Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Trap (2024)
Summary
Director M. Night Shyamalan’sTrapwas a twisty serial killer thriller, but the horror movie’s tense plot became much more surprising when I discovered a surprising element of its storytelling.Trapis the latest movie from divisive director M. Night Shyamalan. A psychological thriller set at a pop star’s concert,Trapstars Josh Hartnett as Cooper, a charismatic suburban dad who secretly moonlights as a sadistic serial killer dubbed “The Butcher.” Although the Butcher has gotten away with his heinous crimes for a long time, the police have finally gotten a lead on his real identity and set up an elaborate trap.
Unfortunately for Cooper, that trap is the concert he is attending with his teenage daughter. As Hartnett’s quick-thinking villain realizes that he has been outsmarted, he starts an elaborate game of cat and mouse with the police surrounding the stadium. ByTrap’s twist ending, the Butcher has gotten backstage, taken the pop star hostage, returned home to his family, and almost escaped justice. However, his wife manages to drug Cooper, allowing the police to take him into custody.Trap’s post-credits sceneimplies that the Butcher’s killing spree may not be over yet, but this isn’t the biggest surprise in the movie’s ending.
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Trap’s Entire Serial Killer Story Happens Without Anyone Dying
Trap Has A Shockingly Low Body Count For A Horror Thriller
Cooper is last seen grinning to himself in the back of a police van as he uses a stolen bike spoke to pick the lock of his handcuffs. It seems clear that Hartnett’s character will use his cunning to evade the police once more, but this twist ending madeTrap’s body count all the more surprising to me. I almost couldn’t believe thatTrapis a serial killer thriller with no onscreen character deaths. Cooper pushes a concert attendee down the stairs and burns another with fryer oil to cause a distraction, but these characters don’t die onscreen.
No one actually dies duringTrap’s story, not even Hartnett’s villain. That is pretty unusual for a movie about a serial killer, as I’m used to the horror subgenre boasting pretty impressive body counts. Some ofTrap’s mixed reviewsdid cite the movie’s bloodlessness as an issue, but it is a typically subversive decision from a director whose output is defined by side-stepping audience expectations. For better or worse, M. Night Shyamalan always has a few tricks up his sleeve. As such, I really shouldn’t be shocked that he managed to make a serial killer movie where no one dies.
The Lack Of Death In Trap Subverted Genre & Shyamalan Expectations
Horror Movies And Shyamalan’s Earlier Efforts Usually Include Deaths
Horror movies in general, serial killer thrillers specifically, and Shyamalan’s earlier movies in particular all often involve death. Several of my favorite Shyamalan movies, likeSignsandThe Sixth Sense, center on themes of life and death. Thus,Traptruly subverts audience expectations when no one dies after foreshadowing Raven, Cooper, and Rachel’s potential deaths. Since serial killer thrillers likeThe Silence of the Lambs,Se7en, and even 2024’s sleeper hitLonglegsusually involve copious carnage, it is a genuine surprise thatTrapdodges this expectation. Shyamalan’s thriller may not be perfect, butTrapdoes catch viewers by surprise.
