friends in unexpected ways. And, of course, just as I expected, The Fool came for him. But somehow it got spooked by Paxton's... roommate? Just so he could come and pick his friends up in the middle of nowhere. Make it make sense. This is the biggest plot hole I noticed in the whole story, even though I'm sure there are plenty more. (!!!END OF BIG SPOILER ALERT!!!)
So with all this in mind, I can definitely say that the movie has an eerie vibe to it, but the clumsy storytelling lessens the horror atmosphere.
Who is the villain in Tarot?
Tarot's villain is a tragic character called The Astrologer, a powerful occult practitioner who served the wrong person at the wrong time. For this unfortunate mistake, she had to pay the ultimate price. As the story unfolds, we realize that the villain isn't exactly evil; she's just stuck in a cycle of desperation and pain.
Demonization of women in history isn't a new concept. Unfortunately, it was a recurring "trend" throughout the centuries, especially by powerful, greedy, dissatisfied men. And that's exactly what happened in this movie. The Astrologer couldn't fulfill a man's wishes, so she got punished, and her pain turned into something powerful and threatening. The curse wasn't her fault; it was her only hope for relieving her agony. Sadly, that pain didn't disappear when she got her revenge; it festered throughout the ages like an open, dirty wound, making her relive her trauma over and over again.
The story of The Astrologer isn't one of demonic infestation; it's about a woman who was falsely accused of something she had nothing to do with, and that's one of the scariest elements of the story.
Is Tarot good?
Tarot is one of those supernatural horrors you watch when you don't have enough energy to focus on the plot. It's predictable, but it still has some great jump scares. Unfortunately, it also has some major faults, like the basically useless character I mentioned in the intro.
Alma, the elder woman who reveals the tarot deck's mystery, is here only to tell that story and explain who the villain really is. If I understood correctly, the group could've gotten the same information from her webpage as well, so why introduce a character to cite her own website and basically be of no help whatsoever? To me, this plotline made no sense at all, and it just further weakened the already questionable storyline.
So I wouldn't really say the movie's good, but it's fun... if you're willing to turn a blind eye to the plot holes and faulty logic. Kind of like Twilight. ✨
Rating: 🕯️🕯️
Tarot, unfortunately, gets a 2/5. I'm a huge fan of supernatural horror; it's one of my favorite subgenres, so I was truly hoping this would turn out better, but unfortunately, it didn't. I think this movie deserves a remake, because it had some truly fun and terrifying ideas, but the execution was simply disappointing, and the performance only passable. With a better team, a remake could actually be a success, but I still think it scratches a very specific nostalgic itch.
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