Tarot Movie (2024) Review: Plot, Fate & What It Gets Wrong

Introduction

Breaking the sacred rule of tarot—never use someone else's deck—unleashes a deadly curse in Sony's latest supernatural horror flick. The 2024 Tarot movie turns a casual reading among college friends into a gruesome fight for survival, where each card drawn seals a terrifying fate. While the premise is intriguing, the film raises a crucial question: is it more than just a collection of formulaic jump scares?

This review unpacks everything you need to know, from the chilling plot to the characters facing their grim destinies. We’ll explore whether the film succeeds as a compelling horror story and, just as importantly, analyze how it portrays the ancient practice of tarot. For movie fans and tarot enthusiasts alike, the core question remains the same: does it get the reading right? Join us as we shuffle through the scares, the story, and the symbolism to deliver a final verdict on Tarot.

Plot Summary of the Tarot Movie

A Cursed Deck and a Forbidden Reading

The plot of the tarot movie ignites when a group of college friends rents an isolated mansion in the Catskills to celebrate a birthday. While exploring the atmospheric house, they discover a locked room filled with occult artifacts. Among them is a beautifully hand-carved wooden box holding a unique and unsettling deck of tarot cards. Haley, who has some experience with tarot, is captivated by the deck's strange, macabre artwork. Ignoring the cardinal rule of tarot—never use someone else’s deck—she agrees to give her friends readings.

Each friend receives a chillingly specific horoscope reading based on the card they are dealt. Lucas gets The Hermit, Paige gets The Magician, and others receive equally ominous cards like The High Priestess and The Devil. Though they initially dismiss it as a spooky party game, the atmosphere shifts dramatically as Haley deals a final card for herself: Death. This fateful decision sets the stage for a terrifying ordeal, as the group has unknowingly unleashed a malevolent force intrinsically tied to the cursed deck.

The Horrors Unleashed

The fun of the initial readings quickly gives way to a classic supernatural horror scenario. One by one, the friends are hunted by monstrous physical manifestations of the cards they were dealt. What happens in the tarot horror movie is a creative and gruesome execution of this premise, where arcane symbols become tangible threats. Lucas, who drew The Hermit, is stalked through a desolate subway tunnel by a grotesque, lantern-wielding creature. Paige, who received The Magician, is tormented by a sinister stage performer who saws her in half in a horrific twist on a classic magic trick.

The film, from Sony Pictures, excels in these sequences, bringing the esoteric imagery of the tarot to life with terrifying creativity. As the pattern emerges, the friends realize that their deaths are mirroring the grim fates predicted in their readings, turning their weekend getaway into a desperate fight for survival. The sense of inescapable fate becomes the central antagonist, as each character is forced to confront the literal demon from their reading in a battle they are destined to lose.

Unraveling the Mystery

As the body count rises, the surviving friends, led by Haley and the skeptical Grant, race against time to understand the curse's origin. Their investigation leads them to a paranormal expert who uncovers the deck's dark history. It was created in the 18th century by an astrologer commissioned to read the future for a powerful count. When she foresaw that the count's actions would lead to his daughter's death in childbirth, he flew into a rage and had the astrologer's own daughter murdered. Consumed by grief, the astrologer cursed the cards, binding her malevolent spirit to them to exact revenge on anyone who dared use them.

The group learns that the only way to break the curse is to destroy the deck, but the spirit of the Astrologer actively works against them, manipulating events to ensure her revenge continues. This quest to understand and fight back against the curse drives the film’s third act, culminating in a direct confrontation with the source of their torment. While this structure propels the plot, the characters' individual stories often feel secondary to the overarching supernatural threat they face.

Meet the Cast: The Unfortunate College Friends

The Core Group

The effectiveness of this terrifying journey hinges on the believability of the characters facing their doom. The ensemble cast of the Tarot 2024 film is composed of actors who effectively portray the terror of being hunted by supernatural forces, fitting into familiar horror archetypes while maintaining a compelling group dynamic.

• Harriet Slater as Haley: The group's de facto leader and the one who performs the fateful readings. Haley carries the weight of guilt for unleashing the curse and drives the desperate effort to stop it.
• Adain Bradley as Grant: The pragmatic skeptic of the group who initially dismisses the readings as superstition. His journey from disbelief to terrified acceptance is a central character arc.
• Jacob Batalon as Paxton: Providing much-needed comic relief, Paxton's character reacts to the escalating horror with a blend of fear and humor that resonates with the audience and breaks the tension.
• Avantika as Paige: An early victim whose creative and brutal demise at the hands of The Magician powerfully establishes the terrifying stakes for the rest of the film.
• Wolfgang Novogratz as Lucas: Another early victim whose chilling encounter with The Hermit establishes the film's monster-of-the-week formula.
• Larsen Thompson as Elise: Her character's fate, tied to The High Priestess, adds another layer to the creative and horrific deaths orchestrated by the cursed deck.

Performances Under Pressure

The cast delivers solid performances, conveying a believable sense of panic and desperation. Harriet Slater and Adain Bradley anchor the film with their determined efforts to survive, while Jacob Batalon’s presence prevents the tone from becoming relentlessly grim. Although the script prioritizes plot over deep character development—with most individuals defined by their designated tarot card—the actors successfully sell the life-or-death stakes. Their interactions feel genuine enough to make the audience care about who survives, a crucial element for any ensemble horror film. The performances are a key reason the film's high-concept horror works, even when the characters themselves are not deeply explored.

A Critical Tarot Movie Review

What Works: The Creature Design and Jump Scares

While the cast brings a necessary human element to the horror, the film's ultimate success rests on its creative execution and narrative structure. The strongest element of this Tarot movie review is a commendation for its creature design. Directors Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg successfully translate the esoteric imagery of the Major Arcana into genuinely frightening monsters. The Hermit, The Magician, and Death are not just symbolic figures but tangible, grotesque beings with unique and menacing physicalities. These designs are the highlight of the horror movie Tarot, providing memorable and visually striking antagonists that elevate the film beyond a simple haunting.

Furthermore, the film is effective in its use of tension and jump scares. The set pieces are well-constructed to build suspense before delivering a satisfying jolt. For fans of straightforward supernatural horror, the Tarot 2024 film delivers on its promise of scares, making it an entertaining watch for those looking for a creature feature with a unique mythological backdrop.

What Doesn't: Predictable Plot and Underdeveloped Characters

Despite its creative premise, the tarot movie suffers from a formulaic plot that feels overly familiar. The narrative follows a predictable path seen in many teen horror films like Final Destination or Wish Upon: a group of friends unwittingly triggers a curse and is then picked off one by one in a predetermined order. The characters, while portrayed by a capable cast, are largely one-dimensional. They exist primarily to fulfill their pre-destined, card-based doom rather than to grow or make meaningful choices, and the dialogue often serves as simple exposition to move the plot forward.

This lack of character depth means their deaths, while visually creative, lack significant emotional weight. The plot rarely deviates from its established formula, making the story's progression feel inevitable rather than suspenseful. Viewers familiar with the genre will likely predict major plot points long before they happen, which lessens the overall impact of the story.

Final Verdict on the Tarot 2024 Film

The review of the new tarot movie is ultimately mixed. Tarot is a competent and often scary horror film that succeeds thanks to its fantastic monster designs and well-executed scare sequences. It’s a fun, popcorn-friendly horror ride that will satisfy genre enthusiasts looking for a new set of monsters to fear. However, its reliance on a predictable narrative and thin characters prevents it from becoming a truly memorable classic. It's an enjoyable entry into the supernatural horror genre, but one that prioritizes momentary frights over lasting narrative substance. Beyond its merits as a horror film, Tarot's most lasting impact may be its contribution to the public perception of its source material, which warrants a closer look at where cinematic fiction diverges from spiritual reality.

The Truth About Tarot Cards in Movies: Fiction vs. Reality

The Cardinal Sin: Using Someone Else's Deck

The entire premise of the tarot movie hinges on the violation of a well-known guideline in the tarot community: never use a deck that doesn't belong to you. The film portrays this as a gateway to unleashing a demonic curse. In reality, this "rule" is less about avoiding supernatural damnation and more about maintaining energetic integrity. Practitioners believe that tarot cards absorb the energy of their owner and their environment. Using someone else's deck without permission is discouraged because it can lead to muddled, unclear readings due to conflicting energies.

The superstition is rooted in respect for a personal spiritual tool, not fear of a cursed deck. It's akin to not wanting to use someone else's journal—it’s a matter of personal connection, not a trigger for a vengeful spirit. This sensationalism is not unique to spiritual practices; similar dramatic liberties are taken with legal procedures in courtroom dramas and medical science in hospital shows, all to heighten conflict at the expense of accuracy. The film simply transforms a practical guideline into a life-or-death mistake for dramatic effect.

Misrepresenting the Cards and Readings

One of the biggest liberties the horror movie Tarot takes is its literal and monstrous interpretation of the cards. In authentic tarot practice, the cards are symbolic tools for introspection and guidance, not harbingers of physical monsters. The film's depiction strips them of their nuanced, archetypal meanings and presents them in their most negative light.

• The Hermit: In the movie, this card manifests as a grotesque creature that stalks its victim in the dark. In a real reading, The Hermit represents positive themes of soul-searching, inner wisdom, and taking time for introspection. It is a call to look inward for answers, not to fear a monster in the shadows.
• The Magician: The film presents The Magician as a sadistic performer who tortures his victim. The actual meaning of this card is about manifestation, power, skill, and having the resources to achieve one's goals. It is a card of empowerment, not of violent deception.
• Death: Portrayed as a literal grim reaper, the Death card is one of the most misunderstood cards in the deck. It rarely signifies physical death. Instead, it symbolizes transformation, endings, and the shedding of old habits to make way for new beginnings.

By turning these symbols of psychological and spiritual guidance into movie monsters, the film perpetuates a common but inaccurate fear-based view of tarot.

Fate vs. Free Will in Tarot

Ultimately, the tarot movie presents a world governed by inescapable fate. Once the cards are read, the characters' doom is sealed, and their struggles are merely a delay of the inevitable. This is perhaps the most profound misrepresentation of tarot's purpose. The truth about tarot cards in movies often involves this fatalistic trope, but it directly contradicts the philosophy behind the practice.

Real tarot readings are not about predicting an unchangeable future. They are a tool for exploring potential outcomes based on current energies and choices. A reading is meant to empower the individual by providing clarity and insight, allowing them to exercise their free will more consciously. If a challenging card appears, it serves as a warning or a guide on what to address or avoid, not a death sentence. Tarot illuminates the path, but it is always up to the individual to decide which way to walk. The film's message of predetermined death is the exact opposite of tarot's true aim: to empower life with wisdom and choice.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Tarot succeeds as a conventional supernatural horror film by leveraging the rich, symbolic imagery of its source material for terrifying effect. Its greatest strengths—the creative and menacing creature designs—are also the source of its most significant misrepresentations. By transforming cards of introspection and guidance like The Hermit and The Magician into literal monsters, the film prioritizes effective jump scares over the authentic, empowering purpose of the tarot practice.

While the predictable plot and underdeveloped characters keep it from achieving classic status, the film serves as an entertaining creature feature. Looking ahead, the real conversation sparked by films like Tarot is not about their cinematic quality but about the relationship between ancient traditions and modern entertainment. As spiritual and esoteric practices become more mainstream, their portrayal in media will continue to shape public perception. The challenge for audiences is to distinguish between thrilling fiction and empowering reality—to recognize that while a film may present a narrative of inescapable fate, true practices like tarot are designed not to predict doom, but to provide the wisdom to navigate one’s own path and make conscious choices.