Trap

2024
Directors: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Allison Pill, Hayley Mills, and more.

A father and his teen daughter attend a pop concert only to realize they’ve entered the center of a dark and sinister event.

Trap is peak Shyamalan—a wild ride that mixes campy thrills with just enough “Wait, what?” moments to keep you hooked. The film kicks off with a truly unsettling intro as an officer briefs his team about the latest victim of the serial killer, the Butcher. This poor guy, a wholesome dad who’s been gruesomely dismembered, feels like the type of person you’d nominate for Neighbor of the Year. And honestly, who wants to watch a movie about someone like that?

Enter Cooper, played by Josh Hartnett, who’s basically the human form of a dad joke, in all his cringy glory. He’s way too hyped about going to a Lady Raven concert with his daughter. (Oh, and fun fact: Lady Raven is played by Shyamalan’s real-life daughter, Saleka, in what can only be described as the most transparent, yet oddly sweet, act of nepotism.) Things take a sharp left when the concert turns out to be a setup to catch the Butcher, and Cooper—being Cooper—immediately bails on his kid to play hero, awkwardly meandering through the concert venue like a six-foot-tall, 40-something hunk surrounded by fangirling teens. Classic.

Hartnett brings an offbeat charm to the role, bouncing between affable dad and creepy intensity with surprising ease. Shyamalan made a point to shoot him in close-ups, often breaking the fourth wall, to create this weirdly intimate connection between Cooper and everyone else. It’s Shyamalan being, well, Shyamalan. The movie doesn’t shy away from its campy vibes—it owns it.

What Trap doesn’t do is dig into anything deeper. Fatherhood? Work-life balance? The suburbs? Nope. There’s a trapdoor Cooper suggests taking with his daughter, and that’s about as much “depth” as you’ll get. Some viewers will stick around just to figure out the inevitable twist—and sure, it’s fun to guess. But the real surprise? Realizing that The Sixth Sense dropped a quarter of a century ago. Yeah, let that sink in. If you’re like me, you’ll spend more time grappling with that than worrying about the Butcher. Also, side note: One of the characters proudly presents deviled eggs as a quick and easy snack—which might just be the film’s biggest stretch of all.

Isabella Jordan