This 2024 Hidden Gem is a Screamworthy Addition to Netflix’s Library
Teen horror has a reputation it doesn’t deserve. There’s a prominent perspective, especially in the horror community, that PG-13 horror is for teenyboppers and sleepovers, not serious horror fans. We know that isn’t true, of course—some of the best horror movies ever made have accessible ratings. In the age of high-concept Blumhouse, however, I can at least understand the sentiment. A lot of what’s released isn’t all that good.
Last year, for instance, I found some joy in Imaginary, though I thought Night Swim was a stylish slog. I have a soft spot for Truth or Dare, too, though I wouldn’t exactly say it’s a good movie. And Fantasy Island? What on earth happened there? Sometimes, however, a teenage horror movie comes along that’s a lot more fun than I anticipated. It happened in 2018 with Polaroid, and it happened again last year with the box office disaster Tarot, now streaming on Netflix.
Per Netflix: When a group of friends discovers tarot cards in the basement of their vacation rental, their deadly predictions come to life and terrorize them.
You’re not going to believe me, but Tarot is actually good. Not “so bad, it’s good,” but earnestly, genuinely good. The 17% Rotten Tomatoes score might fool you, as might the meager $18 million domestic gross, but Tarot is so delightfully 2000s-coded, that I couldn’t help but fall in love. It certainly helps that seminal illustrator Trevor Henderson designed the monstrous tarot cards—they’re a genuine delight to behold. The film packs in plenty of scares, tension, and even a surprising amount of lore behind the scary tarot deck at its core. An appearance from Olwen Fouéré never really hurts, either.
Seriously, Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, in their feature debuts, tap into a very specific late-night, early-aughts vibe that’s increasingly harder to reproduce. Tarot even filmed in Serbia. I mean, come on. That’s gold. It’s so Feardotcom, dude. In our review of the film last year, we even wrote, “Tarot is a fun return to 2000s-era spookshows like Stay Alive and Thirteen Ghosts; a wholly entertaining and unpretentious good time.” You’ve got to check Tarot out. I’ve read the cards, and there are good things ahead.
What do you think? Any plans to check out Tarot on Netflix? Any other horror movies worth seeking out there? The Bye, Bye Man is streaming on Tubi, too. Would you hate me if I said that’d make the perfect double feature with Tarot? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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