‘Rabbit Trap’ Is a Sonic Descent Into the Uncanny

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In the movie titled “Rabbit Trap“, there are instances where the lines blur between sound, surroundings, dreams, and reality. Sound isn’t just a part of the film’s ambiance; it serves as the main propellant, a hidden menace that intensifies the mental turmoil of the characters. Bryn Chainey’s first movie is a blend of folk horror, an alluring psychological thriller, and a thought-provoking contemplation on how our perceptions, memories, and fears intertwine. Essentially, “Rabbit Trap” delves into the unsettling dance between human relationships, creative fervor, and nature’s knack for defying dominion.

‘Rabbit Trap’ Is a Sonic Descent Into the Uncanny

1976 sees the unfolding of “Rabbit Trap”, a story that revolves around Daphne (Rosy McEwen from the acclaimed “Blue Jean”), an avant-garde musician, and her husband Darcy (Dev Patel). Darcy is a field sound recordist, immersed in capturing the untouched sounds of the surroundings. However, he shows little interest beyond his work, often retreating into solitude. Daphne, conversely, transforms these raw recordings into haunting, avant-garde music. Their creative relationship seems harmonious until an unexpected visitor, a peculiar young rabbit trapper named Jade Croot, disturbs their tranquility.

The child intrudes upon the daily routine of the couple in a chilling manner, claiming ownership over their lives and the surrounding land. The child’s presence is puzzling yet impossible to ignore, neither a spirit nor a ghost, but something more unsettling – an “impertinent child” whose innocence hides something manipulative, possibly even supernatural. The child speaks in enigmatic phrases: “If you catch the rabbit, you catch the message.” What is the message? What rabbit are they referring to? In “Rabbit Trap“, understanding is evasive, fear is instinctual, and sound serves as an unyielding force that’s both creative and destructive.

‘Blow Out’ Meets ‘Berberian Sound Studio’: A Cinematic Lineage of Sonic Horror

Since the very beginning, the movie “Rabbit Trap” falls into the category of sonic horror films, which employ sound as both a weapon and a means to delve into the subconscious mind. The filmmaker, Chainey, takes inspiration from the auditory anxiety in Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out” (1981) and the psychotic audio disintegration portrayed in “Berberian Sound Studio” (Peter Strickland, 2012), where sound recording devices serve as an outlet for madness. Additionally, the film shares a similar eerie tone with Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (2017), characterized by its unsettling precision and the feeling that everything is slightly askew, as if the world has been ever so slightly tilted from its natural balance.

Lucrecia Dalt’s experimental score significantly amplifies this feeling of disquiet. It skillfully combines electronic whispers with natural tones, distorting our perception via sound. In a particularly chilling segment, audio waves visually manifest on the screen, their distortions powerfully shaping the ambiance more effectively than any visual shock. Sound, in this context, transcends its role as a thematic element and instead, it constructs the very structure of fear.

This method additionally enables the “Rabbit Trap” to delve into an uncommon aspect of horror – a sensual, almost erotic sensory experience. Daphne’s fixation on sound takes on a near-sensuous quality; as the world around them grows increasingly disquieting, she becomes more enthralled by it, finding excitement in the disorder. On the other hand, Darcy gradually loses control under its influence, his hidden thoughts seeping into their surroundings. Unlike what one might expect, their bond does not weaken due to fear; instead, it transforms, evolving into something raw and unspoken.

The Enfant Terrible Trope: A Child as a Harbinger of Psychological Decay

In contrast to many horror films that utilize disturbing child characters as supernatural entities, “Rabbit Trap” deviates from this pattern by portraying the enfant terrible archetype. This young character serves as an active disruptor within the adult realm, revealing the characters’ fears, vulnerabilities, and concealed desires through their presence.

In a more casual and clear manner: The rabbit trapper’s kid isn’t just spooky; they are confident, assertive, and surprisingly wise for their age. Instead of frightening Darcy and Daphne directly, the child manipulates them subtly, altering the balance of power within the household. This kid is a blend of the land’s essence and a force of chaos, gradually bending Darcy and Daphne to their will until they seem alienated from themselves. The way the child talks and acts hints that they know secrets they shouldn’t. Much like a rabbit caught in a trap, Daphne and Darcy find themselves ensnared by their own connection with nature, their past, and themselves.

The Haunting of the Body, The Haunting of the Mind

A large part of the film’s horror comes from the concept that your body acts like a haunted house, where the past dwells and influences each breath and sound you produce. One particularly memorable scene involves Darcy sleepwalking while mumbling fragments of old memories, traumatic experiences that were hidden away but are now surfacing. As the couple interacts with the mysterious noises surrounding them, their personal memories start to blend into the current moment.

In this movie, the blurring of time and self is vividly portrayed through the camera work, which seamlessly transitions from realistic scenes to surreal imagery. Long shadows appear unnatural, light dances strangely among the trees, and the symbolic rabbit grows increasingly prominent, its meaning subtly enigmatic. Indeed, the act of killing a rabbit seems almost magical in this context.

Fundamentally, “Rabbit Trap” explores relationships – those among people, between eras, and between mankind and nature. The duo’s creative methodology echoes the movie’s themes: Darcy documents sounds, aiming to preserve reality as is, whereas Daphne alters it, fashioning it into something different, something unfamiliar. Reflective of this same strain, their relationship embodies the struggle between preservation and transformation – the longing to maintain versus the need to change.

Ambiguity and Secrecy Obfuscate the Horror

The Rabbit Trap isn’t a movie focused on visual elements, but rather auditory experiences, the echoes and distortions that linger within silence. This horror film shuns simple explanations, exploring the disintegration of a marriage triggered by an enigmatic force. As a debut work from Chainey, it serves as an exploration into mental deterioration, delving into our tendency to project our own apprehensions onto the unseen. The ambiguity and gradual pace may frustrate some horror enthusiasts more than captivating them; however, it’s essentially an art-house horror film.

Similar to top-tier horror flicks, the movie Rabbit Trap stirs up more queries than solutions, not regarding its narrative, but about the viewers themselves. It doesn’t call for understanding; it calls for submission. The Rabbit Trap made its debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Keep an eye out for further news on its release date.

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2025-02-19 06:32