The Woman in the Yard features an excellent Danielle Deadwyler that when combined with the effective direction of Jaume Collet-Serra, ensures that this grief driven horror film becomes one unsettling experience even if the ambitious ideas at play don’t fully come together.

 

If there is one director you should never bet against, it is Jaume Collet-Serra. As he did last year with Netflix’s Carry-On, he knows how to take simple concepts and turn them into entertaining outings that rely heavily on a talented leading star. He’s done it before with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in Jungle Cruise, Liam Neeson multiple times, and Taron Egerton last year, and now reuniting with Carry-On star Danielle Deadwyler, it is her time to shine. Taking the simple setup of a mysterious, veiled woman appearing in a family’s yard with an ominous threat, Collet-Serra delivers some effective chills in The Woman in the Yard, but what he conjures up is more than your simple Blumhouse horror film. Transforming what seemed to be a simple ghost story into a more thoughtful and raw chamber piece that goes in an unexpected direction, paired with the terrific Deadwyler at the film’s helm, even an ending that fully does not stick the ambitious landing it attempts, Collet-Serra still delivers an effective horror film that gives viewers lots to think about.

 

One prevalent theme within the horror genre are films that manifest trauma and grief into horrifying circumstances, and The Woman in the Yard squarely fits into the category. While writer Sam Stefanak follows familiar beats, and it's not hard to guess the direction that the story is going to take or what the Woman represents, but under Collet-Serra’s direction, the unsettling atmosphere grows over the first two acts as the Woman is a more than formidable antagonist for the story. Laying on multiple twists and turns, Stefanak continuously ups the stakes and increases the terror as the story progresses, even if he takes it one or two twists too far in the final act. The final act pushes too far, with a surprising thematic direction that will no doubt trigger some and divide audiences, even if the intention behind what he is trying to say at the film’s end is honest and well intentioned. You can see what Stefanak wanted to say with the concluding act of the story, but given it all happens quickly with some shocking (albeit not too surprising twists), it’s a little fast and furious, causing the emotion of the reveal to be strained as there is not enough time to unpack the big revelation. Had the film even been five minutes longer, the final act would have been stronger for it as it would have allowed the ideas to breathe, though the final scene will no doubt have audiences debating about the reality of what you are actually seeing.

 

Continuing to prove herself as an absolute force to be reckoned with, no matter the genre of film she is in, is the unbelievably talented Deadwyler. As Ramona, a recent widow struggling to come to terms with her husband’s passing and the tragedy that claimed his life, you can feel the pain in every frame of the film emanating from Deadwyler. There is a raw vulnerability, that despite her character’s attempt to hide it and stay strong for her two children, allows the audience to feel the trauma of Ramona as Deadwyler takes you on this frightening journey. And as the story unravels, Deadwyler does the same to Ramona in a harrowing performance that is commanding and carries the entire film. Needless to say, whether it's an August Wilson drama, action flick or horror film, Deadwyler shines and proves there is nothing she can’t do as an actress. Combined with a wicked supporting turn by Okwui Okpokwasili as the titular Woman who ensures that chills are sent down your spine, and good acting from Peyton Jackson and Estella Kahiha who portray Ramona’s children, there is no weak link in the film’s cast.

 

Whether working with a small budget or a massive studio budget, Collet-Serra knows how to make a technically proficient film, and The Woman in the Yard is no exception. Utilizing the editing against the viewers, the film begins to play tricks on the audience to stimulate the feeling that Ramona and her children are experiencing due to the presence of the Woman in their yard, that as the film gets closer to it’s unnerving third act, only gets more chaotic to get the audience’s heartbeat racing. Effectively using shadows (albeit ones created by CGI), light and darkness, which should come as no surprise as cinematographer Pawl Pogorzelski worked wonders in Midsommar and Hereditary, what unfolds is a tension filled third act that unleashes what audiences expect from a ghost story that delivers some truly effective jump scares. Alongside a bombastic sound design that plays perfectly over the theatre’s sound system and an effective musical score from Lorne Balfe that instills an undeniable uneasiness to the entire film, even if viewers don’t fully appreciate what Collet-Serra and Stefanak are trying to do with the story, they are going to be very uncomfortable throughout the entire film thanks to excellent craftsmanship on display.

There is no denying the masterful craft on display in The Woman in the Yard, which is something that sadly may go over the common movie goer, but it results in one truly engaging horror film. Led by a fearless Danielle Deadwyler yet again proving what an unstoppable force she is when on screen, even with a story that stumbles as its heads to finish line, Jaume Collet-Serra conjures up a terrifying experience that slowly will get under viewers’ skin and ensures that The Woman in the Yard is an effective horror film, even if the average viewer may not be able to appreciate how well it is truly put together.