Rabbit Trap Review: Dev Patel Folk Horror

Bryn Chainey's feature directorial debut Rabbit Trap (2025) plunges viewers into the misty, sound-drenched world of 1970s Welsh folk horror. Starring Dev Patel as Darcy Davenport and Rosy McEwen as his wife Daphne, the film follows a married couple of experimental musicians who retreat to a remote cottage to overcome creative blocks and record an avant-garde album inspired by the natural landscape. What begins as a search for sonic inspiration quickly spirals into something ancient, unsettling, and otherworldly.

Atmospheric Setup and Sound as Horror

Set against the damp, primordial Welsh countryside, the film leans heavily on immersive sound design by Graham Reznick. Darcy, a sound recordist, wanders the woods capturing ambient noises—wind through grass, dripping rain, distant birds—only to stumble upon a mushroom-lined faerie circle that emits strange, inaudible frequencies. These recordings awaken something dormant, energizing Daphne's music while blurring the line between the natural and the supernatural. The score, blending field recordings with ethereal distortions by Lucrecia Dalt, makes sound the true antagonist: invasive, primal, and impossible to ignore.

The couple's isolation amplifies their marital tensions—Daphne's writer's block and stage fright, Darcy's quiet anxiety—creating a psychological undercurrent before the horror fully emerges. Chainey's direction is controlled and composed, evoking classics like The Wicker Man, Enys Men, and Starve Acre with its analogue 70s aesthetic: woollen jumpers, gloomy interiors, and vintage recording gear.

The Feral Child: A Standout Element

The film's eerie magic crystallizes with the arrival of The Child (Jade Croot), a smudgy-faced, ageless figure who could pass for anywhere from 9 to 54. This feral Welsh local befriends the couple, sharing tales of the Tylwyth Teg (fairy folk) and demonstrating rabbit traps where captured animals become fetish-like sacrifices. Croot's performance is brilliantly unsettling—petulant, knowing, and otherworldly—lending the story its most memorable and disturbing energy. The child infiltrates their home, exposing hidden rifts and drawing the Davenports into local folklore that feels both seductive and menacing.

Critics have praised Croot as a highlight, with Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian noting how the feral child injects "eerie magic" into an otherwise directionless but atmospheric tale. Her presence shifts the narrative from pure sonic experimentation to a dark fairy tale, where fairies aren't whimsical but sonic harbingers of rot and change.

Performances and Mixed Reception

Dev Patel delivers a compelling, introspective turn as Darcy—wounded eyes, strained silences, and genuine chemistry with McEwen. Rosy McEwen's Daphne is prickly yet hypnotic, her voice carrying the film's musical soul. Their relationship feels authentic, grounding the supernatural elements in human vulnerability.

Reviews are polarized. Some hail it as a "wholly immersive horror story" (The Film Stage) and "darkly whimsical" (Dread Central), appreciating its audiovisual experiment and emotional depth. Others find it "ineffectual" (The Hollywood Reporter), "belabored" (Paste), or light on actual scares (Inverse), criticizing a thin story and ambiguous ending that prioritizes mood over coherence. Roger Ebert's site called it a "haunting and beautiful" grim fairy tale that rewards patience, while Rotten Tomatoes aggregates mixed scores around its hypnotic soundscape but disappointing narrative payoff.

A Bold Arthouse Swing

At 88-97 minutes, Rabbit Trap avoids overstaying its welcome. It's more psychological dark fairy tale than jump-scare horror, exploring themes of intrusion, creative stagnation, childhood trauma, and the allure of the ancient. The film's climax hinges on a bedtime story rather than visual spectacle, leaving viewers with lingering ambiguity.

Premiering at Sundance 2025 and released theatrically (with wider availability following), Rabbit Trap is a modest but intriguing entry in modern British folk horror. Dev Patel's involvement (as star and executive producer) adds star power, but it's Chainey's confident debut—equal parts bewitching and divisive—that lingers in the ears long after the credits roll. If you crave atmospheric, sound-driven unease over conventional thrills, this feral fairy folk rock horror might just ensnare you.

Source - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/28/rabbit-trap-review-feral-child-lends-eerie-magic-to-dev-patel-fairy-folk-rock-horror

Disclaimer - All celebrity-related content, information, and images on this website are based on publicly available online sources and AI-generated insights/data. Information such as biography, age, career, personal details, and images may change without notice over time. While we strive for accuracy, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of any information or imagery displayed on this website. This content is provided for general informational purposes only.