Dev Patel's "Rabbit Trap" is a Well of Wasted Potential

[the following review is spoiler-free]

Back in January, The Sundance Film Festival in Utah had arguably one of the most eventful years in recent memory. 2025 saw a wealth of new and exciting films being screened for the very first time. One of those highly anticipated films that premiered in the festival's Midnight section was the new feature, Rabbit Trap starring Academy Award nominee, Dev Patel, which premieres in American theaters this week. But despite a promising concept, the film falls short of making any sort of impact.

Rabbit Trap is a psychological horror by Bryn Chainey about a young married couple who move to the rural Welsh countryside to work on their music career. One day they disturb a fairy circle and soon are visited by a mysterious child who changes their life for the worse. The film was also produced by actor, Elijah Wood, who has been producing independent works since 2014.

Rabbit Trap relies heavily on Welsh folklore and is thematically reminiscent of something Alex Garland would've made ten years ago. The cast consists of only three people, the couple played by Dev Patel and Rosy McEwan, and The Child played by Jade Croot. The movie does a great job at creating a unique atmosphere, and it's shocking that it took until 2025 for audiences to get a Welsh folk horror. Celtic folklore from Welsh to Irish to Scottish has a wealth of unsettling creatures and stories that are sure to terrify any audience member if done right. It wasn't too long ago that users on social media were obsessing over the idea of "cottage-core" so there's clearly an audience for this sort of movie.

There's a fascinating underlying message in the film about innocence that's frequently explored, but aside for that and some great sound design, Rabbit Trap kind of falls flat. While I found the story fairly interesting, I couldn't help but feel like I was fighting to give the film my full attention, and even worse: stay awake. Films can be subjectively good or bad to anyone but what they should never be is boring, especially when it comes to the horror genre.

Out of the three performances in this film, the only one that really stood out was newcomer, Jade Croot as The Child. The couple could've been played by literally anyone else. Croot's performance genuinely made my skin crawl, boosted by her uncanny line delivery and the way she teeters between innocent and sinister. However, at no point was I ever fully convinced that she was playing a child. Croot is 25 and she looks like it. I actually think the story benefits from her being a young adult because it makes her behavior so much more uncomfortable, but it's difficult to tell if that was the director's true intention or not.

Rabbit Trap is a frustrating film because all of the material to make a great horror film is there, it just wasn't utilized properly. The ingredients are there but the film doesn't take them far enough and unfortunately ends up boring the audience more than anything. Out of all the great 2025 Sundance releases this year, it certainly isn't one of the strongest.

While I appreciate Bryn Chainey's attempt at bringing Welsh culture to the big screen, let's hope that Hollywood's next attempt at a Celtic horror movie goes smoother.