GamesRadar+ VerdictPredictable death-ination flick makes decent use of its monster design and spiritual themes, but lacks in creativity. While it may prove a good gateway horror for some, more experienced genre fans will likely wish it was a bit nastier
GamesRadar+ Verdict
GamesRadar+ Verdict
Predictable death-ination flick makes decent use of its monster design and spiritual themes, but lacks in creativity. While it may prove a good gateway horror for some, more experienced genre fans will likely wish it was a bit nastier
Predictable death-ination flick makes decent use of its monster design and spiritual themes, but lacks in creativity. While it may prove a good gateway horror for some, more experienced genre fans will likely wish it was a bit nastier
Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy.
Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy.
Tarot may be the first-ever horror movie to center fully on those inherently creepy cards, but every genre fan knows it’s hardly the first to play with ideas of death and fate.
The set-up is simple: Boston-based students rent out a remote mansion in the Catskills to celebrate one of their pal’s birthdays and, after running out of beers, search the place for more booze. In the basement, they stumble on a huge collection of astrological tools and some old tarot cards. When the pals urge the conveniently spiritual Haley (Harriet Slater) to read their fortunes using the deck, she protests, “It’s super bad luck to use someone else’s.” You can say that again…
Almost immediately, the youngsters start getting killed in ways related to the readings, which disappointingly robs the death scenes of any tension and sense of surprise. The outcome said you’ll be delivered a crushing blow? Ah. Dealt the Hanged Man? Well… Ironically, it’s all rather predictable – and makes for some seriously stiff dialogue as well.
Still, first-time directors Cohen and Halberg make full use of tarot’s iconography to create a Rolodex of monsters that haunt the protagonists throughout. Each of them, from the jingling, jerky Fool to the rotting Hermit, is genuinely chilling and wouldn’t look out of place in a higher-budgeted James Wan joint. In real-life tarot, the visuals tell the story. Shame, then, that in the movie, the script doesn’t do as good a job.
Tarot is in UK cinemas and US theaters on May 3.
More about tarotNew horror movie Tarot is like a James Wan movie meets The Twilight Zone – with some Spielberg thrown in, tooFirst trailer for Spider-Man star’s new horror movie is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark meets Talk to Me
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New horror movie Tarot is like a James Wan movie meets The Twilight Zone – with some Spielberg thrown in, tooFirst trailer for Spider-Man star’s new horror movie is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark meets Talk to Me
New horror movie Tarot is like a James Wan movie meets The Twilight Zone – with some Spielberg thrown in, too
New horror movie Tarot is like a James Wan movie meets The Twilight Zone – with some Spielberg thrown in, too
First trailer for Spider-Man star’s new horror movie is Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark meets Talk to Me
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