Horror series ‘Tarot’ hoping for good fortune as Cannes award nominee

Horror drama series “Tarot” will compete under the 2024 Cannes International Series Festival's short form category, a first for a Korean series in that category.

"Parasite" (2019) star Yoon Yeo-jeong leads the cast for horror drama series ″Tarot″ [LG STUDIO X+U]

Horror drama series “Tarot” will compete under the 2024 Cannes International Series Festival's short form category, a first for a Korean series in that category.

Four Korean television series including “Tarot” and dystopian drama-thriller series “Pleasant Outcast” will have their world premiere at the festival next month.

“Tarot” is an anthology series set in Seoul but delving into urban legends that could happen anywhere. The series is themed around tarot cards, with each episode beginning with the main character discovering a tarot card containing a cursed message. Soon after, they experience horrors that are the exact opposite of what the cards foretold.

“Parasite” (2019) star Yoon Yeo-jeong leads the series’ cast, which includes actor Jo Eun-sol from “The Fabulous” (2022) and “Mine” (2021) and veteran actor Kim Seung-hoon.

Scene from upcoming drama series ″Pleasant Outcast″ [LOTTE CULTUREWORKS]

“Pleasant Outcast” will premiere at the Canneseries as a part of the festival’s noncompetitive Korean series focus, along with “Rinza Noodle House” and “Black Out.”

“Pleasant Outcast” is a 10-part series adaptation of the first part of webtoon “Cheerful Outcast” by Kim Soong Nyung. The second episode of the popular webtoon series was also adapted to the disaster thriller film “Concrete Utopia” (2023), Korea’s Oscar contender last year.

The TV series follows the story of high school junior Dong-hyun, who is bullied daily at school. The day he wishes for everyone's death, an unexplained powerful earthquake destroys his school, trapping the students inside. Now isolated from the rest of society, a power struggle and hierarchy reshuffle emerge as the students struggle to survive.

The TV drama will star actors Sung Yoo-bin from “Mr. Sunshine” (2018); Won Ji-an from “D.P.” (2021-2023) and the upcoming second season of “Squid Game”; and Cho Hyun-chul, also from “D.P.”

The Cannes International Series Festival, commonly referred to as the Canneseries, is a television festival held annually in Cannes, France. It aims to showcase and promote television series around the world.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]