The Beldham offers eerie sound design and gritty cinematography, but awkward acting and a weak screenplay keep it from hitting its full horror potential.
Writer & Director: Angela Gulner
Genre: Horror
Run Time: 85′
Austin Film Festival Screening: October 25, 2024
U.S. Release: TBA
U.K. Release: TBA
The Beldham explores the haunting struggles of new motherhood, mixing psychological tension with supernatural dread. The film follows Harper (Katie Parker) as she battles a centuries-old presence threatening her family, all while grappling with her fragile mental state. Her mother, Sadie (Patricia Heaton), offers little support as their strained relationship adds another layer of tension to Harper’s unraveling world.
Directed by Angela Gulner, The Beldham attempts to turn the common haunted house trope into a metaphor for maternal fears. In this film, the family home becomes a representation of isolation and vulnerability, mirroring the struggles of new motherhood that Harper faces. The ominous supernatural presence reflects her anxiety about motherhood and the looming threat to her child’s safety. While the eerie sound design and gritty cinematography create an unsettling atmosphere, enhanced by the ominous use of bird sounds, the screenplay and performances falter. The tension between Harper and Sadie often feels forced, missing the emotional weight expected from a mother-daughter relationship.
One of the movie’s strongest elements is its technical prowess. The sound design (Brian Keller, Matt Philips, and Jack Tulloch), particularly the eerie use of bird effects, truly heightens the unsettling atmosphere. You can feel the tension in every creak of the floorboards and the ominous flutter of wings. The cinematography (Ksusha Genenfeld) is equally impressive, painting the house in shadows that create a haunting, gritty environment. Visually and sonically, The Beldham nails the horror vibe.
However, the screenplay doesn’t support these technical strengths. The dialogue feels stilted, and the emotional beats don’t land. The strained relationship between Harper and Sadie lacks depth, making their scenes together feel awkward and unconvincing. It’s as if the actors had just met, as there are multiple moments where their interactions feel more like strangers than family: this undercuts the emotional core the film aims for.
Additionally, most characters aren’t fleshed out properly. The film tries to explore Harper’s backstory, but it feels misplaced. By withholding this information until midway through, it misses the chance to build early tension. Revealing Harper’s history from the beginning would have made the skepticism of other characters more effective, keeping the audience guessing whether Harper is truly seeing the supernatural or not. When the reveal finally happens, it feels out of nowhere, weakening the emotional stakes. While this decision seems intentional, it doesn’t work as well as it could have.
Despite its chilling sound design and striking visuals, the lack of depth in both the screenplay and character development undermines the depth the story desperately needs. Rather than leaving viewers haunted by the fears of motherhood intertwined with a supernatural threat, the movie often feels like a missed opportunity, one that could have explored the fears and anxieties of new motherhood in a more profound and impactful way. In striving to deliver a fresh take on a familiar trope, The Beldham highlights the chilling isolation of motherhood but loses its grip on the emotional depth that could have made its narrative truly haunting.
The Beldham had its North American Premiere at the Austin Film Festivalm on October 25, 2024.
