Review: The Woman in the Yard

Official synopsis: A mysterious woman (Okwui Okpokwasili) repeatedly appears in Ramona's (Danielle Deadwyler) front yard, often delivering chilling warnings and unsettling messages, leaving them to question her identity, motives and the potential danger she might pose.

It's not often that I'll see a PG-13 horror film in theaters. But the trailers featuring the women looked genuinely unsettling and Danielle Deadwyler is a hell of a talent. Surely this film must be something special if she signed on? 

The Woman in the Yard might try to force some jump scares here and there, but the image of the woman alone works well. It's creepy and you're never quite sure what exactly is going to happen. I appreciated this about the film. It's a similar film to The Babadook in that it deals with grief, but it keeps you guessing where it's going to go. Even the annoying teenagers in my theater shut up after a certain point to pay attention. 

The cast is small, making up of 5 actors total, but all of them are great in their roles. The film is very bleak. So much so that I was actually convinced for a while they were going to act on something they were teasing. I wonder how the film would be perceived if they had?

Ultimately, this was a fine entry into the grief-horror genre. It has strong performances and scary imagery. There's no gore, so if that's not your kind of thing, this one might work for you.

Grade: B-