Woman in the Yard, The (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Jun 16, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Jaume Collet-SerraRelease Date(s)
2025 (May 27, 2025)Studio(s)
Blumhouse Productions (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: C+
Review
Horror films fall into two broad categories. Graphic horror is designed to terrify, repel, disgust, and bombard the viewer with disturbing images. Psychological horror—more subtle, more restrained with gruesome images—deals with terrors conjured and sustained by the human mind. The Woman in the Yard, the latest film from Blum House, falls into the second category.
Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is a widow grieving the death of her husband David (Russell Hornsby) in an automobile accident. She survived the accident, but now her leg is in a brace and she needs crutches to get around in the isolated farmhouse where she lives with her children, Annie (Estella Kasha) and Taylor (Peyton Jackson).
One day, a black-shrouded figure (Okwui Okpokwasili) seated on the front lawn mysteriously appears, unsettling the family. Ramona ventures out to ask what she wants but gets no response and orders the intruder off the property. The shrouded woman ignores the command and continues sitting, like a self-appointed, patient observer. Tension mounts as she gradually moves closer to the house. When she finally speaks, she tells Ramona that “today’s the day.” Is this a threat of some kind? Taylor wants to take action but is held back by Ramona, determined to protect her kids.
When Taylor does confront the woman, he learns details of the accident that contradict what he was told. At the same time, Ramona spirals out of control as the proximity of the imposing woman throws her into a panic.
Okpokwasili, tall and slender with prominent facial features and long fingers, makes an imposing figure when her appearance is eventually revealed. Her height makes it necessary for her to look down on Ramona, giving her character an aura of power and superiority. The actress’s cold and scary attitude infuses her character with menace and mystery, and there’s a sense of unpredictability about her. Is she real? A supernatural entity? A figment of mass hallucination?
Deadwyler is quite good as the conflicted Ramona, displaying a range of emotions as her character tries to maintain calm in a situation that’s gradually getting out of control. Not only must she deal with crushing grief, she also must protect her children from the intimidating presence outside her door. Deadwyler’s eyes convey terror, but also frustration as she tries to keep Taylor in check when he feels he must act as the man of the family.
The script loads the deck against the family. There’s no electricity, no telephone service, and the car is inoperable. Far away from any neighbors, they’re essentially stranded without a chance of getting help. And Ramona is hobbled by that leg injury.
The early part of the film when the shrouded woman first appears in the strongest. Her presence throws the family off balance and their concerns grow as the woman stubbornly retains her position. Suspense arises as we wonder what that threatening figure wants. But the film’s promising start is undermined by a weak resolution that depends on metaphor and hackneyed tropes to explain who or what she is.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra uses a single location to tell the story. The farmhouse is not a haunted house in the traditional sense, so the director has to build tension not only through the strange woman in the yard but also through the changing relationships within the family. Deadwyler and Okpokwasili turn in strong performances and easily dominate the film. There’s no blood and little violence. The film’s strength is its ability to get under one’s skin through creepy imagery, unsettling performances, and atmospheric photography. Those looking for graphic horror will not find it in the PG-13 rated The Woman in the Yard.
The Woman in the Yard was captured digitally by director of photography Pawel Pogorzelski with the RED V-Raptor [X] camera and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Clarity on the Blu-ray is excellent. The cinematography is primarily objective, offering numerous shots of the woman photographed from inside the house and from areas close to the house. At first she seems immobile, but with successive shots, we see her get closer and closer to the house. Toward the third act, shadows and half-seen characters contribute to mood. An attic scene is extremely dark, with characters barely visible. The intruder’s veil shows only a glimpse of her face, and only after she first appears in the yard. Avoiding the cliché of setting creepy films at night, The Woman in the Yard conjures plenty of suspense in the bright light of day.
Soundtrack options include English 7.1 Dolby True HD; Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital; French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, and English 2.0 DVS (Descriptive Video Service). Subtitle options include English SDH, Spanish, and French. Dialogue is clear and distinct. Rising tension is achieved partly through panic evident in the voices of Ramona and Taylor. The score by Alex Belcher is subtle. It avoids loud scare chords or tinkly weird music in favor of lingering notes, whooshing sounds, whining strings, and occasional piano chords. Silence is used effectively as the woman gets closer to the house. Other notable sound design touches include Ramona walking with the brace and crutches, window shades being drawn, screams and panicky cries, a dog barking, a car engine, and sobbing.
In addition to a Digital Code on a paper insert within the packaging, bonus materials on the Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the film from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment include the following:
- Making The Woman in the Yard (8:03)
- Beneath the Veil (5:02)
Making The Woman in the Yard – Actor/executive producer Danielle Deadwyler, director Jaume Collet-Serra, and other cast and crew members speak about working for Blum House. Producer Stephanie Allain says that director Collet-Serra is focused and knows what he wants and how to realize his vision on film. Deadwyler is proficient at bringing out the emotions of Ramona. Lighting and color palette reflect Ramona’s state of mind. Taylor, attempting to assert his independence, is testing his mom but is still a boy. The film takes place in a single location that emphasizes set design. The Woman in the Yard is “an exercise in dialing down the volume and keeping the tension going.”
Beneath the Veil – Okwui Okpokwasili refers to her character, the woman in black, as the “embodiment of a force that will tear you apart.” She represents the dark part of Ramona. The woman is there to free Ramona and represents liberation. What is that liberation going to be? The woman is the depth of who we are—the truth of ourselves. The unconscious part of us knows all our secrets. Okpokwasili is a dancer, choreographer, and conceptual artist. She turns in a minimalistic performance, saying little, but what she says is important. The shrouded woman takes her time; she’s patient. Okpokwasili hopes audiences will be “enthralled and deeply entangled in the experience.”
The Woman in the Yard engages us initially when we see Ramona watching an old video on her phone and then see her leg in a brace. We want to know what happened to her. By the time the shrouded woman suddenly appears, we know the family and feel for their recent loss. The film progresses effectively until it needs to move toward a resolution. At that point the creative imagination behind the film falters and it falls back on plot elements we’ve encountered all too often in the past. As a study of stress, suppressed truths, and guilt, the film is an interesting exploration of the human psyche and offers a compelling alternative to gore and bloodshed. But the payoff doesn’t live up to the careful build-up and the fine performances of the two leads.
- Dennis Seuling