'The Woman in the Yard' review: High on atmosphere but low on scares
Courtesy of Universal
A mysterious figure looms in the front lawn of a family’s secluded home in “The Woman in the Yard,” a film that sells itself on a single image: a woman, well, sitting in the yard. It’s a simple yet intriguing hook, but unfortunately, it never fully delivers on its potential. Screenwriter Sam Stefanak and director Jaume Collet-Serra seem stuck, trying to conjure up tension in a film that doesn’t have much to offer.
This low-budget Blumhouse thriller quickly sets the stage in an isolated, rural fixer-upper, where a crippled mother (a resourceful Danielle Deadwyler) and her two children (Peyton Jackson and Estella Kahiha) wake up to find their house without power and nearly empty of food. As the morning unfolds and the family’s recent tragedy comes to light, an eerie presence, draped in black funeral garb (Okwui Okpokwasili), mysteriously appears outside and simply sits there, slowly inching closer to the house throughout the day. When Deadwyler’s character investigates, the figure cryptically responds with, “Today’s the dayyyy.”
Collet-Serra, who recently scored a streaming hit with the B-movie action film “Carry-On” and also directed the 2005 horror remake “House of Wax,” knows how to establish the film’s atmosphere. The story unfolds in a picturesque countryside, far from civilization, and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski’s sunny visuals stand in stark contrast to the dark figure that lingers on the periphery. It’s clear that the woman is more than just “someone who escaped from the mental hospital,” as the mother fears, and after about an hour of tension-building, her motives begin to emerge.
There’s an obvious supernatural element at play, but the script subtly suggests that the woman in the yard might symbolize a type of grim reaper for a grief-stricken mother confronting the uncertain future that lies ahead. Deadwyler remains steadfast in her performance, convincingly portraying a woman under immense pressure, but the third act feels rushed, and key elements and reveals (or the lack thereof) don’t quite hold up as expected.
As a Blumhouse gimmick built on a single spooky image, “The Woman in the Yard” isn’t a total failure. It touches on deeper themes, like how mental health, anxiety, and grief don’t necessarily define us. Even if the film doesn’t fully deliver on that thematic promise, at least it tries to be more than your typical PG-13 horror thriller.
Grade: C+
THE WOMAN IN THE YARD is now playing in theaters.