Trick or Treat tarot
The Trick or Treat Tarot was created by bestselling tarot author Barbara Moore with illustrations by artist Jonathan Hunt, published by Llewellyn Worldwide on September 8, 2022. Moore has been in love with tarot for over 35 years and has authored more than a dozen tarot books, including the bestselling "Tarot for Beginners." The deck comes as a boxed kit with a 78-card deck and a substantial 216-page full-color guidebook, with an afterword by Llewellyn author Mickie Mueller. The guidebook notably avoids renaming cards or suits just for thematic purposes, keeping the deck functional for serious tarot work.
Official Website →Art Style & Visual Character
Jonathan Hunt's illustrations bring a Halloween-themed world to life with a style that is playful and celebratory rather than gory or deeply frightening. The artwork has a mature, nostalgic stylistic feel — evoking the magic of Halloween through pumpkins, costumes, haunted landscapes, and spooky-but-charming characters. The palette is rich with autumnal oranges, purples, blacks, and moonlit blues. Hunt's work showcases bold composition and expressive strokes, bringing a human warmth to the supernatural subject matter. The overall aesthetic is more "grown-up Halloween nostalgia" than horror.
Core Concept & Symbolism
The deck follows the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith structure faithfully, with all 78 cards maintaining their standard names and suit designations. The Halloween theme serves as an atmospheric overlay rather than a fundamental restructuring — each card's traditional meaning is expressed through Halloween-inspired imagery and scenarios. This approach means readers familiar with RWS can immediately work with the deck without learning new associations. The Halloween lens adds a layer of playful mystery, transformation, and the celebration of the thin veil between worlds.
Reading Experience
Reviews are consistently positive. The Itinerant Librarian's review notes it is "a great kit, especially for Halloween season" that is "playful with good humor but can also deliver deep and serious messages." The Horror Review praises Hunt's ability to capture the feeling and deeper meanings of each card, and Moore's beautiful descriptions in the guidebook. Witchy Corner Productions' review highlights it as a functional year-round deck for those who enjoy Halloween aesthetics beyond just October. The deck strikes a balance between themed novelty and genuine reading utility, making it appealing to both collectors and active practitioners.
Best Used For
- Halloween and Samhain seasonal readings
- Year-round use for those who love spooky, autumnal aesthetics
- Readers who appreciate playful, non-frightening gothic imagery
- Beginners who benefit from the thorough 216-page guidebook
- Themed reading parties and social tarot events
- Collectors of holiday-themed and seasonal decks
Not Ideal For
- Readers who prefer serious, non-themed tarot imagery
- Those seeking minimalist or classical fine-art aesthetics
- Practitioners who want multicultural or non-Western seasonal themes
Major Arcana (22 cards)
The 22 trump cards representing life's spiritual lessons and karmic influences
Minor Arcana (56 cards)
The 56 suit cards reflecting day-to-day events and practical influences
Wands
Fire element — passion, creativity, ambition, and spiritual growth
Cups
Water element — emotions, relationships, intuition, and inner feelings
Swords
Air element — intellect, conflict, truth, and mental clarity
Pentacles
Earth element — material world, finances, health, and practical matters
