Director Jaume Collet-Serra’s The Woman in the Yard keeps struggling to improve. It is an unusual premise with a dynamic of a complicated situation. I will say that I was not scared or in thrills. I found myself more curious about what moments were trying to be satisfied. The secluded setting is top-notch. The reality and life after a detrimental event create an emphasis on turmoil. It is the aftermath setup where the flaws lie.

The film focuses on a single mother, and she is Ramona (played by Danielle Deadwyler). Ramona is widowed. Her husband David (played by Russell Hornsby) died in a car accident. Her two kids are Taylor (played by Peyton Jackson) and Annie (played by Estella Kahiha). The dynamic is clear, and there is confusion and tension. A majority of that is because of Taylor’s mixed feelings. With Ramona being partially disabled, the limitations of tools for a strong family are frequent.

The conflict and dramatics are presentable in a persistent matter. The plot and the title of the film are the elements of failure. An eerie lady is frequently sitting in the front yard of the family’s home. She does not move, and she remains at a halt. As Ramona, Taylor, and Annie are in a life of loss, weird moments begin to occur once this mysterious lady comes around. Much of the build-up is from Taylor. And Ramona tries to keep the peace. The Woman in the Yard grows tension with blurred messages to heighten its terror value.

The trail of boredom and confusion creates more nuisance for the foundation itself. The setup is like a setup of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. But nothing comes quickly of getting blown down. The reliance on psychological terror is wrong in The Woman in the Yard. It is not mortifying.

What adds value would be the moments of the deceased. They have a presence. Before the appearance of the ghost, and in between, there are memories of David. Those are moments before the establishment of death. This is also where the signs of karma are established. Around all of this is where the writing and characterizations create a promising undertone, but the continuity continues to degrade.

The Woman in the Yard creates patterns of a family protecting each other in a poorly-written manner. The ghost is around because of an underlying past. The dynamic and characterizations are too dismissive for any form of meaning. The hero of the film keeps falling onto Taylor. This is because he is the only one who keeps trying to inquire to fight off what may be wrong. Overall, The Woman in the Yard flops repeatedly. One out of four stars.