Every card has a face, but some faces are carved from the very nightmares they predict. In the world of Tarot, fate is a predatory force waiting for a single mistake to spring its trap. When a deck of cards becomes a hit list, the question isn’t whether you believe in destiny, but whether you can survive the version of it that was just dealt to you.
The plot follows a familiar, high-stakes trajectory with a group of lifelong friends retreating to a lavish, secluded mansion to celebrate a birthday. The air is thick with the comfortable banter of college students, but beneath the surface, there are cracks in the foundation; recent breakups and unspoken tensions. While scavenging the house for a fresh round of drinks, they stumble upon a hidden, padlocked basement room. Inside lies a collection of ghastly relics, including a hand-painted, centuries-old deck of tarot cards that carries a visceral, unsettling energy.
The story quickly transforms into a desperate puzzle as the survivors realize they are being executed in the exact order and manner the cards dictated.
✅ What Works
- Creatively Twisted Kill Logic: The story shines in how it translates the symbolic imagery of the cards into physical threats. By using the readings as a blueprint for the horror, the film creates a slasher-meets-fate mechanic that keeps the audience anticipating how the next card will be twisted into a lethal scenario.
- A Gripping Historical Backstory: The tale of the original astrologer’s grief and vengeance provides a solid supernatural anchor that explains why the deck is so uniquely dangerous.
- The Shape-Shifting Antagonist: Instead of a singular monster, the story utilizes the entity within the cards to take on various forms.
- Effective Use of Urban Legend Rules: The narrative leans heavily into the “unspoken rules” of the occult. This adds a layer of dread to the opening scenes, as the characters’ casual disregard for the “don’t use a stranger’s deck” rule creates an immediate, palpable sense of impending doom.
❌ Where It Falls Short
- Reliance on Horror Blueprints: The story follows the “Final Destination” formula so closely that it struggles to find its own unique voice. Once the pattern of the deaths is established, the narrative becomes highly predictable, often hitting the exact beats you expect from a teen-centric supernatural thriller.
- Shallow Character Dynamics: The group’s history is hinted at but rarely explored in a way that impacts the plot. The central conflict between the exes feels more like a required genre checkbox than a driving emotional force, making it hard to feel the weight of the losses as the group thins out.
- Inconsistent Logic for Survival: While the deaths are tied to the readings, the rules for why some characters escape certain encounters while others don’t can feel arbitrary. The story occasionally sacrifices its own internal “fate” logic to ensure specific characters make it to the next scene.
- Telegraphed Jump Scares: The narrative often pauses for long, silent build-ups that culminate in loud, predictable shocks. This formulaic approach to tension can make the middle section of the film feel repetitive, as the story prioritizes sudden noises over sustained atmospheric dread.
⚖️ Final Verdict 3/5
Tarot is a visually sharp, efficiently paced horror flick that functions best as a spooky midnight movie. It doesn’t aim to reinvent the genre, but it uses its core conceit of astrological doom to deliver some truly creative set pieces and a solid sense of supernatural stakes. It’s a fun but predictable hand of cards that is worth a watch for fans of light supernatural thrillers.
