MAJOR SPOILERS for The Woman in the Yard are ahead!

The 2025 horror film The Woman in the Yard creeps slowly towards a terrifying ending that sends an important message about mental health and grief. The trailer for The Woman in the Yard teased a truly bone-chilling villain that would haunt a family, and it fulfills the promise. An injured woman named Ramona takes care of her children, Taylor and Annie, in the days after their father’s death. However, the grief-stricken family faces must figure out what’s going on when a woman shrouded in a black veil appears on their front lawn, telling Ramona, “Today’s the day.”

When Ramona tries to tell The Woman to leave, the visitor makes statements that indicate a psychic element. She knows about the children, the car accident, and Ramona’s innermost thoughts. While Ramona and Taylor argue about how to handle the situation, The Woman destroys the house and tries to grab Annie. Although the film starts as a slow burn, The Woman in the Yard, which is available to watch now, builds to a tragic and fast-paced climax that reveals nothing is quite as it seems when it comes to the тιтular apparition.

The Idenтιтy Of The Woman In The Yard, Explained

The Woman Is Not A Supernatural Enтιтy In The Woman In The Yard

Although she initially appears to be a supernatural enтιтy, like a ghost or demon, the climax of The Woman in the Yard reveals that The Woman is actually a physical manifestation of Ramona’s grief and depression caused by losing her husband, David. Even though they look different, Ramona and The Woman represent two parts of the same person.

Ramona is the caring mother struggling to get by, and The Woman is the poor mental health caused by loss. Ramona comforts her children while The Woman scares them. The Woman tells Ramona, “I’m the corners of your mind. The scary parts,” and her actions show how depression and grief can hurt not just the person directly affected but those around them.

Interestingly, The Woman in the Yard foreshadows this reveal by having Ramona get explosive and angry a few times early in the movie. These behaviors are only amplified once The Woman appears, sitting in a chair in the yard. Additionally, the flashes of her doing something harmful in her mind represent the intrusive thoughts that can come from grief and depression.

Does Ramona Die By Suicide In The Woman In The Yard?

The Woman In The Yard Hints At Ramona’s Death While Remaining Ambiguous

The entire ending of The Woman in the Yard hinges on the idea that Ramona has wanted to die by suicide for days, planning out how to do it and begging for the strength to take action. Sadly, she didn’t have the support or resources to get out of this mental state. After sending away her children, The Woman helps Ramona point a gun at her head, and then The Woman is absorbed into Ramona’s body, suggesting that she’s been overtaken by the grief to the point of completing suicide.

However, The Woman in the Yard then pulls a bait and switch. She’s shown leaving the barn alive, with her children running into her arms. She promises that The Woman won’t come back any time soon. Unfortunately, the film then shows that the writing on Ramona’s painting is mirrored – a characteristic of the dream world in Ramona’s head. This leaves the answer about Ramona’s death ambiguous.

It’s possible to interpret this as Ramona never getting out of the memory and dreamlike state in her mind after Annie disappears. The movie could be suggesting that Ramona lived by allowing grief in instead of fighting it, though that raises the question of why the letters are mirrored. Another interpretation, which makes sense to me, is that Ramona died by suicide and is imagining reuniting with her children in her final moments. Though this is a bleak way to look at the ending, this explains why the children return suddenly, the words are mirrored, and the lights come on.

Why The Woman Keeps Saying “Today’s The Day”

The Taunting Phrase Represents Ramona’s Suicidal Thoughts

Throughout The Woman in the Yard, The Woman continually repeats the phrase “Today’s the day” in an ominous, almost taunting tone. The meaning of the phrase doesn’t become clear until the end of the film, when The Woman reveals that Ramona has had her death by suicide planned for many days. However, every day, she has changed her mind and decided to keep going.

The “Today’s the day” statement is an example of the sense of urgency that can sometimes come with suicidal ideation. The Woman’s statement also represents the distorted self-talk that depression and grief can cause, increasing the feeling that death by suicide is the only option. However, suicide is never the answer, and there’s always another way, no matter how it feels in the moment.

What Really Happened to David

Ramona Was Driving The Car During The Crash

Although anyone who watched the trailer will go into The Woman in the Yard knowing that Ramona’s husband died, the “how” only comes out after Taylor confronts The Woman. She reveals that Ramona lied about what happened, knowledge that makes sense after the film divulges The Woman’s true idenтιтy. When Taylor brings this up with Ramona, she shares what actually happened that night. Ramona and David went out to dinner, but Ramona clearly wasn’t happy.

After David brought it up, Ramona said that she was not happy with their life as it was. She gave all of herself to the farm, to the marriage, and to the children to the point that she had nothing left for herself. Since David didn’t want to move again, she threatened to leave him. They got into the car while upset with one another. Ramona drove through the rain while distracted, and the car ran into another vehicle, killing David. This revelation adds a layer of guilt to Ramona’s grief, making her mental state more complex.

The Significance Of Annie’s Stuffed Penguin

Annie’s Stuffed Penguin Has Two Possible Meanings Depending On The Interpretation Of The Ending

At the start of The Woman in the Yard, Annie is telling a story to her stuffed animal penguin, only telling him the happy parts of the story. When she’s asked why, Annie tells Ramona that the penguin doesn’t like the bad stuff. Because of this explanation, the penguin becomes a representation of Annie’s childlike hope, wonder, and joy. The penguin doesn’t become prominent again in the story until the end. When Ramona tells Taylor and Annie to go to the neighbor’s house, Annie gives her mom the penguin because she doesn’t want Ramona to be alone.

The penguin is with Ramona when she may or may not have died by suicide, and its significance within the story drastically changes depending on the interpretation of the ending. If Ramona is actually alive, the penguin represents the fact that Annie’s hope, wonder, and joy helped the mother overcome her low point. If Ramona is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, though, the penguin signals to the audience that ignoring all the bad things leads to tragedy.

The Real Meaning Of The Woman In The Yard’s Ending

The Woman In The Yard Is A Cautionary Tale About Grief And Depression

Horror has always been a vehicle for social commentary, and The Woman in the Yard is no exception. The film is a long-form allegory for the harmful effects of mental illness and grief. Even her physical injuries can be seen as a representation of her mental state. No matter how one interprets Ramona’s possible death by suicide, the film includes an ending that can be viewed as a warning.

The Woman’s actions warn audience members about what can happen if one’s mental health is ignored. Not only is Ramona mean and volatile towards her children, but she’s also harmful towards herself. Luckily, shortly after the film ends, The Woman in the Yard onscreen provides resources for anyone going through mental distress or suicidal ideation. This feels especially important since Ramona probably died by suicide. Viewers need to know that suicide can be prevented, even if Ramona’s story had a tragic ending. There’s always hope.