Wicked Games

Markert’s (Sleep Tight) psychological horror evokes the home-invasion trope, although the story doesn’t quite reach horrific proportions. Harley is a young woman who lives life on the edge, having survived years of trauma. Not afraid to take risks, she agrees to accompany a man she barely knows on a visit to his mysterious family estate in the mountains. Harley soon becomes part of a sinister game where she is hunted, and the terrain offers no escape. Fortunately for Harley, she is by no means easy prey. Listeners may be reminded of the movie You’re Next, which also features a hunted protagonist and a message about classism. Unfortunately, despite the compelling premise, Markert’s latest falls short of creating the necessary tension. Narrator Leila Allarie ably embodies protagonist Harley, even though Markert’s depictions of her and the other characters feel less than three-dimensional. With a narrative full of asides and the actual horror taking so long to happen, the story feels less like a cohesive whole than a string of random violent moments thrown together.