Is Tarot (2024) Worth Watching?

You should avoid reading your horoscope today.

Tarot is a 2024 horror film. After violating sacred Tarot readings, a group of college kids unleashes an unspeakable evil threat that comes after them. Soon after, strange and deadly occurrences happen as death comes after them.

You never know what you’ll get with horror movies. Tarot had an interesting story in its development but the horoscope didn’t spark enough original material. Tarot would have made a stronger film if it didn’t copy plot elements from other horror films.

Let’s talk about the characters. As typical college students, they’re enduring the usual relationship drama. Nothing else is explored, like their majors, family life, or interests. The acting is weak, especially when delivering unrealistic dialogue from the script.

The cast includes Harriet Slater, Adam Bradley, Jacob Batalan, Avantika, Humberly Gonzalez, Wolfgang Novogratz, and Larson Thompson. I’ll give it to the cast for creating believable friendships and interactions. The characters don’t circulate much depth, but the plotline about the horoscopes was done well.

The standouts are Batalon and Avantika. I am not fond of Avantika’s character in Mean Girls (2024), but I was impressed with her performance here. Avantika is the best actress in the whole film, acting out excellent hysterical moments.

Tarot includes an appearance by Olwen Fouere who has been seen in films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) and The Watchers (2024). She is a good actress, but Fouere’s character provides exposition and that’s it.

Tarot follows the footsteps of other horror films, like going into spooky dark basements, getting killed off one by one, and jump scares. It’s all the usual jump scares with people walking by the camera, loud noises, and a freaky demon sneaking up on the characters. The film also overdoes it on the kills, beating characters to a bloody pulp.

The biggest issue with Tarot is that it heavily borrows from the Final Destination franchise. Death catches up with each victim one by one each with their own unique kill. The deaths are creative, I will give the film that, but its premise has already been done.

The film lacks the originality and inventiveness that could have made it its own. If the script had taken a deeper dive into the mythology of the tarot cards then it would have been more original. There was no need to copy a Final Destination plotline. Instead, the deaths often feel formulaic and predictable, with little suspense building up to them.

Spencer Cohen and Anna Halberg have a good eye for horror and Tarot has an intriguing premise. Except, there are a few spots where I thought the plot was going in a different direction. The story should have been set in one night and used the mansion setting the entire time.

Again, the film is not all bad, like in the makeup and set design department. The tarot cards were specifically designed for this film. The majority of Tarot was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia and a scene was filmed at the Tobin Bridge in Boston, MA.

The real message of the film is to listen to your own mind. Don’t base your life or your day on a horoscope. This past year I have relied too much on horoscopes to try to get answers to outcomes, but it’s not simple like that. Base decisions and ideas on your own senses.

I just found out that Tarot is based on a young adult horror novel Horrorscope by Nicholas Adams. Tarot is not a terrible movie and deserves a watch. Take a look at it on Netflix.