WATCH NOW
I usually have sympathy for filmmakers attempting a low-budget horror film. Even if it is poorly executed, I can appreciate the effort it takes to create something out of nothing. I feel that there is always a good story to tell but lacks attention due to funding issues. This results in bad reviews which feels more like attacking rather than critique as the films will eventually fade away by themselves.
Dark Tarot starts with four women receiving mysterious letters, revealing that the sender knows information that could change their lives and would like them to come to a specific location. Once they arrive at the location the women soon realize they have been lured in for blackmail. Their captor has in his possession a journal from a recently deceased man named Connor who used to work for all the women as a pool boy. The journal details an affair with the woman. As if the situation could not get worse, a medium shows up and for reasons only known to her, unleashes a part of the dead man’s fury.
Now come on, just let that sink in for a moment. Yes, someone thought this up, showed it to someone else, and somehow that person thought this would make a good horror movie. After that, they somehow were able to convince a couple of actors and crew members to go along with it, but what is shocking is that no one stopped to ask, “Are we sure this wouldn’t actually be better porn?” This would be the best option given the context of the film.
I could have forgiven the indiscretions, but yes, this movie has a terrifying attitude towards women and sex. This deep-rooted problem is why I believe this movie is on the lower end of the spectrum. I understand that they are guilty of affairs and on some level, they have the right to condemn them, but nobody can argue that the film goes to outlandish lengths to make it immoral. Not only does the film punish these women by glorifying them being slaughtered even further but it also depicts a ghost of the man whom they committed these affairs with.
In other ways, the movie attempts to make the women look bad and deserving of their fate there’s one who kills the host out of what seems to be desperation to stop the nefarious blackmail. The reasoning that the audience is expected to accept as justified their killing is far from what Conner did in the first place. Then, for reasons that remain unclear, the women were given wine which they drank only to subsequently lose all sense and be murder-raped. They then essentially get ghost-roofied, then ghost-sexed to death.
Claudia is one of the characters, and we find out that when she is Connor’s lover she brazenly describes her affairs to her husband as a way to provoke him, and much to everyone’s surprise, her husband physically assaults Connor out of even more rage filled jealousy. I think anyone looking at that situation can see that there are three distinctive people making decisions here, all of them doing things that are morally questionable. Still, in the plot, Claudia takes on 100 percent of the responsibility and perishes for it. The thing is, there is no expectation of accountability by either man. This is more or less how the rest of the story goes.
At the end of it all, the one wife left standing is left so because she conducted her affair in the right way she had a cheating spouse, and did love Connor. So, because she had sex for what seemed to be valid reasons, she was let off. And that’s what draws attention to the issue here a woman who engages in sex while married and devoid of love is an evil person. A man who engages in sex devoid of love with several married women becomes a victim of their charms.
This single film also plays into one of my biggest pet peeves which is using tarot cards when no attempts are made to study them. It just so happens that tarot reading is one of my minor hobbies, so it annoys me a lot to see the Death card pulled, and a gaggle of people gasping out of the assumption that it means the death of a person. This movie does do some of its homework, however, as the medium character does explain some of its real meanings to some of the characters. But, this still means that the use of the cards was not right, or even warranted.
Dark Tarot is not a movie that you will ever find on regular television. That is for a good reason too. It is simply too incoherent and poorly executed from an acting standpoint. The movie is so awful that it’s not even worth discussing in detail. But it is worth discussing, as it indicates that time and time again, filmmakers use storylines that demonize a woman’s choice regarding sex as if there is a market for such trash. I would like to warn as many people away from these shamelessly offensive criminals as I can.
Bechdel test Here’s where my blood starts to boil. This should really make anyone angry. It does not even cut it from the Bechdel test basis. Even if it passes, it is only because of one scene where Helena tries to explain the cards to Liz. This film only has five lead characters and two men who don’t do much in the background, exactly as stated in the prior two paragraphs. With an entire film that consists almost entirely of women, there are only so many that help this pass.
Mako Mori test Nope. Every woman’s storyline, aside from Helena, revolves around trying to survive the fury of Connor. Helena has what looks to be a half-hearted attempt at a minor subplot where she attempts to prove she’s a real psychic for her grandmother’s sake, but it’s only mentioned in two scenes and is never really resolved. Fail.
To watch more movies like Dark Tarot (2014), visit 123Movies
Also watch for more movies like:
