If you think M. Night Shyamalan spoiled Trap’s ‘twist’ you’re wrong

Ever since the Trap trailer first dropped, fans have been scratching their heads wondering why M. Night Shyamalan spoiled his big twist. However, if you’ve been thinking this, you’re missing the point entirely.

Don’t get me wrong, if The Sixth Sense’s trailer had revealed Crowe was one of the “dead people,” it would have been the cinematic equivalent of an own goal – also, it wouldn’t have made any sense (sixth or not). 

But as much as some corners of Reddit like to argue Shyamalan is a one-trick pony, he’s a proven auteur. His entire filmography is distinct in style, and not every single entry hinges on a rug-pull twist. 

This is true of Trap, a truly effective and misunderstood thriller, one that shows Shyamalan knows how to create tension and doesn’t always need to rely on gimmicks to take viewers on an entertaining ride. 

Come on, let’s twist again 

First things first, let’s address the Josh Hartnett-shaped elephant in the room. In Trap, the actor plays Cooper, a seemingly innocent father who’s taking his daughter Riley to the Taylor Swift-esque concert of fictional pop singer Lady Raven.

But when he spots a group of feds, who quite clearly aren’t there for the bops, he asks the loose-lipped merch guy what’s going on. 

Turns out, the gig is actually a ruse by the FBI to capture a prolific serial killer called “The Butcher” (yes, it’s a corny name, but there’s no denying it paints quite the picture).

Cooper politely excuses himself to the toilet, where he opens up his phone to reveal a live stream of his latest victim… that’s right, he’s The Butcher. 

Now, if you haven’t seen any of the promotional material, you probably think I’m a right a-hole for spoiling the twist without warning. But take a look at the trailer and you’ll soon realize this is all in there. 

While many Shyamalan stans thought this was some kind of double bluff (us included), others wondered why it was given away so easily. “Well damn, M. Night is just giving the twist away in the trailers now,” wrote one. 

“The trailer told us what the story was about. It’s dumb,” said another, while a third added, “Trap would’ve been a great movie if they didn’t put the plot twist IN the trailer.”

But I feel like this is missing the point of Trap. Much of the tension and entertainment is derived not from the reveal but from the cat-and-mouse game Cooper plays with the feds. 

Yes, there are a few surprises (which we obviously won’t spoil here). But ultimately, it’s a solid story that relies more on suspense and a nearly comical back-and-forth rather than a massive third-act reveal. 

And said twist is the plot, meaning it would’ve been impossible to promote Trap without giving it away. 

Shyamalan’s filmmaking evolution

Listen, as a Shyamalan fan, I am well aware I’m a tad biased. But I’ll also be the first to admit the filmmaker has some stinkers (*cough* The Happening *cough*). 

However, I don’t think Trap deserves its 50% Rotten Tomatoes score. Sure, it’s by no means perfect, and it’s pretty corny, but it’s centered around an original premise. Plus, it tells us something the stans already knew about Shyamalan: he’s dedicated to his craft. 

The filmmaker’s never one to be afraid of what other people think, hence why he so often self-finances his movies. As he told Dexerto in the runup to Trap, when it comes to outside noise, “I don’t look at anything on the internet, anything written about me.”

Yes, this means that he hasn’t read any of the theories that circulated after the release of the first trailer. Still, this wouldn’t have had an impact either way. Though it can be easy to forget, not all of his movies have hinged on a single, massive reveal.

The twist in Knock at the Cabin, for instance, is that there isn’t one. Instead, the film focused on its character-driven plot and the moral dilemmas each of them faced. 

This evolution in Shyamalan’s storytelling highlights his growth as a filmmaker who can tell compelling stories without leaning on his Hitchcockian crutch. 

This is further proven with Trap, which is a solid and effective thriller, regardless of whether or not the twist was revealed in the trailer. Or, you never know, maybe this whole post is all part of the double bluff *laughs evilly*…

Trap is in US cinemas now. You can find more new movies to watch here, as well as the flicks coming to streaming this month. Why not also read up on everything we know about Smile 2, 28 Years Later, and the Speak No Evil remake.