Trap (2024) review– M. Night Shyamalan’s darkest twist yet

Disclaimer: The article contains the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.

You are now seated. The concert hall is alive with expectations. The stage lights shimmer, and the bass thumps in your chest. But something feels out of place. The crowd seems anxious in a fashion that is, well, strange. The guards don’t merely check tickets; they are monitoring. Waiting. And then you realize.

You are stuck.

Enter M. Night Shyamalan's Trap (2024), a psychological thriller that seduces the audience with awe and glamour before squeezing tighter and tighter with every scene, taking away any chance of escape.

The Setup: A Perfectly Designed Nightmare

An unremarkable father, played by Josh Hartnett, takes his teenage daughter Riley to a sold-out concert by popstar Lady Raven, which, for any father, should be a memorable event. Sadly, that wasn’t the case for Cooper. With the doors locked and the security’s warm, welcoming smiles starting to grow icier, he slowly starts to piece together that something is definitely not right.

And then it dawns on him. The concert is not just a performance; it is a trap. The entire arena has been transformed into a hunting ground by the FBI in order to catch a sociopathic serial killer known as The Butcher, who is elusive and hiding among them.

But the true horror? It’s that Cooper is the target.

Shyamalan’s Masterpiece: The Charm in Disturbing Narrative

M. Night Shyamalan is not new to suspense, but Trap is perhaps his most suspenseful work. The first two acts are soaked in dread, and every miscalculated stare from a stranger seems malicious.

It is not just the rattling visuals woven in a self-defeating manner from the very bowels of this horror, but also the sound engineering stylizes evocative pop music like demonically muffled shrieking under the water.

The man is caught in the web of interpersonal relations in the form of a father and recalls his creeping past, and Hartnett does it perfectly. He suffers every second, each facial expression beast-fully metamorphosing with the surroundings, tending to be inching closer to insanity. Oh, and that twist turns everything you thought you knew inside out.

Trap’s Obvious Issues

Yes, Trap is brilliant, but like all good things, it has a few things that go against it. In the second half, the rhythm drops; there is no reason for it to lessen the suspicion at that point, but it does. Clearly, the characters are not fully developed, like Cooper’s daughter or the FBI agents. They are more like puppets to that lethal role.

And then there are the insane twists and turns? But is it absurd or genius? Truly, it's for the viewers to tell. Some would argue this choice was courageous; others will consider it too much. Hence, the unanswered classic Shyamalan question.

Final Verdict: Will You Walk Barefoot Into The Trap?

I'll give this move a full-on 9.5/10⭐

This is not simply drama; it is a freefall. A slow and deliberate tightening of the noose. If you are into suspense and looking for a movie that will stick with you long after the screen goes dark, then Trap is your type of horror film.

But don't forget, once the curtain goes up, there is no going back.