Tag Archives: Blumhouse

Apr 10 2026

Mel’s 5 Second Review: The Woman in the Yard

The Woman in the Yard (2025)
Danielle Deadwyler, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha, Okwui Okpokwasili, Russell Hornsby
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

I’m always weary about Blumhouse pictures. They can be really good, but they can also be total shite. This one seems to fall somewhere in the middle.

When a mysterious woman giving cryptic warnings appears in the yard of a recently widowed mother of 2 children, she must fight the ever-increasing threat the woman poses.

Grief as horror is a slightly tired trope by now, but there’s no denying that if it’s done right, it can pack a punch. This one doesn’t quite get there. The acting was mostly ok except for a few scenes with the youngest daughter doing her impression of a block of wood. But a good quarter, maybe more, of the film is literally just the mother telling her son not to do something and him ignoring her. It got real old, real fast. The Woman does cut an imposing figure, but this is a PG-13 film, so there’s not much horror to be had. It’s mostly a psychological drama with some supernatural elements.

SPOILERS INCOMING (and trigger warning: suicide)

I had guessed at the beginning of the film that the mother was the woman, at least part of the time. Having her be an extension of the mother’s grief could have been a good idea in the hands of a better filmmaker. And I wasn’t a fan of the end. Now I’ve seen other people say that because the painting was so big and the backwards writing was so small that she didn’t kill herself, but the grief is still there, just under control. But most people, myself included, think that she did pull that trigger and this is either heaven or her mind just before she dies. Which is HORRIBLE. As someone who’s had severe depression and suicidal thoughts, this movie is borderline irresponsible in saying that her happy ending was at the end of a gun. The suicide prevention blurb at the end of the film was not enough to undo that.

So do I recommend it? Meh, not really, unless you’re a Blumhouse completionist. It gets a very mid 5/10 from me.

M.

This film is streaming on Amazon Prime.

May 26 2025

Mel’s 5 Second Review: Wolf Man

Wolf Man (2025)
Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Zac Chandler, and Benedict Hardie
Directed by: Leigh Whannell


So I’ve been wanting to see this since it came out, but due to all the negative reviews I’d seen about it, I was apprehensive about spending any money on it. But it’s now streaming on Prime, so I decided to jump in. And you know, I wouldn’t have been mad about spending a few bucks on it.

A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, and as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.

I really don’t understand all the hate this film got. No, it’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s a good time. It has a few good, tense moments, and I actually quite enjoyed the POV shots changing between the family and the infected Blake. It’s a good idea that I don’t remember seeing before. The make-up effects were well done, even if the wolf design was slightly underwhelming. Christopher Abbott does a great job conveying a man who’s desperately trying to hold on to his humanity even as he feels it slipping away. Everyone was great, actually, except maybe Matilda Firth as daughter Ginger. She wasn’t as horrible as I’ve seen others accuse her of, but she wasn’t great. I don’t like being too hard on child actors, though. It’s a tough gig. The cinematography was stunning, as were the locales, but that happens when you film in New Zealand. I do wish they’d gone for a different ending, though. It felt very predictable and safe.

So if you’ve been on the fence about this one because of the reviews, I’d suggest just seeing it for yourself. You never can tell what you’re going to like based on what other people have thought. I know I definitely can’t. I often end up liking things others hated, or hating things others loved. This one gets a 7.5/10 from me.

M.

This film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.