CinemaCon: M. Night Shyamalan shows first trailer for Trap...and it appears to give away a twist

One thing is for sure: M. Night Shyamalan knows how to create a twist. It’s something his movies have become well known for (though those twists are sometimes not as well executed as others).

At CinemaCon 2024, everyone was all abuzz that the trailer for his newest project, Trap, appeared to give away the film’s big twist. Shyamalan teamed with his daughter Saleka Shyamalan on the creation of Trap, and the storyline fittingly features a father and daughter.

The premise of Trap was previously unknown, but the debut of the trailer at CinemaCon changed all that. The film stars Josh Hartnett as a father attending a concert with his young daughter. While there, he notices that there are a lot of law enforcement officers on site, and he questions an employee at the merchandise booth about it.

It seems there is a serial killer in the area known as The Butcher, and police were tipped off that said serial killer would be at the concert that night. Then comes the twist: Hartnett’s character ducks into a restroom to check out his personal live video, which shows a bound man – The Butcher’s latest victim. It would appear that Hartnett is the serial killer.

How is he going to escape the trap he is currently in? As he learned from the employee, all of the exits are blocked and the police are keeping a sharp lookout.

Anyone who knows Shyamalan’s films knows that it won’t be that simple; there is most likely at least one more twist in Trap, and it’s bound to be a big one.

M. Night Shyamalan is responsible for one of the most surprising twists in any movie ever, and that was in his first big film The Sixth Sense. It was perfectly executed, and not a lot of movie-goers figured it out, but even more surprisingly, that twist was not readily divulged by those in the know. It was possible to see The Sixth Sense a month or so after its release without having seen any spoilers.

His penchant for surprising twists has continued throughout his career. Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, The Happening, The Visit, Old, Knock at the Cabin…all of these films ended with a twist. Sometimes the swerve was easier to spot than others, but you have to admire Shyamalan for continuing his tradition.

No doubt, fans are looking forward to seeing the trailer for Trap themselves, and also watching the film to find out what the REAL twist will be!