The Woman in the Yard is a hard movie to talk about without getting into spoilers, but I’m going to try my best.  While recovering from a car accident that killed her husband and injured her leg, Ramona and her 14-yr. old son Trey and 6-yr. old daughter Annie are trapped in their farmhouse by a mysterious woman in black. As the day goes, on the woman’s malicious intentions start to break down the already fragile family.  Does this latest PG-13 horror offer more than just jump scares?

• Directed by : Jaume Collet-Serra
• Written by: Sam Stefanak
• Starring: Danielle Deadwyler. Okwui Okpokwasili. Peyton Jackson

The Good:

The Woman in the Yard has a lot to say about guilt, grief, and the impact of trauma.  The opening scenes clearly establish a family in trouble. The best parts of the script skip the unnecessary expositional dialogue and let us absorb the backstory as we get to know the characters.  Thanks to clever and stylish cinematography and framing, the movie establishes the right tone from the beginning and holds it through the first half.  From the first shot of the beautiful farm, everything just feels wrong. 

It’s also not afraid to let its lead be challenging and complex. Ramona is sympathetic, but also hard to watch. She’s suffering from an unspeakable tragedy, emotionally and physically, but also shuts down on her kids, who so badly need her.  She’s not likeable, but for that, perversely, I love her. 

The Kids

I also really enjoyed the kids.  Peyton Jackson, as Taylor, conveys a lot with subtle facial expressions. He balances the emotions of a teen who wants to take control of every situation and is still scared out of his mind and needs his mother.  Since the cast is limited to mostly Ramona, Taylor, and Annie, they had to be believable as a family. I think they pull it off. 

It’s also a great looking movie. Isolated to one farmhouse, the director uses the location well. He even makes sprawling farmlands feel oppressive as the shadow of the woman creeps across the land and house.  Honestly it’s worth a watch just for the camera tricks alone.

What Aren’t You Saying – POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD

The Woman is there tormenting Ramona due to her complicated feelings about her husband’s death and her guilt after the accident.  As the movie progresses, Ramona is confronts the truth about her feelings and emotional state. This leads to an ambiguous ending that could be viewed by audiences as reflecting favorably on suicide. I don’t share this take, but I can understand why people would have that impression.

The interesting thing about The Woman in the Yard is also one of the frustrating parts. It has a lot to say about depression and seeing the world through the filter of destructive thoughts. The issue with how this is portrayed is that the movie establishes Ramona as an unreliable narrator, but never fully develops or resolves this element. Early on, she skips taking her meds, and Taylor later refers to her taking pills for “crazy people”.  We see a few of her delusions and how they affect how she treats her kids. They start after the woman arrives so the first assumption is they are a part of whatever supernatural power she has. I’m not so sure about that.

What We See Isn’t Real

There is a strong argument that everything related to the Woman in the Yard is a delusion that Ramona is experiencing.  We do see certain scenes from Taylor’s perspective that support this interpretation.  However, there are other scenes that could contradict this. There are times when it’s just Taylor, Ramona isn’t present, nor is her viewpoint represented, and he encounters the Woman. In those scenes the movie seems to be telling us that these experiences are real.

These ambiguous possible interpretations add up to a muddled ending, and possible misinterpretation of the theme of the movie. Which is a real shame, since there is a lot of good here. 

Tackling big issues can be risky, and all the visual clues that the filmmakers leave behind won’t matter much if the action on the screen is telling a different story. The Woman in the Yard  has so many layers of visual symbolism, shown through contrasting light and shadows, and the use of mirrors and reflections. The story that they are trying to tell gets a bit lost under all the possible interpretations.  

Final Thoughts

If you are in the mood for tense psychological horror that’s open to interpretation, The Woman in The Yard might be worth your time. If you’re looking for horror that provides more definitive storytelling and clear messaging, skip this one. There’s a lot to discuss and debate in the ending, but there isn’t one clear answer – yet. 

The Woman in the Yard is in theaters

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