This is a fabulous tarot deck for fans of the Universal Pictures films classic monsters, which I am! My favourite Universal monster is the Gil-Man and I was excited to see two cards depicting him! The suits have been changed from Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, into Candles, Crypts, Claws and Castles. The illustrations do not have traditional tarot symbols or follow RSW imagery, so it is basically somewhat of a pip deck. Because of that, the deck is a tough one to read intuitively, but I think for anyone having viewed the films and being able to identify characters and locations in the cards, it could really help make intuitive readings more possible. The art is gorgeous and conveys a mysterious mood and varied emotions. Anyone can use this deck, no matter their experience, as the colour guidebook (full page colour illustrations in fact!) by Casey Gilly explains the basic tarot interpretations with a bit of a monster-style twist. The back of the guidebook also includes three deck-specific spreads: Van Helsing’s Cross, The Wolf’s Moon and The Monster Lives.
The cards themselves are a sturdy thick cardstock and matte which I really like, they feel great. The images themselves are illustrated by Joe Wilson and the art is just wonderful. The back of the cards has an interesting design which incorporates several images including the plane from the early Universal Pictures logos. The box is designed like a coffin, and the text on the box glows in the dark!
This deck is much more than a novelty deck. Although I struggled a bit at first, as I started getting to know the deck better, I began getting some intriguing readings with these cards.
These cards were published by Insight Editions who also published the Garbage Pail Kids deck and I thank them immensely for sending me these cards!
Buy it here:
Also available on Amazon or check your local book/tarot shop.
Originally published in Noumenia News, Issue 67 and here: https://www.hekatepotniatheron.org/post/review-of-the-universal-monsters-tarot-deck-by-casey-gilly-joe-wilson