Trap ending explained: Does The Butcher get caught?

The latest psychological thriller from horror icon M. Night Shyamalan is now playing in theaters and I'm sure many people will be enjoying Trap this weekend and for many weeks to come.

For those who might still have some questions about how the movie ended, or if you weren't able to finish watching it for whatever reason, the following article will answer any lingering questions.

Major spoilers ahead for Trap

Who is The Butcher and does he get caught in the end?

When the trailers for Trap first started rolling out, many people online theorized that the serial killer known as "The Butcher" might not actually be Josh Hartnett's character Cooper, despite the trailers heavily suggesting otherwise. Some expected a typical major Shyamalan twist with a different character being revealed as the killer later in the movie.

A few people even suggested Cooper could be covering for his serial killer daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue). But no, that's not the case. Cooper really is The Butcher. The movie isn't really about finding out who The Butcher is, but how the police will catch him as he's forced into a corner at the concert and left to figure out a way to escape.

Cooper is nearly successful in escaping unnoticed. He learns that one of the only exits not blocked by police officers is through the backstage area, where Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) will leave after her concert performance. So, Cooper orchestrates getting Riley on stage during a special performance and then backstage to meet the singer.

But unfortunately for him, the way out still demands a police expectation. Only those inside Lady Raven's entourage and limo are exempt, forcing Cooper to essentially take Lady Raven hostage and force her to let himself and Riley into the limo to leave unhassled.

After the concert portion of the movie is over, Trap really becomes about the push-and-pull between Cooper and Lady Raven as she tries to outmaneuver him and get the police to realize his identity. In the end, though, the person who really brings Cooper down is his own wife, Rachel (Alison Pill), who had started suspecting her husband's identity before the film even started. We find out that she found one of his safe houses and left a scrap of receipt for the concert tickets there, leading the cops to create the "trap" in the first place.

Ultimately, Cooper is arrested by the police. But as he's being led out to the car, the officers give him a moment to adjust Riley's bike and say goodbye to her with a hug. The film ends with a final shot of Cooper in the back of the van, where he secretly snuck the wire bead out of the bike's tire and uses it to pick the lock on his cuffs, implying that he's going to escape custody.

Trap post-credits scene

Trap does have a short post-credits scene that happens pretty early into the credits, almost right after they start. We get to check in with Jamie (Jonathan Langdon), the vendor who previously helped Cooper get a concert shirt for Riley.

Poor Jamie is shocked when he turns on the news and learns The Butcher is none other than the nice dad he connected with at the concert. He hilariously says he's never talking to anybody at work ever again.

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