The Woman in the Yard - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Woman in the Yard



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
Upon initially viewing the trailer for The Woman in the Yard, I got excited. The trailer had an intriguing thriller/horror combo vibe going on with it, and the director has made several fun horror films in the past (The Shallows, Orphan, House of Wax 2005). So I was willing to give the movie a go. But upon leaving the viewing, all I could think to myself was “wow, so that was 88 minutes of my life I can’t get back”.

Lingering in the space between thriller and psychological horror, The Woman in the Yard tells the story of Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) trying to make it through life after being recently widowed due to a car accident. Every morning she gets up praying for the strength to get through the day as she suffered her own injuries, as well as having to deal with two young children as well. Stuck out in the middle of nowhere, the power is out, and her car won’t start. And to make matters worse, a mysterious woman appears in front of their house, just sitting in an ornate chair. At first, Ramona agrees with her children, Taylor and Annie, respectively, in that the woman is probably some harmless old kook. However, when the woman whispers something mysterious to the widow, things change quickly. Running back inside, Ramona hunkers down and attempts to wait out the strangely familiar woman as each moment that drags by produces more and more evidence that this figure is not exactly friendly.

Here’s going to be my spoiler-free thoughts, with more thoughts expanded upon in the next paragraph with spoilers (so skip the next paragraph if you’re spoiler adverse). Simply put, The Woman Next Door has some potential, but completely squanders that potential with a film that just drags on till the last 25 minutes, and by that time, they’ve lost all the goodwill that we might have given them. Ramona herself does a good job at portraying the fear and grief of a newly widowed woman, and her two children do a good enough job as well. However, almost NOTHING of value happens in the first 55 minutes of the film. It’s us watching the family mill around the house, and watching the mysterious woman get closer and closer with no explanation. That being said, I can see the direction that director Jaume Collet-Serra was going for in regards to the last act twist. The whole thing was a double fake where the villain was really her own trauma in physical form (in a way). And while I liked some of the twists and turns they introduced into that last 25 minutes, it just fell flat and needs another 15 minutes or so to flesh everything out.

Ok, on to the more spoiler-laden portion of the review. Yes, most of the film is nothing happens, but that final twist comes in and makes you roll your eyes, yet say “hey, that’s kinda nifty” at the same time. Yes, the woman in the yard the whole time is simply a metaphorical (or partially metaphorical) representation of Ramona’s depression and survivor's guilt. Yet at the same time, there are several clues in the story that hint that the entire film is a ghost story. That Ramona (and possibly her children) have been dead the entire time, and this is her trying to cope with it in a form of purgatory. OR another theory bandied around is that the first portion of the film is real, but the last scene of the movie is Ramona reuniting with her children after actually committing suicide (that painting of Ramona’s with the backwards spelling kind of hints at that). But either way, despite the cool promise of what could have been, or what has been hinted at, the film just falls flat. There’s not enough time spent fleshing the clues out to where they could be remotely believable. Instead, we get a bland first two acts, with a rushed third act that litters us with possibilities under the heavy hand of a double-back twist that (on the surface) is a cheesy cop out.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for terror, some violent content/bloody images, suicide-related content, and brief strong language.




Video:

The digitally shot film looks really good here, with a strong honey colored vibe that is filled with warm sunlight and bright green foliage accents. The general grading is pretty neutral, but colors pop impressively, and that warm and bright texture to the movie gives it a slightly dreamy look. Black levels are deep and inky, allowing for great shadow details up in the loft, or with the shadowing fingers of the demonic woman lingering outside. There are a few times where I saw some crush and VERY mild banding (mostly up in the attic/loft during the final confrontation), but overall this is a very pleasing image that showcases great detail level across the board.









Audio:

Edging out the video ever so slightly, the 7.1 Dolby TrueHD track is a superb horror/thriller mix. Filled with deep crushing bass (sometimes vibrated my windows a bit too much lol) and amazing surround usage, this is EXACTLY what you want for a film like this. Vocals are clean and clearly replicated up front, while the surrounds get to have a ball with a glut of ambient creaks and groans around the old farm, mixed with crushing jump scare moments. The last act really amps up the intensity to level 10 with slams, screams, groans, and whispered creaks in the background galore. This is simply one of the most immersive mixes that I’ve heard in quite some time, and I wish the rest of the movie had lived up to the quality of this audio track.









Extras:

• MAKING THE WOMAN IN THE YARD- Travel through the darkest corners of the film during this behind-the-scenes journey where filmmakers work with the cast to craft a story that is both haunting and human.
• BENEATH THE VEIL - Cast and filmmakers lift the veil on the film's frightening figure for this revealing look at the themes, designs, and styles that shape her eerie specter into a powerful presence.

Final Score:

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So yeah, The Woman in the Yard was probably my most disappointing horror film I’ve reviewed in the last few years. Not because it’s bottom-tier trash, but because it came from a decent director with a fun concept, only to sputter and falter in its execution. I felt there was the promise of a good story underneath it all, but the implementation of the twists and turns just felt shortened and meager compared to what we got. The Blu-ray from Universal looks and sounds great, mind you, but I still can’t get past the weak storytelling (and the anemic extras don’t help either). I’m just going to give you the “skip it” recommendation for this one and leave it at that.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Petyton Jackson
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by: Sam Stefanak
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French DD+ 7.1, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Studio: Universal Studios
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 88 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: May 27th, 2025

Recommendation: Skip It

 

[Asere]

I though this film was ok but could have been better if it had a solid story. Thanks for the review.

 

[Michael Scott]

I though this film was ok but could have been better if it had a solid story. Thanks for the review.

yeah, the narrative really suffered with not enough meat on the bones. at least that was my take.

 

[Todd Anderson]

This one is an absolute pass for me. Mike, another bullet taken. Appreciate you, brother!

 

[Michael Scott]

This one is an absolute pass for me. Mike, another bullet taken. Appreciate you, brother!

lol, you're welcome. I have to go to the hospital to take this 50 caliber bullet out lol

 

[Todd Anderson]

More like a nuclear warhead!