“The Woman in the Yard” aspires to be a psychological slow burn. However, I looked at my phone screen, more than the actual movie theater screen . This film ends up sputtering into an anticlimactic experience that raises far more questions than it answers — most of which are frustrating rather than thought-provoking.
Danielle Deadwyler plays Ramona, a grieving widow and mother of two; Taylor (who is annoying and obnoxious the entire way through), played by Peyton Jackson; and Annie, played by Estella Kahiha. Ramona is recovering from a horrible car accident that left her leg broken and her husband dead, leaving her mind and body in disarray.
The family of three is stuck on a remote rural farm with no power in the house due to the power bill not being paid when an ominous figure — a silent woman in black, played by Okwui Okpokwasili — mysteriously shows up in their yard. Unfortunately, what could have been a tense and eerie setup ballooned into a boring plot of loose ends and head-scratching choices.
This film suggests grief, mental health and isolation, but it never quite follows through. The emotional undercurrents of Ramona’s past — including her relationship with her late husband — and her increasingly frail mental state feel insufficiently developed, being briefly glossed over with a handful of brief flashbacks. However, this lack of emotional foundation makes it hard to care about Ramona’s descent or even really invest in her as a character.
“The Woman in the Yard” is a missed opportunity for horror. It is sold as a scary movie, but not a single instant creates the slightest measure of authentic, teeth-grinding tension or fear. Instead, the film delivers vague symbolism and slow pacing but no real payoff. Many characters’ decisions throughout the movie come off as illogical, their development is shallow and their characters are so irritating that it is hard to care about them. The children, for example, are less supporting characters than after-thoughts.
It must be said that the film has a creepy atmosphere and some haunting visual style, but it is not enough to build a pretty bad story. The open-ended conclusion may work for some, but with all of the plot holes and unanswered questions, it comes across less as a creative decision and more as a lack of direction. This feels like a watered-down version of “The Babadook,” for those who have not seen it — it is a better film with more emotion and narrative structure.
Ultimately, “The Woman in the Yard” is a movie with unrealized potential. It could have been something special with a better script, more profound characterizations and a clearer vision. Unfortunately, it does not, providing more of a dull experience than hair-raising.
My take:
Wait for streaming. It should be on Tubi in about a month or so. This is a 3/10 film.