Exclusive Interview: Angela Gulner & Katie Parker on Exploring Intergenerational Dynamics in the Must-See Horror ‘The Beldham’

Horror is unforgettable when it aims for the heart as much as the nerves—and that’s exactly what writer-director Angela Gulner and star Katie Parker have achieved with The Beldham. Their creative chemistry powers one of the year’s most affecting genre films, built on the love, fear, and unspoken expectations that shape the bond between mothers and daughters.

In the film, struggling new mom Harper (Katie Parker) returns to her childhood home to renovate a fading farmhouse and get support from her family. She’s surrounded by people who insist they’re there to help—including her mother, her mother’s new boyfriend, and a live-in aide. But when strange occurrences escalate, Harper begins to question what’s real, who she can trust, and whether the danger comes from something supernatural…or the people closest to her.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Angela and Katie to talk about how their partnership shaped The Beldham—a horror film built on intergenerational connection and the emotional complexities that come with it. They share how trust and a shared artistic language guided every choice and allowed them to craft a film that feels intimate, suspenseful, and deeply human.

PC: Angela, there’s such a haunting quality to this film as it navigates grief, motherhood, and caregiving. You go in expecting to be spooked, but by the end, you’re in tears. What made horror the right canvas for telling such an emotionally resonant story? And how did you strike that delicate balance of tone?
Angela: What’s so amazing and effective about horror as a tool is that you can use it to access those heightened emotions that are really close to grief or close to catharsis, but not quite there—so you can sneak-attack an issue or moral without it feeling like it’s being hammered over your head or that the film is too heavy to get through. I wanted to explore an intergenerational love story under the guise of a horror.

The balance was really, really tricky. Our editor, Dashiell Reinhardt, was brilliant in helping me find where that line was. And our score by Stephen Limbaugh and our sound designer, Bryan Parker, really helped us figure out how much we need to know and when—and when we need to tip the scales. It was such a team effort.

PC: This is one of those films you want to revisit to catch all the subtle details you may have missed the first time. Katie, you got to see Harper’s evolution from the very beginning. How did witnessing the development shape your own process and understanding of her? And how did the trust that Angela instilled in you allow you to take ownership once that final script was done?
Katie: Angela was extremely collaborative and so trusting in me that I felt like any idea I had, she was like, “Yes, do that!” I was lucky that I got to be a part of Angela’s process as she was writing. She shared different ideas and drafts with me, so I had a pretty good idea of what we were trying to capture and what the goals of each day were on set.

In terms of my process, I find creativity and the creative process so mysterious. You can do the groundwork—mapping out your script and emotional journey, coming to set every day with ideas—but then when “action” is called, something will happen…or it won’t. It’s hard to talk about process because it feels so nuanced for each character, and it’s almost like the way I imagine childbirth is: you forget how it all happened, but you still have the baby. I feel that way after every movie—like, “I’m not sure how I did that, but I want to do it again.” No matter how hard it can be. It can be infuriating and frustrating. So much of it is surrendering to the day.

PC: That feels like it ties back to your shared background in theater—where you do all that prep work, but ultimately it’s about living in the moment. Angela, you touched on this already, but this film is such a testament to collaboration. Every element—from the production design to the lighting, costumes, and performances—feels so intentional. How did that collaboration influence the evolution of the story from page to screen? Were there any discoveries you made along the way from everyone’s contributions?
Angela: I am someone, for better or for worse, who wants—and takes—a lot of notes. Katie, correct me if I have the wrong self-image here. [laughs] But I don’t think I’m someone who’s like, “This is how I see it, and this is how it’s going to be.” Coming from theater, I like a group project. My goal is always to be surrounded by people who are better at things than I am, so I can keep learning from them as we create something together. I learned from everyone I worked with.

My favorite moment—and the moment I knew Katie understood this character better than I did—came from a big body horror scene we had scripted that ultimately got cut. Harper was supposed to rip her skin open. Katie turned to me and said, “She wouldn’t do that. She doesn’t do this here. She’s not violent in this space.” And I was like, “You’re right. She’s not. That doesn’t happen.” That was so exciting to me because I want everyone to know more than me. [laughs]

Katie: It’s not that. Filmmaking is so collaborative. I feel like in entertainment, directors and actors get a lot of attention because they’re the face or personality of the film. But there are a hundred people who made the movie happen. Those are the heroes. They don’t always get the spotlight. I think about that every time I’m on a set. I don’t have any conception of what’s happening through the lens—but the crew does. I’m always asking, “Is that landing? How did that feel for you?” Because they’re watching the movie and making it, too.

PC: Katie, it’s so interesting because so much of what you do as an actor is feed off your scene partner, but there are so many moments in this film where your character is alone and navigating such a wide range of emotions. There’s such a grounded, lived-in quality to those scenes and to your performance. As an actor, how do you create that space to explore that vulnerability? And I know part of your creative process involves building playlists for your characters. How did the songs vary based on where Harper was emotionally throughout the film?
Katie: I do make playlists. How did you know that? I’m a quite cerebral, sensitive, kind of irritable, internal person—that’s just part of my personality. And post-pandemic, we’ve all spent so much time with ourselves that being in that space was actually something I was comfortable with. That definitely lent itself to Harper.

A lot of women worry about losing their minds—with the history of hysteria and how often women were misunderstood or dismissed when really they might have been in menopause or dealing with hormones. That fear of, “Am I seeing things clearly? Is it wrong to be experiencing this emotion?”—that’s something I carry, too.

So to be on set and to feel very safe with Angela—and Mark [Meir], her husband, who’s a great producer and has coached me before; he’s an actor as well—was very freeing.

Make sure to follow Angela (Instagram) and Katie (Instagram). The Beldham is available wherever you stream movies.

Photo Credit: Sela Shiloni (Angela)