“Angela Gulner’s tragi-horror debut trades jump scares for depth, as a family home turns into a mirror of loss and madness.”

“Smart, tense, and confidently executed, it delivers its late-game twists with clarity and lingers with surprising staying power. Quietly, it’s one of this year’s creepiest indie horror releases — and it deserves to find the wide audience that will appreciate its carefully orchestrated dread.”

“With The Beldham, she (Gulner) has crafted a clever piece of writing whose ending recontextualizes the whole film in a magnetic flash…Embedded within this haunted house is a parable about inherited trauma, the uncommon joy and pain of motherhood, and how intrinsically we are connected to the earth.”

“The Beldham succeeds powerfully as an intimate drama about loss and maternal despair, using horror iconography to heighten real-world emotional stakes. It offers a sophisticated, painful look at isolation and protective love.”

“From newcomers like Angela Gulner to legendary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. This month might not be as scary as the last, but the quality of these horror films is something to get excited about.”

“Yet the black wings and black cloak of the Beldham hide a secret, the kind that, once revealed, makes the viewer reconsider every scene, every interaction, that’s gone before – and that’s exactly the response that writer/director Angela Gulner wants to elicit.”

“The latest entry in the subgenre is “The Beldham,” a new horror film that stars Patricia Heaton as an aging mother who takes her daughter and newborn granddaughter into her home. While the two women navigate uniquely vulnerable time periods in their lives, they find themselves haunted by an ominous presence that might predate both of them.”

“A strong ending adds surprising emotional depth and elevates the film’s themes of love, loss, sacrifice, and the unbreakable ties that bind. It’s an exquisite payoff that handsomely rewards your patience and makes every meticulously crafted piece of the puzzle fall perfectly into place.”

“Angela Gulner, the mastermind behind this psychological horror film, talks about the genesis of the film, the advantage of one location and minimal characters, using misdirection for character development, her collaboration with key creatives like her cinematographer Ksusha Genenfeld, and so much more.”

“Its haunting final scene pulls hope, sadness, and dread as audiences wonder, “Is it over?” That ending image alone is enough to earn it a recommendation... Katie Parker, as Harper, delivers a heartbreaking spiral of confusion and anger. The care in crafting the story and building the relationships gives the end reveal its impact.”

“In this special episode, we sit down with director Angela Gulner to discuss her haunting new film The Beldham, premiering at the Austin Film Festival. Angela dives into the eerie inspiration behind the story, the challenges of bringing this supernatural thriller to life, and what audiences can expect from the chilling tale. Join us for an insightful conversation about the craft of horror and the nuances of indie filmmaking.”

“... the movie genuinely surprised me, with a narrative turn that I didn’t see coming. In today’s movie landscape, it’s a real feat for a movie to surprise its audience, and on that front, The Beldham succeeded for me where so many other recent horror movies have failed by being overly predictable. ”

The Beldham exceeded my expectations for a horror movie, by showcasing a deep understanding of a woman’s lived experience. It feels impossible to guess what will happen next and that’s the beauty of the unexpected nature of the film. For every horror connoisseur, The Beldham is a must have on your watch list.”

“With its focus on emotional manipulation, the evolving dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, and the fine line between protection and control, THE BELDHAM weaves psychological tension with supernatural menace.”

“A strong ending adds surprising emotional depth and elevates the film's themes of love, loss, sacrifice, and the unbreakable ties that bind. It's an exquisite payoff that handsomely rewards your patience and makes every meticulously crafted piece of the puzzle fall perfectly into place.”

“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.”

“As for the film’s big reveal – it dramatically reshapes everything leading up to it. And it immediately transforms the movie from a psychological horror film to an unexpectedly poignant domestic drama.”

“Produced by Sherman’s own Mark Scheibmeir and written and directed by his wife, Angela Gulner.”

“There’s a theme running through this that’s deeper than just scaring the audience,” Heaton said. “It’s about relationships and loss, and pain and grief in those relationships. It had another level that we could all play to, which was really exciting.”

“The Beldham combines loss, cyclical trauma, mental health, and the supernatural, creating a whirlwind of terror. You think you know where this story leads. You are dead wrong. The final reveal is shocking, flipping the entire film on its head. What a stunning directorial debut.”

“The film suggests that the real horror sometimes comes from the weight of expectations, the fear of not being good enough, of repeating the mistakes of those who raised us, and there’s something quietly devastating about that idea, and it's captured with empathy rather than judgment.”

"... the more Gulner’s script reveals itself, the clearer it becomes that this is a far more personal, deep-rooted drama than it is any type of haunted house or villainous parent genre effort."

“THE BELDHAM is a horror movie with a strong psychological horror story. This one has a small but very strong cast and a story that is as simple as it is surprising. I really liked The Beldham right until the end. Then I loved it.”

“Writer/director Angela Gulner’s The Beldham is one of the year’s biggest surprises.”