Tarocchi Gialli: A Rider-Waite Tarot Deck Inspired by Italian Horror

Tarocchi Gialli is a new tarot deck inspired by the mesmerizing movie posters of Italian Gothic Horror films of the 60s and 70s.

I first fell in love with the style of filmmaking with Dellamorte Dellamore. Although it came out in 1992, it brought me down a rabbit hole into the films of Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, and Maria Bava.

Often described as low-brow schlock, Giallo films were known for heightened sexuality, brutality, and dread. Giallo ("yellow") originally referred to the covers of pulp novels published in Italy in the 20s and 30s that each had a trademark yellow cover. Much like the covers of the books before them, the films' posters ended up with a similar dramatic flair for bold color, binarized photos, and screaming women.

With this array of posters as my reference, I approached this project with the intent of making each card in the Rider-Waite tarot lineup appear as an Italian film lost to time. I am creating these images using photos I've taken over the years, photos taken by my father in Italy in 1980, as well as other references when they fit the vision I have for the "film."

Ultimately, the cards will be printed in Oracle size (89mm*146mm) to best showcase the detail. The box will be a lid box with finger holes to add an air of recent antiquity. Lastly, I've recruited the amazingly skilled Obsidian Corona to write the card descriptions that will be used in the accompanying manual.