Things of interest...
Occult Course & Tarot Course, Moot Recordings Update and a Film Review
Once again I must apologise to those who were expecting last Friday’s Moot. Technical issues and being away from home seemed to gang up on me.
The Moot, the Law of Attraction, will be published tomorrow to TSMM Moot subscribers.
Whilst on the topic of Moot recordings did you know there are over 30 hours of talks on there for members to view with more added each month?
Topics range from oracles to witchcraft, to magick, to ancient grimoires, to deities, and more….
You can see the full list here.
It’s well worth a look if you’ve not visited the page.
Two other resources I’d like to mention.
Lessons in the Occult
We’re now at Lesson 14.
This is a monthly post aiming to introduce you to Occult studies.
It’s a structured course moving from historical through philosophical to practical aspects of the Mystery Traditions,
You can see the outline of the course here.
Introducing the Tarot
There are some free taster lessons online already which you can view here.
The course starts fully in July,
Here’s an overview of what we’ll be covering.
You can sign up here
Whilst on the topic of The Tarot, I went to see the new film - Tarot - this week.
If you’re interested in my thoughts, you can read them here.
Beware, plot spoilers.
Tarot - The Movie
Plot
Friends unwittingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within a cursed deck of tarot cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate, racing against death to escape the future foretold in their readings. (IMDb)
What the Audience say.
Two Very Different Reviews.
I went in expecting your average horror film but came out really impressed. Amazing story and direction. The cast was great! The dude from Spiderman was awesome! Had some really funny moments which is appreciated in horror, but the scares were what really impressed me! Stuff I haven't seen in other horror films. New concepts which was nice for once. Kept thinking about the movie after watching it which is what a good movie does. All around the special fx and cinematography were amazing. I would recommend this to anyone that loves horror. I can see this being a horror fan Favorite and would definitely watch it again!
Nickholiday-83643 (IMDb)
Tarot is a very predictable, silly, and cliche-ridden horror film. The dialogue is screamingly ridiculous and the characters are more cardboard than the cards themselves. This film has very few, if any, redeeming features, and as the well-trodden story unfolds (complete with absurd, lazy, and unsubtle back story), it's very hard to stay awake. The writing and direction are laughable and the actors are clearly stifled by a terrible script. But the deeply annoying, often completely inappropriate music that drones on throughout ensures that a second viewing is definitely not on the cards! Not recommended.
Paulevans55904 - IMDb
Review of Tarot 2024 - My Review
Directors: Anna Halberg, Spenser Cohen
The reviews for "Tarot: The Movie" seem to be mixed. While some audience members were impressed with the story, direction, and scares in the film, others found it to be predictable, silly, and cliche. It seems that the quality of the writing, direction, and acting may have divided viewers' opinions on the movie.
For me the acting was mediocre at best, the script was pedestrian and cliched; the sound was iffy and the lighting even worse.
Is a screaming sound in the dark really scary when you know it’s a director’s trick?
The chemistry between the characters just wasn’t there and, to be honest I began to want them to be killed off so the film would come to its predictable end.
The premise was shaky if not obvious.
A party in an old manor, a secret basement with occult goodies and a box of strange Tarot cards.
Despite stating that it was “bad luck” or a “no-no” to read with someone else’s cards a character who seemed to have some knowledge (yes the one who issued the warning) decided to “read” the cards,
Thus releasing the power of the haunted deck and the teenagers were doomed - well half of them were.
The “deaths” lacked inventiveness (unlike the far superior Final Destination series) and the attempts at dark humour fell flat.
The plot seemed to have big holes in it or, perhaps it was the Directors who failed to follow it through.
The story behind the Tarot deck, the how and why of their cursing, would have made a better movie. It was told in flashbacks with more narration than action. So, for a few moments, there was hope of rescue for the movie. Alas, this was not to be the case.
As someone with a genuine interest in The Tarot, I felt that the naive way the cards were talked about was disappointing, pedestrian, and based on popular misconceptions about the nature and origins of the cards.
Sorry.
Now if you want a fun Tarot movie with far superior acting, direction and plot then take a look at Dr Terror’s House of Horrors.
Ok, from the clip you’ll immediately see it’s dated and a little bit twee, but after all, it was filmed in 1965.
Plot
Five men entering a train carriage in London bound for the fictional town of Bradley are joined by a sixth, the mysterious Doctor Schreck (Peter Cushing) whose name, he claims, is German for "terror". During the journey, the doctor opens his pack of Tarot cards (which he calls his "House of Horrors") and proceeds to reveal the horrifying destiny of each traveller. This provides the framework to tell five chilling horror stories.
You may be able to see the whole movie here.
In my opinion, it’s much more entertaining than the 2024 offering.
One of the reasons I enjoy horror movies, particularly those dealing with Occult themes, is they remind me how much popular ideas about the occult vary from the reality occultists work within. In part, many of these films are about encouraging people to avoid the mysteries rather than embrace and understand them.
Thanks for reading
Alan /|\
You can find my new website HERE.
It’s in development so keep checking in….