The Woman in The Yard: What to Know About New Blumhouse Horror

With spring just around the corner, Blumhouse and Universal Pictures invite you to take part in the sunlit horror that is The Woman in the Yard (in theaters everywhere March 28; click here for tickets). Like any great tale of terror, this film isn’t just about the scares; it has a lot going on under the surface with themes of death, grief, and how the void left by the loss of a loved one can take on a monstrous form.

“Anything can be scary,” director Jaume Collet-Serra (known for The Shallows, Jungle Cruise, and Carry-On) says in the official production notes. “A small movement from The Woman, the music, a quick cut, anything. So, to me, this was interesting because it was an exercise in dialing down the volume and seeing if I could still keep that tension going. I’ve done many horror movies, so to come back to this genre at this point in my life was refreshing because I can now bring some of the other things I’ve learned from other genres. With The Woman in the Yard, I tried to do things that are a little more complicated character-wise, so it was not just about jump scares.”

Here’s what you need to know about the new Blumhouse horror film, The Woman in the Yard

What is The Woman in the Yard about?

Written by first-time feature scribe Sam Stefanak, The Woman in the Yard centers around Ramona, a seriously injured mother of two children — 14-year-old son Taylor and 6-year-old-daughter Annie — still reeling from the car accident that killed her husband, David.

As the grieving family attempts to move on from such a devastating loss, a strange woman draped all in black appears in the front yard of their rural farmhouse. Ramona initially assumes the odd figure to be lost or insane, “but as the woman creeps nearer and nearer to the house, it becomes clear she is no ordinary figure and her intentions are anything but peaceful,” reads the official synopsis. “Now Ramona must rally to protect herself and her children from the grasp of the woman who simply won’t leave them alone.”

“It has many layers that are open to interpretation, and I like that,” explains Collet-Serra. “We all have doubts and that’s what this movie really deals with. It’s like basically fighting your own doubts and confronting your demons.”

Who stars in The Woman in the Yard?

The movie features the impeccable acting talents of BAFTA and SAG nominee Danielle Deadwyler (Till) as Ramona; Russell Hornsby (Grimm) as David; Peyton Jackson (American Refugee) as Taylor; Estella Kahiha (Will Trent) as Annie; and Okwui Okpokwasil (The Exorcist: Believer) as the titular lawn-based terror.

Deadwyler and Collet-Serra serve as executive producers alongside James Moran and Gabrielle Ebron. Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum is a producer with Stephanie Allain.

Watch both trailers for The Woman in the Yard