★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Intensity 🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸
Directed and written by Bryn Chainey
The sylvan and the supernatural blend to a chilling effect in this superb slice of U.K. folk horror.
Official synopsis
When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives.
Review of Rabbit Trap
Devotees of folk horror cinema will want to place Rabbit Trap on their “need to see as soon as possible” lists. Aficionados of high-quality aural design will want to do the same, as experimental music meets with sounds from both nature and the supernatural in writer/director Bryn Chainey’s fantastic feature.
Electronic musician Daphne Davenport (Rosy McEwen) and her sound engineer husband Darcy (Dev Patel) relocated from the hustle and bustle of London to a rural area in Wales in 1976 to work on her new album. The solitude they hoped to find there is soon interrupted by a young boy (portrayed by actress Jade Croot). The boy knows the surrounding woods well. Most importantly, he knows the otherworldly lore behind the area, including fairy circles like the one Darcy winds up in one day.
Daphne and Darcy appear to be experiencing some difficulties in their relationship. However, a weird recording Darcy made amongst the trees reunites them physically, at least temporarily. But the young boy puts a new strain on matters as he goes from someone interesting to have around to someone with increasingly disturbing behavior.
Somewhat of a slow burner, Rabbit Trap has a constant sense of dread and the eldritch, which keeps the proceedings intriguing throughout. Although ambiguity is a factor involved, I found the ending quite satisfying.
Croot is terrific as the young boy, inhabiting the character with a balance of fragility and the off-putting. McEwen and Patel are also excellent as characters with a complex connection.
The Sound Department does stellar work, aided by Composer Lucrecia Dalt’s mesmerizing original music and score. Director of Photography Andreas Johannessen captures the events wonderfully, including Set Decorator Jessamy Hadfield’s haunting work in the third act.
I found Chainey’s pacing to be rock solid. He builds a chilling air of mystery from early on that never lets up. His previous experience with short films and music videos serves him well with this, his feature-length debut.
Review by Joseph Perry
Magnet Releasing will release RABBIT TRAP in theaters on September 12, 2025.
