The Woman in the Yard Review: A Horror Flick That Struggles to Scare

Okay, what we thought of this movie after watching the trailer is not proven in the actual movie. The Woman in the Yard is not a hair-raising horror flick but one that just manages to stay on track.

It was released on the same day as Death of a Unicorn, another scary flick with Jenna Ortega (Wednesday). We have our own The Woman in the Yard review with some inside juicy details that will help you decide whether to skip it or buy a ticket for it without any delay.   

Plot of The Woman in the Yard

In our previous article, we gave an overview of the film’s plot, but for revisiting purposes, the story revolves around a woman dressed in all black attire, sitting in the yard of a Black family’s house. Even her face is covered with a black veil, we cannot see her face, and we don’t know who she is.

The family doesn’t know why she is here, and for that, they initially try to help her, thinking she might be a damsel in distress. However, she has other sinister intentions.

Finally, she makes her own way into the house, and the family of three- mother Ramona (played by Danielle Deadwyler), son Taylor (Peyton Jackson), and daughter Annie (Estella Kahiha)- have to fight her. Have a look at the trailer for a recap:

Producer Stephanie Allain’s vision of the film

While talking to Black Girl Nerds, the producer, Stephanie Allain, opened up about how she has broken her own rules. She said,

“I don’t do horror. I don’t do slasher. I don’t do violence against women. I don’t do guns…I sort of gravitate toward dramas and rom-coms…Jason sent me this one, and he said Danielle was attached. So, that was a big plus for me.” [Source]

This time, her own filmmaking tactics broke the stereotypes and showed the story of a Black woman who is carrying “the weight of the world” on her shoulders. Allain depicts Ramona as someone who is vulnerable, “naked and not trying to carry all the weight”.

Initially, when Sam Stefanak’s script reached her, the story mentioned a “white male” but as soon as the decision to bring Danielle Deadwyler was made, the whole trajectory of the film was changed. 

The story instantly aimed to explore the complexity of matters of life through the lens of a Black family. Depression, guilt, and suicidal inclinations- all aligned with the narrative that also affects the kids.

The aim wasn’t to show all these anxieties in relation to a Black family. Allain validated the Black family “just happened to be there” as soon as Danielle’s casting was confirmed. There is no racism in the film, but rather a universal message about stress and anxiety in the world that the audience is hoped to understand in relation to this African American family.  

Danielle Deadwyler’s performance in the film

Deadwyler performs at her best, as she has always done. Right from the start, she is a woman struggling to keep her family’s life intact as she is still fighting with the grief of her husband’s death. The bills aren’t paid, their life is upside down, and to add to the worries, their power is cut off. 

Deadwyler gives the movie everything whose script is a little shaky and seems to be forcefully glued together. She conveys Ramona’s feelings as grief, rage, horror, and guilt, beautifully sewn together. 

Setting the right tone of intensity for each emotion is the mastery that Deadwyler has portrayed adeptly. The rest of the cast has performed pretty well too, but Deadwyler certainly stands out. 

The Woman in the Yard gross earnings at the box office

According to The Numbers, The Woman in the Yard earned $12,166,985 at the domestic box office and $438,656 at the international box office, combining it to a total of $12,605,641 at the worldwide box office at the time of writing. 

 

 

 

 

 

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What do critics add to The Woman in the Yard review?

The overall critics’ consensus of Rotten Tomatoes said, 

“The Woman in the Yard has plenty of spooky promise in its premise and a committed performance from Danielle Deadwyler, but the story’s heavy-handed metaphor leaves little room for scares or surprise.”

Other notable reviews include:

• “Pared-back horror is Grandma’s footsteps”- The Guardian
• “It’s well performed…but what’s most haunting is the sense that the same idea has been done better before”- Empire Online
• “A farmhouse horror movie that just sits there”- Variety

Fans reaction

The film received mixed reactions from the audience, where some called it a “really good movie”, “loved it”, and “would highly recommend watching this”.

Other disappointed reviews included “not what I expected”, “left us with more questions than answers”, and “it was okay, very predictable”. 

The general audience does agree that it was a spotlight on the social issues like depression and grief, but the overall story did not do well in giving the scares as the trailer had promised. 

Is it worth watching?

For one time, yes. It is a good watch overall as the first one hour still keeps us on the edges of our seats, doing well to keep our minds juggling to handle the awful air of suspense. 

The desire to look for answers, especially who actually is this woman in the black veil, is the genuine nightmare fuel that keeps us going. But till the end, the excitement might fade away. Broadly, it shouldn’t be missed, especially when it comes from Jaume Collet-Serra. 

Our rating: 5/10

Is The Woman in the Yard available for streaming?

The Woman in the Yard (rated PG-13), a Universal Pictures release, is currently showing in cinemas but does not have a release date for online streaming as yet. 

Genre: Drama, horror, thriller

IMDb rating: 5.6

Rotten Tomatoes: 45 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 46 percent on Popcornmeter

Cast: Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Russell Hornsby, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Producers: Jason Blum, Stephanie Allain

Writer: Sam Stefanak

Release date: March 28, 2025

Movie runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes 

Have you watched The Woman in the Yard? Do you agree with the review here? How did you find it? Let us know in the comments.