SPOILER ALERT: The following article gives away crucial plot details from Trap, so proceed with caution and don’t get caught ruining it for yourself if you have not seen the film yet.
When I first caught wind of the concept for Trap – a serial killer who takes his daughter to a concert and discovers the event is being used to catch him – I was immediately convinced this could be one of the coolest M. Night Shyamalan movies yet. When I finally got around to using my Max subscription to stream the Josh Hartnett-led thriller, I did, indeed, end up enjoying it but not for the reason I anticipated.
While I believe that Shyamalan has made some of the best horror movies – especially The Sixth Sense – and I cannot deny that I love a good Shyamalan twist, neither the big reveals during the Trap ending nor its “tension-filled” moments throughout had anything to do with why I found it entertaining. In fact, out of the 2024 movies I have seen, I genuinely believe it is one of the funniest.
I Think Trap Is One Of M. Night Shyamalan’s Funniest Movies
Not only do I think Trap is one of the year’s best comedies, but I also think it is one of the absolute best M. Night Shyamalan movies to watch if you need a laugh. The filmmaker is known for putting out some pretty cheesy thrillers – especially his 2008 so-bad-it’s-good disaster movie The Happening – and I think this new crime drama is almost as uproarious for many of the same reasons.
For starters, the dialogue is unbelievably awkward, such as Cooper’s (Harnett) over-the-top play-by-play of his emotional reaction to learning his wife, Rachel (Allison Pill), helped set up the trap. Many of the twists and turns are hilariously non-sensical, especially how Cooper’s incriminating evidence is a partial receipt for Lady Raven’s (Saleka Shyamalan) concert in a time when tickets for such events are almost predominantly purchased online (and ignoring how stupid it is for a serial killer to have that on him when committing murder). The movie also strangely depicts Lady Raven’s concert, which takes place in the daytime with plans for a same-day evening show, which is something I have never heard of.
I Especially Loved The Intentional Comedy
As entertained as I was by its unintentional humor, I found some of those same aspects from Trap frustrating, especially in the third act. Thus, my favorite funny moments in the film were more clearly by design, which is something Shyamalan has more readily used in some of his more recent films, like his 2015 found footage thriller, The Visit.
While CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg calls Hartnett miscast in his Trap review, I think he brilliantly leans into the goofier aspects of his otherwise dark role, with his over-the-top line delivery and facial expressions. Of course, Jonathan Langdon steals the show as T-shirt vendor Jamie, whose realization that he unwittingly helped “The Butcher” escape the venue in a mid-credits scene caps off the film wonderfully. However, I think people have been sleeping on the subplot with Riley’s (Ariel Donaghue) frenemy Jody (Harley Ruznisky) and her mom (played by Marnie McPhail), who had me laughing hard when she warns Cooper about her “dark side” and by her reaction to Jody’s freakout when Riley gets to dance with Lady Raven.
Seriously, Get M. Night A Straight Up Comedy Script And Turn Him Loose
With Trap and some of his other recent, aforementioned films, I think that Shyamalan has proven that he has some genuine comedic chops. In fact, he might be a better humorist than a horror storyteller.
So, that being said, I think, instead of another new horror movie, it is about time that he fully embraces those talents for his next film. I mean, if anything, he could make a mean dark comedy that does not try to market itself as anything more earnest for once, but I would also be curious to see how he could handle a full-on farce.
Then again, maybe the true “trap” all along was to lure audiences in with promises of a serious thriller only to surprise the world with laughter. If that is the case, well done, Shyamalan!