Trap, the latest psychological thriller from master of twists M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Old), has been shrouded in mystery for some time now, but the filmmaker revealed its twist far earlier than expected at CinemaCon.
Starring Josh Hartnett (30 Days of Night, Oppenheimer), all we knew previously about Trap was that it was set at a concert, an idea that he crafted with his daughter Saleka (side note: Shyamalan’s other daughter Ishana is about to enter the genre space with her own movie The Watchers – talent really does run in this family). According to Gizmodo, who gave a run down of the full trailer earlier today, there’s waaaay more to it than that:
In the trailer, we see a father (Hartnett) taking his young daughter to a concert. They get in, take their seats, the concert starts, and everything is going great. Dad tells his daughter to stay at the seat because he’s going to the bathroom. On his way to the bathroom, Dad notices some strange things going on. There are a lot of police at this concert. Cameras are being set up. Something is very weird about all this. He goes to a merch booth and asks one of the workers what’s going on.
The worker tells Dad that he’s not supposed to spill the beans, but he will. Apparently, there’s a serial killer on the loose named The Butcher and the police got a tip that he’s going to be at this concert. In fact, everything about the concert—including it actually happening—is just a trap to catch The Butcher. They’ve got all the exits closed, no one is able to leave, they’re going to get him.
Dad looks surprised at this revelation. Why? Because when he goes into the bathroom and opens his phone, he reveals a live stream of a bound and gagged man. It turns out, Dad, a.k.a. Josh Hartnett, is The Butcher. And now he’s going to have to figure out how to get out of this trap, which also includes his daughter.
Well, there you go. Although, as Gizmodo wisely point out, knowing Shyamalan this twist will just be one of many. For those of us not lucky enough to be at CinemaCon this week, we’ll have to wait a little longer for Trap‘s trailer, and mark your diaries for its August 9 theatrical release from Warner Bros.
