Tarot-A Dull Horror Film That Doesn’t Know What it Wants To Be

Tarot feels caught between trying to be two different kinds of horror films. The film wants to be a dark and creepy horror film with brutal kills. But, with its hilariously obvious foreshadowing and over-the-top performances and writing, it almost feels like the film wants to be a more campy and comedic horror film.

But, in both areas, the film fails. The film isn't remotely creepy, with almost all of its scares stemming from obvious jump scares. Plus, with the film's PG-13 rating, the kills lack any brutality a horror film like this needs, as it either uses extreme closeups or cuts away to hide any gory imagery.

As a more campy, comedic horror film, Tarot also fails. The film takes itself far too seriously for any comedy to feel intentional. The film gives one of the characters a tragic backstory involving a family member who died of cancer, provides a backstory for the supernatural threat killing these characters, and provides scenes of characters grieving during each character's death, all in failed attempts to give the film some semblance of emotional depth. And even if the film didn't take itself seriously, the characters are all too obnoxious, and the dialogue is way too grating for much of the intentional comedy to land.

It makes for a film that's too bloodless and over-reliant on jump scares to be a genuinely scary horror movie but is too dull and takes itself too seriously to be a horror comedy. The film has its merits, as there are some creative camerawork and standout sequences, particularly one involving the "Magician" creature. The practical effects and makeup on the creatures are pretty impressive. But for the most part, I found the film mostly dull and annoying. There was potential here if the film had committed to being either of the two films it was trying to be. The film could've leaned into genuine horror and brutality as these college-aged adults get killed off one by one by this supernatural threat. Or, the film could've leaned more towards the humorous undertone of the story, turning the film into a genuine horror comedy of a bunch of inept college-aged adults who inadvertently end up causing their deaths in their attempts to avoid them. As it stands, though, the film ends up as an incredibly bland, if at times unintentionally hilarious, horror film.

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