The Woman in the Yard ending explained: Who is The Woman, really?

She's just sitting there, but no one knows who the woman is or why she's there. And she won't go away. In fact, the woman is slowly moving closer to the house each day and you're the only one who's there to protect your two children from the threat she poses. What do you do?

That's the premise of The Woman in the Yard, a Blumhouse horror that's pretty much what it says on the tin. But there's actually more to this woman than meets the eye. Using this encroaching specter, director Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise, Orphan) tells the story of a woman struggling with grief and the depression that ensues after her husband died in a car crash that injured her too.

Ramona (Carry-On's Danielle Deadwyler) is terrified of the titular Woman in the Yard (Okwui Okpokwasili) because she first appeared following that very same car accident, and she's followed the family here now to their rural farmhouse. With no phone, no car, and the nearest neighbour a few miles away, Ramona has her work cut out for her, especially when the Woman starts warning her that "Today’s the day."

So what's really going on? Is this Woman from the IRS or somewhere even more sinister? And what did Ramona do to bring on her wrath? Here's everything you need to know about the ending of The Woman in the Yard, an ending that's proved to be controversial among cinema goers following the film's release…

The Woman in the Yard ending explained: Who is the woman, really?

There's a lot of ambiguity around the ending, some of which is of course intentional. But scriptwriter Sam Stefanak blurs the lines between Ramona and The Woman a little too often, to the point where the film isn't quite sure whether said woman is a monster or a metaphor. She seems to be both at times, whatever the story requires at that moment, which is a problem when audiences are asked to make sense of the ending.

At one point, The Woman is an external threat, an evil entity who may or may not represent death itself. But then The Woman suddenly tells Taylor (Peyton Jackson) all his mum's secrets as if she may or may not be Ramona herself. The abilities of The Woman in the Yard are a bit inconsistent too, but let's chalk that down to inconsistent plotting.

So, with all that in mind, let's do some sleuthing.

Midway through, we discover what really happened on the night Ramona's husband died. What we were originally led to believe was a moment of joy between Ramona and David (Russell Hornsby) in the car that night before the accident was actually something far darker.

Ramona was deeply unhappy at that point, struggling to find joy in her life while taking care of everyone in their new home. She always felt like she was living for others. Driving home from dinner, Ramona and David sat in silence, and crucially, Ramona was the one behind the wheel, not David. Right before the other car appeared and took David's life, Ramona saw The Woman pop up (for the first time) in the rearview mirror.

At the start of the film, Ramona prayed for someone to "give me strength," implying that she was the one who called upon the Woman to get rid of the things causing her pain. That's why the Woman appears right before the crash, like an intrusive thought about death by suicide, and again during visions where Ramona kills her children. The Woman is Ramona herself, or at least a personification of her depression and suicidal ideation.

That's why The Woman draws ever nearer as the world closes in on Ramona. We can see it in her struggling to pay the bills to keep the lights on and even keep her children fed. Ramona is losing the will to live, harbouring deep-rooted feelings of shame and guilt which would would have probably driven her to suicide already if not for her children. This also explains her mood swings, why she gets irrationally stressed and angry at points.

Towards the end, Ramona makes one last bid to save her children from herself, telling them to run to the nearest farm for safety. Ramona believes that she's holding her children back so they'll be better off without her. But before she goes, Annie (Estella Kahiha) leaves her stuffed Mr. Penguin toy behind so her mum won't be alone.

With that, Ramona sinks into The Woman's chair, letting her pull David's gun up to her chin. The pair become one, as we see in their joint reflection. But just as she's about to give into the darkness completely, Ramona suddenly sees Annie's penguin toy on the ground and decides to stay alive for her children. The Woman's shadow morphs back into Ramona's at that point, and when the children return, Ramona tells them "We'll be ready," next time the spirit returns. "I'll be ready."

Everyone looks happy with the power back on and their dog inexplicably returned. But is any of this real?

Ramona's signature on a painting in her studio is strangely spelt with a backwards "R". Does this mean we're actually back in the mirror world the Woman brought Ramona too (thereby implying Ramona did actually go through it and die by suicide)? Or is this a callback to Annie's struggle to write R's correctly, suggesting her mother's mental health problems might run in the family?

Both endings are technically plausible, although the rest of Ramona's signature and the sign outside of the house are spelt correctly, which suggests a happier ending is the way to go. If not, Ramona is dead and the so-called "Woman", AKA her depression, won out in the end. It's this suicidal interpretation of the story that hasn't sat well with some audiences online, but we'll leave it to you to decide which ending you prefer for yourself.

The Samaritans are available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch.

The Woman in the Yard is in UK cinemas now.

If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.