The Woman in the Yard

A very straight forward title to a film that is a little too convoluted story wise. What starts as an interesting story about a broken family falls into a mundane plot that is saved by its third act. There are true elements of horror here, Okwui Okpokwasili plays the mysterious woman to an expert degree, and she truly carries the movie. The middle act of the film becomes a "trapped in a house" survival horror and this is where the plot really grinds to a halt.

The movie is saved by its resolution that has an interesting take on mental health, and an ending that is "open-ended" enough to keep you guessing on what exactly happened.

I had pretty high expectations for this movie, especially since it was developed by Blumhouse Productions. The trailer made it look promising, with a strong setting and setup, so I was eager to see it.

While there were some good moments, the movie overall felt slow. The story was lacking, with most of the film taking place on a single property. The only real change in setting came from a brief flashback. There was very little blood-far less than I expected from a horror film-so if you're squeamish, it's not overwhelming. However, for those hoping for a more intense experience, it might feel underwhelming.

There was no nudity, sexual content, or real violence, aside from a single gun appearing throughout the film. Surprisingly, it wasn't scary at all. I kept hoping for a moment that would really hit, but the movie just meandered and felt unfocused. While there were a few semi-creepy scenes, nothing truly frightening stood out. The execution felt a bit cheesy, and despite being a Blumhouse film, it seemed like a low-budget production.

Overall, this is just my opinion, but I'd recommend waiting until it's out of theaters to watch it at a lower cost. But hey, if you're curious, check it out and decide for yourself!

These are the reasons I rated it 3 stars.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Woman in the Yard is a fair psychological horror film that has a creepy concept but as the story goes on it loses its steam.

Pros:

The plot is okay. About a family going through grief and living at a farm house. Until a creepy lady all in black sits out in the yard. And gets closer and closer with creepy messages.

It has a great cast ensemble and great performances.

The direction can be creepy as the lady gets closer and going after the family by the shadows.

Cons:

The film does lack scared, jump scares, or any thrills. I feel like the direction missed out on that opportunity.

As the plot starts unraveling during the climax, the real horror loses itself. Also making it difficult to even care for the film without going into spoiler territory. The climax and ending was a little disappointing.

Overall, it is an okay film that starts out great but falls apart too quickly as it gets to the end.

Blumhouse CAN be good or decent, but this is yet another one that makes me feel like they put meticulous research into finding out what are the most critically panned and disliked ingredients of their catalogue & then make new films out of them.

Sure, it's a competent enough film with one or two potentially compelling albeit overused themes, but it's also tiring, uninspired, tedious, flat, predictable, lukewarm & ultimately pointless and empty feeling.

It's rare for a movie that's under 90 minutes long to feel this very stretched out, and it's a damn shame that such weak scripts get greenlit with casts & crews that are too good for it.

The worst Jaume Collet-Serra flick, can only compete with "Black Adam" maybe.

So I just watched The Woman in the Yard, and wow, it's got this creepy, slow burn vibe that really pulls you in, even if it doesn't totally nail the finish. It's about a mom trying to keep it together for her two kids in this beat up farmhouse after a rough loss. They're barely scraping by, with no power, an empty fridge, and a ton of tension. Then this mysterious woman in black shows up in their yard out of nowhere, just sitting there, giving off major eerie energy with these cryptic one liners that'll make your skin crawl.

The movie starts strong. The director knows how to crank up the unease, with those shots of the woman chilling in the yard while the family watches from inside being pure suspense gold. It looks gorgeous too; the sunny days somehow feel unsettling, which is a neat trick. The mom carries the whole thing, feeling raw and real as someone on the edge, wrestling with depression that's just palpable. The kids are solid too, especially the teenage son who's got that moody vibe down. And the woman in black is quietly terrifying, like she's hiding something big without even trying.

It's got this haunting, almost dreamlike feel with some freaky moments that'll stick with you, focusing more on "what's going on" than gore. The tension builds nicely for most of it, but toward the end, it kinda stumbles. It's going for something deep about grief and depression, which I respect, but it doesn't fully tie everything together as smoothly as it could. Still, it's a solid watch if you're into horror that's more about atmosphere than cheap scares. Pop some popcorn, dim the lights, and dive in; it's not perfect, but it's got enough chills and standout performances to make it worth your time.