Tarot: A Formulaic Retread That Lacks Originality (Blu-ray)
The Film:
I know I've said it time and time again, but the horror genre is probably the single most difficult genre to do anything the least bit original in. It certainly goes a long way towards explaining the noticeable lack of decent horror films over the last couple of decades (there have been some, but not many), and it also explains why most horror movies don't even try, opting instead to play around with the same standard formulas/set-ups that we've seen countless times. Some of these manage to do pretty well, putting interesting twists on familiar situations, while others simply end up being tiresome retreads. "Tarot" is one of those horror flicks that's not really trying to do anything new, but at least attempts to incorporate something a little different into its oft-seen scenario. However, will it be enough to set it apart from the multitudes that followed the same path?
The film begins with a group of seven friends renting a mansion for Elise's (Larsen Thompson) birthday party. Grant (Adain Bradley) and Haley (Harriet Slater) have recently broken up, causing a bit of tension, so the group decides that the latter should read their fortunes using a set of creepy tarot cards that they found in the basement. She reads for each of them and then finally for herself, with each person getting a very specific main card. Shortly after, members of the group start getting killed off by manifestations of the characters on their cards, leading the survivors to track down a tarot expert, from whom they learn of the cards' deadly curse. With the clock ticking for the rest of them, they must find a way to destroy the cards before they become the curse's next victims.
As you can see from that synopsis, "Tarot" falls into a very familiar structure that we've seen in countless horror films before it, and follows the formula right down to the letter. That is, we have a group of people getting cursed, some getting killed off by said curse, the survivors discovering the backstory behind said curse, and ultimately trying to stop the curse before they too are killed. Obviously screenwriters Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg were not going for a whole lot of originality here, so instead they decided to take the second route by attempting to put their own spin on an old tale.
In this case, they've thrown in the element of having tarot cards be the method of getting cursed & killed, which may indeed be an original addition to the equation (at least as far as I can tell), and may add a few chances for interesting character designs, but sadly isn't nearly enough to shake up the standard path that this precisely-structured formula has to take, leaving you to tick off the easily predictable beats as they occur.
If they were going to have any hope of breathing some new life into an oft-used set-up like this, they were going to have to do a little more than just adding a slightly different way of getting people cursed. Because of its lack of originality, we ultimately end up with a film that feels rather cliched as it adheres closely to the well-worn path it trods, and one that you'll likely forget about within hours simply due to there not being much that sticks out about it. It's not exactly a "lazy" horror film, as they did at least put some decent effort into the aforementioned designs, but as far as its most important elements go, there just isn't a whole lot to see here.
Video/Audio:
"Tarot" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. As with most horror flicks, a lot of the film is rather dark, but the picture always remains perfectly sharp & clear. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Sony has done a fine job in both departments for the film's debut physical release.
Special Features:
A Twist of Fate: Making the Film (6 Minutes): A very brief look behind the scenes at the making of the film, featuring interviews with the writers/directors & cast.
Circle of Friends (7 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on the film's characters.
Killer Outtakes (2 Minutes)
Conclusion:
Writer/director duo Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg try to shake up the old familiar horror curse formula with "Tarot" by introducing a slightly different method of how the characters get cursed & killed, but sadly it's not nearly enough originality to make an impact, resulting in a film that's mostly cliched and ultimately rather forgettable.
Score: 2.5/5
Now available on Blu-ray.
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