The word beldham has many meanings: an old hag, a beautiful lady, a monster that feeds on children.
For screenwriter and director Angela Gulner, it means something else entirely.
“The Beldham,” a psychological horror film, isn’t built around some sudden horrific happening, social experiment or undead uprising.
It’s inspired by Gulner’s grandmother.
“When my (grandmother’s health) started declining fairly rapidly and I saw how my mom and my aunt reacted to her health failing, I saw that role reversal that so often happens between parent and child,” Gulner said. “All of the feelings that I felt while seeing the relationship between mother and daughters change is what’s really underneath the film.”
The feature follows Harper, a single mother, returning with her 6-month-old child to her mother’s family home. Struggling with postpartum depression (depression after childbirth), she starts to believe that there’s an evil, supernatural presence that is living in the house and trying to steal her baby. As the movie continues, Harper’s anxiety and paranoia grow as she struggles to protect her child and faces the skepticism of her housemates.
Gulner began writing the script in early 2021, going through countless drafts before landing on one that she felt encapsulated the heavy themes she sought to convey. Even so, when it finally was time to film, Gulner was still making changes.
“I was probably making tweaks to the script on set to be honest,” Gulner said. “Being my first feature, it’s scary to put my art out into the world (or) anything that I’ve made and worked on.”
Shooting began in Feb. 2023, and without a substantial budget, Gulner had to keep it to 15 days. For reference, shooting on a typical set takes months.
“It was a whirlwind,” Gulner said. “We only had 10 days to prepare, and that meant we really had to show up super, super prepared and know exactly what we needed to get done that day. Having actors that were pros — really well prepared and that could just show up, get into it and go — was super essential.”
Gulner and her cinematographer, Ksusha Genenfeld, designed the film’s visual language in a way that simultaneously followed the tight schedule and added to the visuals.
Rather than using the time-consuming traditional techniques of wide shots followed by close-ups on every character, Gulner and Genenfeld focused on the lead actress and played with negative space, reinforcing the idea that Harper was confined and stuck within the house.
“I was nervous working with Patricia Heaton, who has Emmys, and Corbin Bernsen, who’s been working in the industry for 40 years,” Gulner said. “It can be intimidating. Having Mark there and two of my best friends in leading roles was just really grounding for me and helped me feel safe and confident enough to really go for it on set.”
Gulner’s husband, film studies teacher Mark Scheibmeir, was an instrumental part in the making of “The Beldham,” which will be released onto streaming platforms Nov. 7. Scheibmeir was the producer who, according to Gulner, “made it all happen.”
Being a producer meant a number of different things. He did the financial heavy lifting for the project, allowing Gulner to focus on being present with the actors at all times. In post-production, his experience with editing greatly supported the creative shaping of the film.
“I was involved in pretty much every step of the journey, whether it’s giving notes to her on the writing, raising money for the film, helping decide who the crew would be, helping with the editing process or managing sales and distribution,” Scheibmeir said. “I was always there, not just as a sounding board, but also leading the charge occasionally.”
But just as importantly, with Scheibmeir around, Gulner felt comfortable.
The Beldham began its festival run in Oct. 2024, premiering at the 57th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, and it later screened at the Austin Film Festival later that month.
“Hopefully, if I’ve done my job right, you can rewatch the film and have a totally different experience watching it than you did the first time because you know what’s actually happening versus what we’re presenting is happening,” Gulner said. “One of the classic references for this kind of film is “The Sixth Sense.” There’s this huge twist out at the end that reframes everything we see.”
For Gulner, that element of reinterpretation isn’t just part of the story. It reflects how she approaches filmmaking itself. She sees each creative choice as a risk that might change the film’s meaning once the full picture comes together.
“When you’re making art, feeling safe enough to make a mistake or try something that doesn’t work is really important,” Gulner said. “If you don’t feel brave enough to take a risk, then the outcome isn’t very interesting.”
