The Woman in the Yard is an upcoming Blumhouse horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Sam Stefanak. The film follows Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler), a grieving mother recovering from a devastating car accident that killed her husband (Russell Hornsby). As she and her children try to rebuild their lives in a rural farmhouse, a mysterious woman dressed in black (Okwui Okpokwasili) begins appearing in their yard, slowly encroaching on their home with seemingly sinister intentions.
Black Girl Nerds had the opportunity to visit the set of The Woman in the Yard and chat with actor Russell Hornsby along with a small group of journalists with an inside look of what his character has to offer and how his role impacts Ramona’s journey throughout this film.
In the story of The Woman in the Yard, we learn that Ramona is dealing with the post-traumatic stress of a recent accident she was in involving her husband, played by Hornsby. Ramona survives the accident but is paralyzed; tragically her husband does not. During our interview with Hornsby, we can only assume what we do learn or know of his character is through flashbacks inserted throughout the film.
Marriages can be complicated and the question is what kind of relationship does Ramona have with her husband? Hornsby says, “I think with any marriage or any relationship it starts off with good intentions. Love is there. My feeling is, having been married for almost 17 years, problems start when the kids come.” He laughs.
Ramona’s kids are the anchors to her story as she’s dealing with the aftermath of this incident. She has two children. Peyton Jackson plays Taylor, her 14-year old son, and Estella Kahiha plays Annie, her six-year-old daughter. As the family grieves and tries to move on, they become increasingly threatened by the eerie presence of a mysterious woman in their yard.
According to Hornsby, he also describes how David and Ramona have different goals when it comes to what their wants and needs are out of life. “Both Ramona and David had their collective dream and their individual dream. Ramona being an artist of sorts and doing her thing, and David being this architect. Seemingly we see that David’s dream has been fulfilled, and Ramona is somewhat deferred. And it’s obviously, seemingly not panning out,” he says.
Hornsby further describes Danielle Deadwyler’s character Ramona as someone “not being fulfilled,” despite moving out to the country and living in a place that is seemingly peaceful. When we meet his character he comes with a “bottle of frustration,” which indicates a pattern of Ramona carrying this sense of feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled even during her marriage to David. And although David feels he has been a true partner and has been there to help, he says that Ramona “feels differently.”
When it came to the production of the Universal Pictures film The Woman in the Yard and specifically the script, for Russell Hornsby, what reeled him in to this project was the opportunity to work with Danielle Deadwyler and producer Stephanie Allain. Danielle Deadwyler has had a stellar career these past few years with projects in films such as The Piano Lesson, 40 Acres, and Till, and Stephanie Allain is notable producer who worked on Hustle & Flow, Exhibiting Forgiveness, and another Blumhouse horror flick The Exorcist: Believer.
“I thought it was a great script for Danielle. I think that she is an actor of the first order. Exceedingly talented, very bright, what I like to call an actor’s actor. Obviously, Stephanie having her history with being a producer of some wonderful and iconic films, historically and I just wanted to be a part of it and lend my talents however I could. As I said to them when we got on the Zoom, “You had me from hello.” And it was really just that, as with the opportunity to work with both these women and and I had been really appreciating and respecting Danielle’s work from afar, and just really been a fan of hers,” Hornsby says.
This is Russell Hornsby’s first Blumhouse production and he’s happy to be a part of the family. He recalled a scene that takes place at a restaurant, which made this experience one of the most memorable and unique productions he’s worked on, when he was instructed by director Jaume Collet-Serra to do a few pages of dialogue. But instead of reading it off of the page, Jaume told Russell to “play.” Both Hornsby and Deadwyler improvised their scene, and he recalled that moment as being “special.”
Although Hornsby didn’t read any specific horror books to prep for this role when asked while shooting if there were any books that fit tonally with this film, he compared it with Stephen King’s Misery. “The idea of being trapped, that’s what comes up in my head,” he adds. He also says Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Adding in the concept of what’s down is up and what’s up is down. And the fact that… we’re not in Kansas anymore.
The Woman in the Yard premieres in theaters March 28, 2025.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
