Universal Monsters Tarot

Universal Monsters Tarot Deck, created by Casey Gilly* and Joe Wilson, art by Wilson

The characters of horror fiction have always been archetypes representing various aspects of human existence. When horror came to motion pictures it redefined the characters and even the archetypes themselves. Universal Studios is still chief among movie studios seeking to chill audiences with their famous Universal Monsters series of films. The Universal Monsters Tarot Deck uses characters, scenes, and set pieces from the classic movies to represent the symbols of the tarot, reaching back into the silent era and even dipping into a later legacy film, further illustrating the timelessness of these concepts and their capacity to inspire. The Monsters bring not only lavish eye candy to the cards, but a fresh perspective to their meanings, making sitting down for a reading as exciting as watching dark mysterious figures on the silver screen.

*Note: Casey Gilly is not actually listed as the deck's co-creator, but is the author of the guidebook. Until I learn otherwise, I'm going to go with the likely assumption that she collaborated with the artist (with feedback, of course, from Universal representatives) on the work.