The Woman in the Yard finds Blumhouse Productions singing a different tune compared to their back catalogue of modern horror classics. It’s a tune that’s still worth singing, but it isn’t without some unnecessary vibrato that may rub some people the wrong way.

The premise starts out simple enough: a single, depressed mother, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler of Netflix’s western The Harder They Fall) and her two kids (Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha), who already have a tense dynamic, are suddenly stalked by a mysterious – wait for it – woman in their yard. The stranger’s loose and flowing black clothing obscures her appearance and, whenever the family spots her after breaking their focus, she’s gradually seated closer to the house. Despite being unaware of what the woman represents or what her motives are, the day feels as though it’s counting down towards an ominous confrontation; while other shocking truths are revealed by the pressure.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra, after helming several action flicks headlined (separately) by Liam Neeson and Dwayne Johnson, serves audiences up with another unique horror-thriller with The Woman in the Yard. This will surely delight the genre’s go-getters who were more than impressed with Collet-Serra’s House of Wax remake and his cult hit Orphan. With the majority of the film taking place within the property of an isolated country home, the filmmaker finds interesting ways to manoeuvre the camera to add to the film’s deliberately disorienting story; which also compliments the notes of supernatural horror in Sam Stefanak’s screenplay.

The third act of The Woman in the Yard is where the production takes a big swing that, I’m expecting, will divide audiences. Ramona’s final contribution to this story will either impress moviegoers who are unsuspecting a psychological meaning to the character’s angst, or turn off viewers who feel as though her backstory is being exploited as a cheap technique to issue a twist while also garnering sympathy for a flawed character. While I’m sitting on the fence between both interpretations, there’s enough ambiguity for The Woman in the Yard to make its point without being offensive or meandering on Ramona’s potentially problematic martyr qualities.

The movie is still worth checking out, but those expecting the next Insidious or Paranormal Activity should keep an open mind.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie