A Play About a Curse

Written partly in prose and partly as a script, Fleischer’s thrilling sophomore horror outing (after The Roommate) introduces recent drama school graduate Corey, an aspiring playwright who feels betrayed when her mentor, Maxine, reveals she’s leaving Texas for an opportunity in Chicago. In a serendipitous twist, Corey then encounters a clairvoyant in a strip mall who encourages her to put a curse on Maxine. What follows is an entanglement of the psychological and the supernatural as Corey follows Maxine to Chicago and eagerly awaits the curse’s results. Fleischer keeps the tension taut and the action exciting, but the plot is undermined slightly by the tenuousness of Corey’s motivations, especially as Maxine’s betrayal is relatively minor compared to Corey’s outsize reaction. Readers are thrust into the women’s relationship at its crisis point, and without seeing more of their shared backstories the dynamic becomes difficult to grasp. Still, Fleischer’s stylistic flair and plenty of striking supernatural set pieces make this well worth a look. (Oct.)