One of my favorite things to do in the weeks leading up to the holiday, is catch all my favorite Halloween movies. Some of these I happily watch year-round, but some of them are must-watch movies I make a tradition of this time of year. I prioritize the old standbys like Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, and Sleepy Hollow. I typically also catch some old Universal Monster movies, throw in a few Hammer Films, an odd cult classic or two, as well as older, atmospheric films like House on Haunted Hill or The Innocents. This year I was too busy to see all the usuals, but I did add a couple of titles I hadn’t seen before, including two in the Witchboard series, and I even watched a couple of movies from Hallmark+ (which, btw, were pretty fun and unabashedly Halloweeny!). Watching these Halloween movies made me want to revisit an old spread I designed years ago, and share a horror movie tarot reading for Halloween.
Playing with our fears
Though many Halloween and horror movies aren’t actually very scary (and of course, some aren’t meant to be), they typically try to at least play with our fears. Halloween itself plays with our fears. So, I designed this spread to look at our fears, but in a kind of horror movie way… I see Halloween mostly as a fun, uninhibited holiday, so I approached this spread and this reading with a fun, tongue-in-cheek attitude. What stands out about a lot of horror movies? What are some of the common denominators? But also, how can we connect with those elements specifically through tarot?
I focused on a few elements I think are kind of obvious about a lot of horror movies – fear, the fight or flight response, the stupid move (stupid decisions abound!), and the onlooker advice (from us, the audience, as we yell at the screen). I veered on purpose from the expected here, and made the final card a happy ending, rather than the more standard ending of many horror movies. This is a tarot reading after all; essentially it is still about self-reflection, understanding, and personal growth. We are the onlookers, and through the cards we can check our fears, and see the potential mishaps as well as that better advice. Through this self-reflection, we can try to create a life that leads to a positive outcome (not a horror movie ending!).
The Halloween Tarot
For this reading, I chose to use the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West and Karin Lee, because I mean, Halloween… Plus, it’s a great deck with a traditional format, very easy to use for any kind of reading (or most kinds anyway). The illustrations are cute and playful but solid, and because they are cute and playful, they might give us fewer jump scares as we turn the cards over and face those fears. The accompanying book is insightful while keeping things somewhat short. It’s a useful resource for understanding the meanings of the cards.
The cards I drew:
- The Scare – VII The Chariot
- Fight or Flight? XIII Death
- Stupid Move! King of Pumpkins
- Onlooker Advice, Three of Ghosts
- Happy (not horror) Ending, Queen of Bats
So, lets take a look…
1 – VII The Chariot
Interesting card to draw for this position. Am I afraid of too much forward movement? Or maybe just moving too quickly? Things have changed so much in my life in recent years, and things are moving quickly. The Chariot points to movement, progress, “success in the face of adversity,” and victory. This doesn’t totally surprise me, and I’ll take this as valuable insight.
2 – XIII Death
Oh, another interesting one! What does this card say I would do in facing these fears? Bravely step forward to face what comes next, or take off running? I think it’s an obvious answer of, keep at it! In other words, fight over flight. The Death card indicates transformation, “an irreversible change in thinking,” and speaks of a totally surprising change, as well as new growth – new ideas and opportunities. Okay then, according to these cards, I have fully readied myself to embrace new movement and change.
3 – King of Pumpkins
In horror movies, the characters generally do really stupid things. You know how it is; you find yourself muttering at the screen, imploring the main character to not do that obviously very stupid thing they are about to do – like open the door to the guy in the creepy mask. So, what’s my stupid move? What am I about to do that would make the onlooker start screaming at me to stop?
The King of Pumpkins corresponds with the traditional King of Pentacles. How is this my stupid move, that the onlooker is yelling at me about? The King sits rather contentedly. Unlike the previous two cards, he is not about movement, he sits and enjoys his wealth. He is described as “steadfast,” and often, the King of Pentacles is all about finances. I have had to focus a lot of attention and energy on the financial lately, but maybe it is causing me to miss out on other things. Perhaps I have been too steeped in worrying about finances, and the stupid move is simply shutting out more enjoyable opportunities due to fears about money. Maybe the onlooker is simply yelling, “stop worrying!”
4 – Three of Ghosts
Of course, we as the viewer, would know better and would make all the right decisions if we were in the character’s shoes – it’s the part of the movie where we’ve started yelling at the TV, “RUUUN!” or “come on, girl, pick up the knife!” The suit of Ghosts corresponds to the traditional suit of Cups, and we all know that this card is one of genuine and delightful friendship. If I look at this one in direct relation to the previous, I can see how the stupid move might be sitting and pondering what to do about my financial situation, and this one might be saying stop worrying and have more fun with your friends! (hey, I am working on this!)
5 – Queen of Bats
Horror stories often have unhappy endings, it’s what we expect. But we at least hold out hope. I mean, sometimes they do end sort of happily, right? One character might stumble through at the end, bloodied and maybe a little crazy, but still breathing; they made it! And we are so relieved! But this card isn’t meant to show us how we can just survive by the skin of our teeth. It’s a bit more hopeful than that. This card shows us that if we can recognize those fears we saw in the earlier cards, and if we can heed that wise onlooker advice, we can write our own happier ending.
The happy ending in my reading is reflected by the Queen of Bats, which would correspond with the Queen of Swords. This card shows a kind of contentment. Her focus is considered to be somewhat lofty. She might be expanding her vision, or expanding her horizon. She is serene and alert, and she reaches out to the world around her with a friendly gesture. To me it speaks of authenticity, and rather than worry, it might point instead to a sense of confident knowing.
Happy Halloween!
I hope you give this lighthearted spread a try, and of course, have a great Halloween! whether your movie tastes lean Hammer or Hallmark!
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~ Nellie
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