Review: The Woman in the Yard (2024)

Review by Seth Metoyer – MoreHorrorMovies.com

Grief has a strange way of showing up. Sometimes it knocks. Sometimes it whispers. And sometimes… it just stands silently in the yard.

I’m not always the biggest fan of Blumhouse’s execution, but with The Woman in the Yard (available now on digital, and on Blu-ray May 27) , director Jaume Collet-Serra delivers a slow-burning, deeply atmospheric psychological horror film that lingers long after the credits roll, not because of what it shows, but because of what it suggests.

This is horror rooted not in monsters under the bed, but in the monsters we live with every day. The ones we feed with our fears, regrets, and the quiet ache of loss.

At the heart of the story is Ramona, played with disarming intensity by Danielle Deadwyler. At first, her performance may feel distant or even off-putting. In hindsight, that's exactly what makes it resonate. This is a woman crushed beneath invisible weight. She’s not "off," she’s unraveling. After the tragic death of her husband, she’s left to navigate the impossible terrain of single motherhood, grieving pets, financial pressure, and a mind teetering on the edge.

And then there's her. The woman in the yard. A figure seen by the children, ignored by the neighbors, and eventually confronted by Ramona herself. She’s not your typical specter. There’s no cursed mirror or ancient burial ground. Just presence. Stillness. And grief, given form. The brilliance of the film lies in this abstraction. The woman is not explained because real grief often isn’t.

What struck me most was how carefully the film resists horror cliché. It doesn't chase jump scares or rack up a body count. The horror here is internal, emotional, psychological. The quiet dread of simply not being okay. When you’re grieving, the world shifts in small and sometimes terrifying ways. This film lives in those spaces.

The child actors—Peyton Jackson and Estella Kahiha—bring heart and weight to the film. Their performances feel honest, never overacted. There’s a silent understanding in their faces. A realism that grounds the film in something deeper than just supernatural tension.

The pacing might not work for everyone. It takes its time, builds slowly, and asks for patience. But for those willing to sit in the quiet and listen, The Woman in the Yard speaks volumes.

Without spoiling anything, the ending is deliberately open. Some might see light at the end, others might see darkness. That ambiguity is part of what makes it linger. It reflects real life. Real grief. It doesn’t wrap things up because grief doesn’t get wrapped up. It gets carried.

The Woman in the Yard isn’t a film for everyone, but it’s a film for someone. For anyone who’s ever carried loss or tried to hold a family together while their own mind was falling apart, it will feel deeply personal. Sometimes the scariest thing in your yard… is you.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5