The Woman in the Yard

So I just watched The Woman in the Yard, and wow, it's got this creepy, slow burn vibe that really pulls you in, even if it doesn't totally nail the finish. It's about a mom trying to keep it together for her two kids in this beat up farmhouse after a rough loss. They're barely scraping by, with no power, an empty fridge, and a ton of tension. Then this mysterious woman in black shows up in their yard out of nowhere, just sitting there, giving off major eerie energy with these cryptic one liners that'll make your skin crawl.

The movie starts strong. The director knows how to crank up the unease, with those shots of the woman chilling in the yard while the family watches from inside being pure suspense gold. It looks gorgeous too; the sunny days somehow feel unsettling, which is a neat trick. The mom carries the whole thing, feeling raw and real as someone on the edge, wrestling with depression that's just palpable. The kids are solid too, especially the teenage son who's got that moody vibe down. And the woman in black is quietly terrifying, like she's hiding something big without even trying.

It's got this haunting, almost dreamlike feel with some freaky moments that'll stick with you, focusing more on "what's going on" than gore. The tension builds nicely for most of it, but toward the end, it kinda stumbles. It's going for something deep about grief and depression, which I respect, but it doesn't fully tie everything together as smoothly as it could. Still, it's a solid watch if you're into horror that's more about atmosphere than cheap scares. Pop some popcorn, dim the lights, and dive in; it's not perfect, but it's got enough chills and standout performances to make it worth your time.

Jaume Collet-Serra may not be a perfect director but I have enjoyed his fun popcorn flicks like The Shallows, The Commuter and underrated horror Orphan. While it's messy script and structure does suffer from uneven directions and tone, it's interesting concept and solid thrills offer a good fun horror movie.

Placed with some interesting themes and good camerawork, the slow-burn tension and atmosphere does offer some good build up throughout. Including sound designs and colors used throughout. I do wish the writing does explore some different territories and ways, especially it's third act being pretty rough. Undoubtably, the concept was pretty interesting. Once again, Danielle Deadwyler shines with a strong performance and keeps the characters somewhat interesting, even if it doesn't always work.

For 87 minutes, the movie does feel as if it would work as a short film or a short episode. But as a whole, it's a decent horror flick.

This movie will scare you. That's for sure. But there isn't much to talk about with this movie. Because the plot is so bad that a 10 year old would have wrote better. Pretty much all you will get out of this movie is being scared. But the ending, as well as pretty much everything else besides being scared, falls short. This movie would have been better if it was 1 hour. It was 30 minutes too long. If you're ready to be bored for 30 minutes and then feel scared and bored for an hour, then come see this movie. The only reason I didn't rate this a 3 is because it's actually scary. And that's all it is, scary.

A very straight forward title to a film that is a little too convoluted story wise. What starts as an interesting story about a broken family falls into a mundane plot that is saved by its third act. There are true elements of horror here, Okwui Okpokwasili plays the mysterious woman to an expert degree, and she truly carries the movie. The middle act of the film becomes a "trapped in a house" survival horror and this is where the plot really grinds to a halt.

The movie is saved by its resolution that has an interesting take on mental health, and an ending that is "open-ended" enough to keep you guessing on what exactly happened.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Woman in the Yard is a fair psychological horror film that has a creepy concept but as the story goes on it loses its steam.

Pros:

The plot is okay. About a family going through grief and living at a farm house. Until a creepy lady all in black sits out in the yard. And gets closer and closer with creepy messages.

It has a great cast ensemble and great performances.

The direction can be creepy as the lady gets closer and going after the family by the shadows.

Cons:

The film does lack scared, jump scares, or any thrills. I feel like the direction missed out on that opportunity.

As the plot starts unraveling during the climax, the real horror loses itself. Also making it difficult to even care for the film without going into spoiler territory. The climax and ending was a little disappointing.

Overall, it is an okay film that starts out great but falls apart too quickly as it gets to the end.