Dark & Gothic Tarot Decks

Dark and gothic Tarot cards and decks, featuring vampires, shadows, and outlandish fantasies. These Tarot decks focus on the darker side of life and imagination.

Alchemy 1977 England Tarot

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The Alchemy 1977 England Tarot is a darker tarot with a horror edge. Many of the scenes on the majors feature grinning skeletons, while the court have a dark fantasy feel. The minor arcana don't have scenes, but the suit elements are decorated to fit the theme.



Anne Stokes Gothic Tarot

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Anne Stokes Gothic Tarot is a 78-card deck from the same artist as the Necronomicon Tarot. The cards are filled with a dark fantasy mix of dragons, unicorns, skulls, vampires and bats. The minor arcana cards just show arranged suit elements, rather than illustrated scenes.



Anne Stokes Legends Tarot

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The Anne Stokes Legends Tarot is a 78-card tarot deck with illustrations chosen from the work of the prolific fantasy artist of the same name. The deck is very pretty in a sleek romantic medieval style, but only loosely linked with tarot symbolism. The minor arcana are also pip cards instead of being fully-illustrated scenes.



Archeon Tarot

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The Archeon Tarot features a mix of traditional and non-traditional imagery in dream-like digital collage, inspired by the author's personal symbolism and mythology.



Barbieri Tarot

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The Barbieri Tarot is a vibrant, powerfully illustrated 78 card deck from Italian artist and master of the fantasy genre, Paolo Barbieri. Selections of his dark, fiery and detailed art have been chosen to fit the tarot archetypes.



Black Tarot

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The Black Tarot is a dark gothic fantasy deck by comic book artist Luis Royo. It is meant to be used for exploring the darker side of the psyche. Now also available in a fully-illustrated version as the Royo Dark Tarot.



Bohemian Gothic Tarot

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The Bohemian Gothic Tarot is the dark sister of the Victorian Romantic Tarot. It's a deck of the shadows; dark, beautiful, a little melancholy and mysterious. The editions of the deck and a deck-and-book set are now out of print.



Book of Kaos Tarot

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The Book of Kaos Tarot is a compelling self-published 80-card deck. The imagery uses pagan and tribal imagery and its pen-and-ink art varies from simple to complex across the cards.



Bosch Tarots

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Strikingly vibrant, the Bosch Tarot deck depicts humans, monsters, and visions as Tarot cards. The art style is modelled on that of Dutch artist Hieronymous Bosch and has elements from his paintings. Fascinating.



Corneal Edema Tarot

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The Corneal Edema Tarot is an art tarot celebrating the gothic lifestyle. The images are composed of posed photographs, graphically edited to embed them into a textured space. The 22 majors have now been published in a limited edition of 50 decks.



Crow's Magick Tarot

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The Crow's Magick Tarot is the second deck created by artist Londa. The cards have a very dark feel, probably because most of the scenes have a black background. I'm not sure how the symbols relate to traditional tarot, but the images are powerful.



Cruel Thing Tarot

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The Cruel Thing Tarot is a darkly elegant gothic tarot deck, printed entirely in black, white and red. The minors aren't fully scenic but have more interest than plain pips.



Daemon Tarot

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The Daemon Tarot is a 69-card divination deck drawing upon The Infernal Dictionary, a 19th century collection of daemon lore. The deck links 69 daemons and their attributes with each card, and assists in accessing their energies.



Dark Angels Tarot

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The Dark Angels Tarot is a gothic tarot focusing on heaven's outcast angels. "Achingly beautiful, mysterious, and undoubtedly wise, these unearthly creatures have much to teach us of our own shadow selves."



Dark Carnival Tarot

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The Dark Carnival Tarot is based around dark circus imagery, inspired by the juggalo subculture and musical genre in America. The 78 cards have a traditional basis, illustrated with an urban graffiti feel.



Dark Fairytale Tarot

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The Dark Fairytale Tarot is an exploration of the darker side of the world of the fae. It takes elements of both the Rider-Waite and Thoth foundations and blends them with lifelike medieval fantasy imagery.



Dark Goddess Tarot

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The Dark Goddess Tarot features 78 goddesses and mythical women, figures who might be considered dark, shadow or challenging. The clear, striking art is visually consistent, yet stays true to each goddess's origins. It's a deep and well-made deck.



Dark Grimoire Tarot

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The Dark Grimoire Tarot takes its inspiration from magical texts of fiction and legend - the Necronomicon and other grimoires. The 78 cards have non-traditional scenes of horror and nightmare. Often strange, they're also sometimes disturbing, particularly in the literal Hanged Man.



Dark Wood Tarot

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The Dark Wood Tarot is a dark deck of gothic horror, black humour and sinister fairy tales. Its 78 borderless cards are elegant and come as part of a box set with a 291-page companion book.



Darkana Tarot

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The Darkana Tarot "combines a modern grunge style with non-traditional tarot symbolism". It's a full 79-card deck from the creator of the Inappropriate Tarot Readings group, with an extra major arcana card - the Badass.



Deck of the Dead

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The Deck of the Dead has 78 cards created from vintage etchings and prints, all themed around Death. Each card has been edited to fit the Rider-Waite system and the minors are fully illustrated. Self-published by the artist, it's available in three different sizes.



Deviant Moon Tarot

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The Deviant Moon Tarot has surreal, very unique, and sometimes disturbing moonlit artwork. It's inspired by (and incorporates) images of cemetaries and mental asylums, and designed to illuminate deeper parts of the subsconscious. The talented illustrator is also a tarot student, and the deck is the result of three years of artistic work. Available now in a borderless edition!



Diary of a Broken Soul

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The Diary of a Broken Soul Tarot, an elegantly gothic black and white deck, is the manifestation of artist Ash's shadow work. Now self-published in a 78 card edition, there is also a slightly different 22 card edition.



Diary of a Broken Soul Tarot

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The Diary of a Broken Soul Tarot is an elegantly gothic deck in mostly black and white, and is the manifestation of artist Ash's shadow work. This 22 card limited edition is available from Adam McLean, and there is also now a full 78 card edition.



Dracula Tarot

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The Dracula Tarot has 78 cards based completely on Bram Stoker's famous novel, Dracula. The major arcana feature characters from the book, while the minor arcana follow key storylines. The deck and companion book have been self-published by the author.



Dragon Age Inquisition Tarot

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The Dragon Age Inquisition Tarot is a fully-illustrated 78 card deck based on the characters and artwork of the role-playing video game of the same name. While it's primarily for fans of the game, the deck does have some tarot background. Currently only available bundled in a special edition of the video game.



Dreams and Nightmares - Oracle of the Night

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Dreams and Nightmares - Oracle of the Night is an 108-card deck inspired by shamanic journeys and visions. There are 54 square picture cards with photographic collage illustrations and 54 text cards, and it's designed to be used by picking one card of each type.



Fallen Angel Oracle Cards

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The Fallen Angel Oracle Cards has 72 cards for insight and prediction. "Every legendary villain has a story ultimately more fascinating than his hero counterpart. These fallen angels are no exception: cast out from heaven, the subversive spirits in this deck have committed at least one of the seven deadly sins to secure their place in the legions of the damned."



Favole Tarot

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The Favole Tarot features gothic art by Spanish illustrator, Victoria Frances. The cards are dark and romantic but somewhat depressing - even the Sun card has a feeling of bleakness. While the deck has lushly illustrated majors, it follows the European tradition in the minors and has repetitive pip cards instead of tarot scenes.



Ghost Tarot

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The Ghost Tarot is an ethereal and unearthly 78 card deck illustrated by Davide Corsi. It's set in a moonlit landscape of haunted castles, ghosts and barely visible spectres, and takes an unusual, romantic and creative approach to the standard tarot scenes.



Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

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The Ghosts and Spirits Tarot features ethereal and supernatural beings from legend and lore. The 79-card deck is from Lisa Hunt and is illustrated in her very recognisable style, as seen in the Fantastical Creatures and Animals Divine decks.



Gothic Tarot

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Photographs from cemetaries around the world are the focus of this 22 card limited edition tarot deck. The Gothic Tarot cards are almost square and all are bordered in black.



Gothic Tarot

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The Gothic Tarot by Joseph Vargo is a slick and elegant 78-card deck conveying a dark gothic mood with images of vampires, gargoyles, ghosts and angels. The actual cards don't have copyright symbols.



Gothic Tarot of Vampires

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A tarot of the depths - not only the superficial aspects - of the Vampire mythos. Sensual, violent, spiritual, and somber, the Gothic Tarot of Vampires is dark and contemporary and, yes, sometimes bloody.



Graven Images Oracle

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The Graven Images Oracle is a 'system of prediction' deck of 71 cards, depicting cemetery imagery and interesting photographs of gravestones and monuments. The images in the cards have not been altered or enhanced, but reflect the symbols and statuary as they appear in their natural condition, and are used for prediction and meditation based on their own symbolic merit. Now available.



Guardian Tarot

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The Guardian Tarot is a angel-themed, gothic deck based on Rider-Waite symbolism. Independently published.



H.P. Lovecraft Tarot

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A compelling and dark tarot deck, with sepia-toned artwork in the vein of H. P. Lovecraft, writer of horror and science fiction.



H.R. Giger Tarot

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The original Baphomet Tarot, also known as the H.R. Giger Tarot, has been reprinted in book and deck set. Fans of H. R. Giger's dark imaginings (like the aliens of the movie of the same name) will like this deck, but it may be difficult for others.



Halloween Tarot

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A fun Rider-Waite-based Tarot deck in the theme of the American Halloween holiday. The Halloween Tarot is done in lots of black and orange, vampires, skeletons, bats and jack o' lanterns abound. Frankenstein makes an unusual Emperor.

Now available in a small-size tin edition!



Hush Tarot

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The Hush Tarot is a deck of the beautiful and the unpredictable, combining Victorian romanticism, gothic aesthetic, and a dream-or-nightmare vibe in its 78 expertly illustrated cards.



I Ching Dead Moon

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The I Ching Dead Moon has 64 cards, illustrated by artist Luis Royo. The cards are darkly atmospheric, with the I Ching hexagrams inset at the base of each card. There are also 15 instruction cards included with the deck, explaining the I Ching and the hexagram meanings.



Les Vampires Oracle

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Les Vampires Oracle is designed to deal with the difficult questions and situations in life. It has 44 cards with sleek illustrations of vampiric, doll-like characters, with guidance to help with the dark nights of the soul.



Lord of Illusions Tarot

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There are lots of plain dark colours and black line drawings in this deck that is meant to mirror our inner selves. The deck is supposed to be inspired by the Lord of Illusions movie which was based on the Clive Barker book.



Ludy Lescot Tarot

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The Ludy Lescot Tarot is a mysterious deck from the perspective of Ludy Lescot, "a young esoteric and student of the arts, whom one could meet on the steamy streets in the New Orleans French Quarter". It's an expressive 78-card deck that's a bit different.



Lunatic Tarot

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The Lunatic Tarot has 78 cards with expressive, artistic character illustrations in brownish hues. On the back is the corresponding card from the Rider-Waite and its title in English. The large size 'portfolio' edition - approximately five by ten inches - has cards bound together with thin, tearable plastic binding, but can be separated for use. Now also available in a regular card-sized edition with titles in English and Chinese.



Magick Bones of Tarot

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The Magick Bones of Tarot is a 33-card oracle deck designed to reveal your blind spots and dark secrets and uncover your ultimate inner truth. It has stark images of arrangements of skulls and human bones on black backgrounds.



Mini Royo Dark Tarot

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The Mini Royo Dark Tarot is the very small-size version of Luis Royo's Royo Dark Tarot, which is in turn the updated and fully illustrated version of the Black Tarot. These miniature cards measure 4.4 x 8 cm.



Mortem Oraculum

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The Mortem Oraculum - the Death Oracle - has 22 cards evoking the beauty and inspiration of death. The cards, rich in animal imagery and alchemical symbols, were hand-painted in human blood.



Necronomicon Tarot

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The Necronomicon Tarot is the completion of author Donald Tyson's trilogy that draw on the mythology created by H.P. Lovecraft, the occult writer. It's a dark deck (as you might expect) with 78 cards fully illustrated with computer-generated art. Also comes with a companion book.



Night Sun Tarot

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The Night Sun Tarot has created a symbolic shadow language through a synthesis of diverse cultures, tarot systems and correspondences. The geometric artwork on the 78 cards is an interesting blend of the primitive and the futuristic.



Oracle of Shadows and Light

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The Oracle of Shadows and Light is a cute and quirky little oracle of 45 cards. It features large-eyed faeries, ghosts and angels that are reminiscent of Blythe dolls, each with a slightly shadowy personality or theme.



Raven's Prophecy Tarot

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The Raven's Prophecy Tarot is the creation of author and artist Maggie Stiefvater, writer of the Raven's Cycle books. The 78 non-traditional cards are stark and brooding, with dark and enigmatic artwork.



Raven's Tarot

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Hand illustrated and painted, Raven's Tarot has a very contemporary and slightly gothic and alternative look. Some cards are titled, others have only numbers, but all have a thin white border around the tarot scene.



Ritual Abuse Tarot

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The Ritual Abuse Tarot is a dark and satirical tarot with 78 cards drawn in charcoal. It's an homage to children's illustrator Stephen Gammell, who was famous for his unsettling images in a series of horror short stories. Self-published by the artist.



Royo Dark Tarot

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The Royo Dark Tarot is an expanded and updated version of Luis Royo's original Black Tarot. Now with larger cards, better quality images, and most importantly - fully illustrated minor arcana.



Savage Tarot

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The Savage Tarot is a deck of 78 cards with imagery of the dark underworld - the savage beauty and macabre aspects of life. Self-published in a limited edition of 100 decks.



Secret Tarot

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The Secret Tarot has card scenes and costumes that are a mix of eras from medieval and Renaissance to the 19th and 20th centuries. The art is a little comic-book-ish and features female nudity, but is very atmospheric.



Secret Tarot Mini

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The Secret Tarot Mini is the pocket-size, miniature version of the atmospheric Secret Tarot. Its 78 cards measure 4.4cm by 8cm and keep the expressive feel of the landscapes and scenes of the original.



Shadow Animal Oracle Cards

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The Shadow Animal Oracle Cards take a selection of the more unsavoury members of the animal kingdom - like tapeworms and leeches - to see what lessons might hide behind the mandibles and slimy exteriors. The deck is still in development.



Shadow Tarot

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Not your regular tarot deck, the major arcana cards of the Shadow Tarot are based on the 22 Tunnels of Set as described by Aleister Crowley. The deck is intended to assist contact and integration with our shadow energies, facilitating access to unexplored territory in the psyche. Now available in a 78-card edition through The Game Crafter.



Singing Serpent Tarot

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The Singing Serpent Tarot is based firmly in tradition, with a 'unique twist, coil and slither'. The 78 black and white, hand-drawn cards each have a serpent present on the card, and are deliberately simply styled. Self-published by the artist and due for release at Samhain 2014.



Solleone Tarot

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Colourful, super-real and in-your-face, the Italian-published Solleone Tarot cards have a medieval style and occasionally use bloody and violent imagery.



Strange Wonders Tarot

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The Strange Wonders Tarot is a horror-themed tarot based around thoroughly creepy dolls. The dark and sinister cards feature complete dolls in the major arcana, but just doll heads in the minor arcana. Self-published and available from The Game Crafter.



Surrealist Tarot

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The Surrealist Tarot is a very strange and surreal, 78-card self-published deck. It's based on the LaVey Personality Synthesizer Clock as well as Crowley, Waite and Sprague's systems.



Tarot de la Nuit

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Tarot de la Nuit is a selection of 79 art pieces from a body of work by French artist Alexandra V. Bach, chosen to match the tarot archetypes. Her art is glossy and darkly romantic, with influences from modern pop culture - Game of Thrones, Vikings, Black Swan and Dracula, to name a few.



Tarot Gothica

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The Tarot Gothica has 78 darkly themed cards, with digitally manipulated images created from the artist's photographs of real people in goth attire and costumes.



Tarot of Shadows

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The Tarot of Shadows is an unconventional Russian-published set of 78 cards, with dark, demonic and fantasy art scenes set on white backgrounds.



Tarot of the Haunted House

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Tarot of the Haunted House is loaded with tropes and archetypes from vintage horror movies and cheesy gothic romance novels. The 78 card deck is structured around the heroine's journey through a mysterious haunted house - and dark night of the soul.



Tarot of the Night

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The Tarot of the Night is a dark and gothic deck from Richard Shadowfox of the ShadowFox Tarot and Tarot Deck of Heroes. This 78-card deck is illustrated in a 3D graphics style and has a horror movie feel.



Tarot of Vampyres

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The Tarot of Vampyres is a vampire themed deck created by British illustrator, Ian Daniels. The gothic-style art in his 78-card deck is stunning - romantic, seductive, brooding and dark.



The Book of Azathoth

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The Book of Azathoth is an homage to the American sci-fi and horror author, H.P. Lovecraft. The 78 card deck is designed to give the feel of being of Lovecraft's universe, as used by one of his characters. Self-published and available from the artist.



The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot

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The Nightmare Before Christmas Tarot is the 78-card Tarot version of Tim Burton's animated Christmas classic. Characters from the film become the major arcana, while moments and scenes become the minor arcana.



Vampire Tarot

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The Vampire Tarot draws together tarot, Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and vampire myths over the ages. From Robert M. Place, who created the Alchemical Tarot and Tarot of the Saints, it is a well-researched and deep look at the links between tarot and vampires, and is illustrated in his distinctive artistic style. The set also includes an excellent companion book.



Vampire Tarot

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It almost seems like Tim Burton helped with the Vampire Tarot. Full of elegant vampires, bloodied fangs, full moons and desolate landscapes, it's refined and only slightly macabre.



Vampire Tarot of the Eternal Night

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The Vampire Tarot of the Eternal Night is another vampiric deck - this one from Lo Scarabeo. It has photo-real images with an edge of horror by Davide Corsi, and a companion book by Barbara Moore.



Vertigo Tarot

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The Vertigo Tarot is a modern, slightly surreal and very gothic Tarot deck with dark artwork. By comic-book artist Dave McKean, it is a very popular deck and has been hard to find - but is to be republished in 2008.



Victoria Frances Gothic Oracle

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The Victoria Frances Gothic Oracle has 36 stunning cards of romantic melancholia. The illustrations, by Spanish artist Victoria Frances, are seductive, sinister, poetic and darkly evocative.



Wormweird Tarot

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The Wormweird Tarot is a true tarot of horror - there are few romantic gothic visions in this deck! Described as "an Absinthe-fulled descent into a Victorian never-land of plague, dark magick and monsters", the cards feature skeletons and piles of bones, ghosts, ghouls and more. The images were created using stage illusions and wax sculptures that were then photographed.



XIII Tarot

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The XIII Tarot is very literally a dark deck; illustrated in greys and blacks with highlights in red. The artwork on the major arcana is a little gothic and a little Giger-esque, while the minor arcana have simple arranged pips without scenes.



Zombie Tarot

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The Zombie Tarot is from the creator of the Housewives Tarot. This 78-card deck is a retro oracle of the undead, where 'wands become limbs, pentacles are biohazard symbols, and the Major Arcana is full of shambling corpses'.



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