The Woman in the Yard is the latest Blumhouse thriller that originally reads as a ghost story featuring a creepy woman in a family’s front yard. However, this film is filled with depth as themes of mental illness, death and even suicidal ideation serve as the true antagonistic phantom. The Haves and the Have Nots star Danielle Deadwyler tackles the role of the tormented main character, Ramona, who sadly battles inner demons while caring for her children, Taylor (Peyton Jackson) and Annie (Estella Kahiha).

Unfortunately for the trio, Ramona’s deepest, darkest thoughts come to life, placing her children at risk. With a storyline filled with plenty of goosebump-inducing moments, The Woman in the Yard culminates with an ending that is unexpected and to some viewers underwhelming. Nevertheless, for those who enjoyed this complex tale, the conclusion was just right. Let’s break down how this movie unfolds, but we must warn you, spoilers lie ahead. 

Why Is Ramona Tormented?

The movie opens with Ramona lying in bed replaying a video of her deceased husband, David (Russell Hornsby). In the warm clip, he sweetly speaks about their fixer-upper country home and his hopes for the house. As she reminisces about what could have been, Taylor enters the room to inform his mother that their power has been disconnected. He urges her to call the electric company to remedy the situation, though it soon becomes clear that every move made by Ramona, even the most mundane, is a difficult task amid her weighing grief. It also becomes clear that she herself is partially handicapped due to a severe leg injury that she sustained in the accident that claimed David’s life. After pulling herself to her feet, she prays to God to “give me strength,” a wish that becomes a focal point of the plot.

Upon making her way downstairs, she is met by her children having breakfast, prepared by Taylor. In an attempt to restore normalcy, they eat together at the dining table, but David’s empty chair makes this a difficult task. Additionally, money woes are also made apparent with mounting bills on the counter and a lack of dog food for their beloved, Charlie. It is during this rocky morning that a woman draped in black appears on their property in an antique-style chair. All three are spooked by her presence, though Ramona is initially convinced that she is a harmless resident from a nearby nursing home. Ramona goes outside to speak with the stranger and attempts to help her, only to be met with the mystery visitor knowing facts about the family. She eerily states, “Today’s the day.” Shaken, Ramona limps back to the home and locks all of the doors. With no electricity and no way to charge her cell phone after a failed attempt at starting her Jeep to plug it up there, Ramona and her children huddle together and watch the Woman, who inches closer as the day progresses. 

The Woman Takes Over the House

The Woman gradually moves closer to the home and it seems the stress of her lingering existence starts to weigh on Ramona. She attempts to eat ice cream with Annie and Taylor, though her son refuses initially, too focused on the Woman staring back at them. Boredom takes over Taylor, who throws a ball at the wall, though the noise begins to irritate Ramona, leading her to fantasize about using a large knife to harm her son. Annie occupies herself with her spelling lessons, though her incorrect writing of the letter “R” starts to irritate her mother. In a terrifying vision, Ramona envisions herself stabbing the young girl in the back after berating her for the spelling mistakes. 

After Ramona goes outside once more to find Charlie, Taylor locks his mother inside a room and retrieves his father’s gun to approach the Woman himself. He does not shoot the Woman (who viewers learn is actress Okwui Okpokwasili when she removes her veil). She then tells the terrified teen that it was Ramona driving the vehicle on the night of the car accident, a fact the mother had never told her children. When Taylor returns inside the home, he confronts Ramona and while doing so, Annie is lured away inside the home by the shadowy Woman, who has terrifyingly infiltrated the house. She uses her silhouette to knock over things in the home, sending the family fleeing to the attic, where they are forced to face off with the relentless apparition.  Inside the dark space, Ramona desperately tries to fight off the spirit in a dream-like state that, at one point, traps the fragile mother, while revealing the Woman to Annie and Taylor with a disfigured face.

As she moves closer to Annie and wraps her in an embrace, the little girl disappears with the Woman. Ramona then flees the attic to find the girl, only to be thrust into another dream, which replays the opening scene with David. As Ramona lies next to her husband, she basks in the imaginary moment with him but quickly learns the Woman is toying around with her weakened mental state. Once she gets up to leave the room that Ramona knows is not real, David abruptly tries to suffocate Ramona as she attempts to leave. Suddenly, she is back in the attic, we see that it is she who attempts to hug Annie, who appears to be in a dream, seemingly dead at one point. It seems that Ramona begins realizing what she needs to do to protect her children from her. The Woman faces off with her again, revealing exactly why she is bullying the family.

How Does ‘The Woman in the Yard’ End?

The terrifying Woman confronts Ramona in a bedroom, where she reveals that she is the manifestation of her dark thoughts, which are fueled by grief. According to this entity, she was summoned by Ramona each morning when the distraught mom asked for “strength.” The Woman explained that she was there to fulfill Ramona’s hidden wish to commit suicide, which would set her children free from her instability. After asking for permission to say goodbye to Taylor and Annie, Ramona sends them away to a nearby farm. She then retreats to the attic with her husband’s gun, where the Woman begins coaching her to take her life.

However, once she sees Annie’s stuffed animal, Ramona seemingly fights off the urge to die. At this moment, the Woman’s shadow drifts back inside Ramona’s body. Her children return to her from the neighboring property, finding that she is still alive. In the final act, the three walk back inside their home where the lights have been turned back on, which seems to be symbolic of Ramona’s mental state taking a turn for the better. In the final scene, the camera zooms in on some of Ramona’s art, which interestingly includes her signature spelled with a backward R, which she scolded her daughter for, suggesting that imperfections can be perfect when viewed from a more uplifted frame of mind. 

The Woman in the Yard is an emotional story and maybe even a cautionary tale on how grief and depression can create immeasurable darkness in our lives. In one flashback to when David was alive, Ramona shares that she is tired of living for others. Therefore, it appears that the unhappy wife, at least at one point, sees suicide as a means of doing something to finally make herself happy. Another theorized message is that Ramona actually went through with unaliving herself and took her children with her. Therefore, the three of them going back inside the lit-up home together is a sign of them finally being free together in the afterlife. 

What Are Viewers Saying?

Since this movie opened in theaters on Mar. 28, viewers have been torn on the message in the film. As of this writing, The Woman in the Yard has a 5.6/10 IMDb score, meanwhile CinemaScore gave it a C-. Elsewhere on Rotten Tomatoes, fans gave it a 43% on the Tomatometer. Top critic Nick Schager of The Daily Beast wrote, “This turgid thriller (in theaters now) has a strong central image and little idea how to build a narrative around it. Even at a brisk 85 minutes, it’s a bigger slog than a day spent mowing the grass.”

Cody Leach, another popular movie reviewer with over 180,000 YouTube subscribers gave the film a 1.5 out of 5. “’The Woman in the Yard’ aims to have a bleak and uncomfortable exploration of the worst depths of grief and depression. Perhaps it aimed too well because the end result is so miserably dark and hopeless that it’s arguably irresponsible with its final stretch,” he wrote. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Was ‘The Woman in the Yard’ Filmed?

The Woman in the Yard was shot at Athena Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. While the city is most widely known as the home of Tyler Perry Studios, Athena is steadily growing. This production served as the company’s first major film. 

Is ‘The Woman in the Yard’ Supernatural?

The Woman is a supernatural force. While she is bred from Ramona’s own grief and mental decline, she shows herself to the children as well. In the end, the Woman returns to Ramona’s body, proving that they are one. However, in the end, Ramona says if the Woman returns, she’ll “be ready,” meaning she does not completely close the door on the ominous figure reappearing. 

Is ‘The Woman in the Yard’ ‘The Woman in Black’?

The Woman in the Yard is not The Woman in Black. The latter demon refers to the threatening lady in the 2012 gothic horror movie, starring Daniel Radcliffe. The movie is a remake of the 1989 original film, which was adapted from the 1983 novel of the same name. The Woman in Black follows the haunting of an entire town, but The Woman in the Yard only taunts one family.