Tarot card readings date back to the mid-fifteenth century but didn’t have any ties to occultists until the late 18th century. There are two separate types of decks, one used just for games and the other used for divination and fortune-telling. The French occultist and tarot researcher, Jean-Baptiste Alliette under the pseudonym “Etteilla,” created the first deck of cards for the sole purpose of cartomancy in 1789. When specific cards are pulled from the deck for a reading, they can give the reader insight into what their future might hold for them, be it riches, love, or even death…

Sony Pictures and Screen Gems have teamed up with other production companies, Alloy Entertainment and Ground Control, to create a new horrifying spin on the popular party trick, in a horror movie simply titled Tarot. This article will tell you everything you need to know about Tarot!

When Is the Release Date for ‘Tarot’?

The official release date for Tarot is Friday, May 3, 2024, which means you can get tickets to watch it in theaters on Thursday night.

Originally, the film was scheduled for a release date of June 28, but it was moved up to May 10 and then rescheduled once more for May 3. The release date was likely bumped up so as not to compete with the horror prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, which hits theaters June 28. Similarly, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is scheduled for a theatrical release on May 10. Both of those movies already have an established fanbase, which makes sense for the release date for Tarot to be moved to May 3, where the only other horror/thriller movie being released on the same day is A24’s I Saw the TV Glow. You can purchase tickets to see Tarot in a theater near you by clicking the link below!

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Watch the Trailer for ‘Tarot’

The first official trailer for Tarot was released by Sony Pictures on January 30, 2024. As you can see in the trailer, whatever entity that the group of friends releases by breaking the sacred rules of Tarot card readings can shapeshift into different forms based on the cards that were pulled for each of them. What the trailer doesn’t mention, however, is how they can find a way to defeat it and save their lives.

What Is ‘Tarot’ About?

Tarot is a supernatural horror movie about a group of college friends who find a set of Tarot cards that don’t belong to them and break the cardinal rule of card readings… don’t use cards that don’t belong to you. After discovering a set of Tarot cards hidden in a mysteriously engraved box inside a room that states “PRIVATE: Keep Out,” they do what any rational person would do and have a fun card reading. If only they had watched Cabin In the Woods and taken notes from Marty (Fran Kranz), they might have avoided their disastrous fates. After the card reading, members of the friend group start to die in horrific ways that reflect the cards that were drawn for them. Once they connect the dots as to why their friends are dying, the remaining group of friends has to figure out a way to solve the mystery and save their lives.

The official synopsis for Tarot from Sony Pictures reads:

When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.

Who Stars in ‘Tarot’?

Jacob Batalon was the first to be confirmed as a cast member in June 2022, playing the role of Paxton. Batalon made his acting debut in 2016 in a horror film called North Woods before his iconic role as Ned, a.k.a. “The Guy in the Chair,” in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He has since then reprized that role throughout subsequent movies in the MCU, but has also starred in Reginald the Vampire, Shortcomings, and Lift. In addition to Tarot, he will also be starring in the upcoming action thriller, Novocaine, which is currently in production and will be released in March 2025.

Larsen Thompson and Avantika join Batalon in the cast as Elise and Paige. Thompson is a model, dancer, and actress. She was discovered when a video of her dancing to Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” and has since performed in several official music videos for songs by Katy Perry, P!nk, and Sia. She has also appeared in movies and television shows such as Bloodline, The Midnight Club, and American Cherry. Avantika is best known for her role as Karen Shetty in the 2024 musical remake of Mean Girls, and previously as Janet in the Rebel Wilson-led comedy Senior Year.

Humberly González and Harriet Slater are also included in the cast as Madelyn and Haley, members of the group of friends who test their fates with Tarot card readings. Slater is relatively new to acting with a few short films under her belt. She is known best for her portrayal of Sandra Onslow in the Max original series, Pennyworth, and subsequently Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Belgravia: The Next Chapter. Humberly González has quite a few projects lined up for her acting career in addition to Tarot, including Star Trek: Section 31, A Hundred Lies, and voice work for the upcoming video game Star Wars Outlaws. She also appeared in Slumberland and the popular series Ginny & Georgia and lent her voice to other video games such as Far Cry 6 and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Wolfgang Novogratz (Sierra Burgess Is a Loser) and Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn) also join the cast as Lucas and Grant.

Olwen Fouéré is included in the cast, but it’s not clear what role she will play in Tarot. The Irish actress appears quite often in the horror genre, with previous roles as Sally Hardesty in the 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mandy, and will be one of the main characters in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming thriller, The Watchers. In addition to The Watchers and Tarot, Fouéré will also appear in three other films, The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan, The Actor, and Four Letters of Love, all currently in post-production.

Who Is Making ‘Tarot’?

Tarot is the feature directorial debut of Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, who also wrote the screenplay. The duo have worked together previously as writers, directors, and producers for several productions such as Moonfall, The Expendables 4, and Extinction. The movie's premise is based on the 1992 novel Horrorscope, written by Nicholas Adams. Adams is a pen name created by Daniel Weiss Associates for a series of young adult horror books similar to the 90s literary horror novel collections R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street franchises and M. T. Coffin’s Spinetinglers series.

The movie is executive produced by Cohen, Halberg, Andrew Pfeffer (The Forest), and Scott Strauss (Training Day) and is produced by Scott Glassgold (Prospect), Elysa Koplovitz Dutton (You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah), and Leslie Morgenstein (You).