Tarot (2024)
When I walked into the cinema to watch Tarot, I had only one thought on my mind: ‘Oh great, here we go again…’ The film industry at the moment is obsessed with these short little horrors that clearly follow a formula and usually lack uniqueness to make them stand out. Films like Truth or Dare, or even the new Strangers that’s coming out, are great examples of this.
They make audiences want to go, to see if they will be scared, and the outcome is the theatre laughing at some of the attempts while the producers and the rest walk away with their earnings.
This film ticked off a lot of these boxes… The plot was a complete cliché: 6 friends, all different in personalities (taking on the horror stereotypes), playing a scary game they found because they’re bored. And oh! What is this? The deck of cards in the random house, that’s spooky and has locked rooms, is cursed?! What!? I thought that box with all the carved satanic symbols was just for aesthetic!
This doesn’t necessarily make the film bad, but it does take away some of the tension or fear the director has the power over the audience with while watching. The scene of the Tarot cards, in particular, throws the director’s control out the window because from that point forward, we could write the film. The film would just have moments where you look at the person next to you and raise an eyebrow.
I would also like to mention how much of a hoot it was for not just me, but for the screening that I was in, to watch and listen to the performance and scriptwriting of this film. The scene that sticks out in mind is !SPOILERS! When they finally defeat the tarot cards and the ex-boyfriend character is just standing there like the ‘😲’ emoji. I am not overreacting, guys, he literally couldn’t have been more over the top, and for the longest time, he held it. I was in tears at how funny it was.
That is why I do love films like these and keep coming back because this is when you connect the most with all the other people in the room. They shout out, make comments, and they make the film ten times funnier and more memorable.
This film, in particular, had me in tears.
As much as I would like to say that my reading of this film was 100% accurate, I must admit there were a few cards in this that turned my fate around.
The idea in itself of using Tarot Cards to be the monsters/spirits that are going after them is really interesting, and it is something we haven’t seen before. I must also admit that the makeup of these is intriguing and strong. They’re not all scary, but I was quite impressed by the artistic look of some of these evil characters. As a premium member of the FaceOFF TV show clan, believe me when I say I would have eaten an episode of Tarot Card makeups.
The cinematography at points was really beautiful. At some points, I was really surprised by the Magician scene. This is the main characteristic of the film that won the stars from me, as well as the environment the film created for the audience watching it. It could be seen as bad, but sometimes that’s what makes films fun.
Overall, the cards I can read to you from this deck is that when you watch this film… you will be able to expect the future, you will know the characters well on your journey, and that laughter is in your future.
What did you think of Tarot? Did it meet your expectations?