Don't Let 22% on RT Fool You – This Movie Is One of the Most Unusual Horror Flicks of Recent Years

When a movie receives a 22% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences tend to dismiss it. However, Rabbit Trap is one of those cases where the rating is probably not worth considering.

Bryn Chainey's movie premiered in the Midnight section at Sundance, which speaks volumes: it's a film for cinephiles willing to experiment.

There are no typical jump scares, chases, or bloodshed, but rather, immersion in sound, Welsh folklore, and a psychological drama about deeply buried trauma.

What Is 'Rabbit Trap' About?

Daphne and Darcy are a married couple who move from London to a secluded house in the Welsh wilderness. They are experimental musicians trying to record an album that will renew their inspiration.

Darcy wanders through the woods, recording the sounds of nature, such as birdsong and rustling grass. Daphne transforms these recordings into electronic compositions. However, progress is slow and the power in the house constantly goes out. One day, Darcy detects a strange sound.

The next day, he meets a friendly but strange child who tells him about local superstitions. The child begins to visit more and more often, and his persistence becomes frightening.

'Rabbit Trap' Is a Unique "ASMR Movie" Where Sound Is More Important Than Visuals

The creators coined the term "ASMR horror" for Rabbit Trap, and it's more than just a marketing gimmick. Sound plays a primary role here, both for the viewer and for the plot.

Composer Lucretia Dalt creates experimental electronic music that sounds like the voice of nature itself distorted by technology. Sound designer Graham Reznick approached his work with terrifying meticulousness.

He recorded the "voices" of plants by running an electric current through leaves and mushrooms and repeatedly processing the same recording with filters.

Rabbit Trap opens with an oscilloscope image, and this metaphor continues throughout: we literally see sound and hear images. Low bass frequencies create a sense of the heartbeat of the universe and when they fade, it seems as if life is fading.

'Rabbit Trap' Is a Horror Deeply Intertwined With Folklore and Psychological Drama

Bryn Chainey draws on Welsh legends of the Tylwyth Teg, musical fairies whose songs are so beautiful that they render humans unable to remember them.

The story of a strange creature invading a married couple's lives is a conversation about trauma and repressed memories. Darcy is a man who carries pain within him that he doesn't speak of.

His nightmares, sleep paralysis, and constant sense of shame are unleashed by the invasion of a mythical creature that seems to know more about him than he does. The encounter between city dwellers and the wild becomes a metaphor for confronting one's own darkness.

The only way to survive is to open up, acknowledge vulnerability, and allow oneself to feel.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Rabbit Trap'?

• Rabbit Trap has 47% from critics and 22% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 4.8/10.

• On Letterboxd, Rabbit Trap scored 3.1/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Rabbit Trap'?

Rabbit Trap is available to stream on Kanopy.