Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Trap (2024)
Summary
While 2024’sTrapis full of twists and turns, one story detail is left unexplained in the serial killer thriller. 2024’sTrapsees M. Night Shyamalan directing Josh Hartnett in a tense psychological horror story. Hartnett plays Cooper, a seemingly normal suburban father who is secretly a serial killer. When Cooper takes his teenage daughter to a pop star’s concert, he has no idea that the entire concert is an elaborate trap designed to capture him. The police have been hunting the killer dubbed “The Butcher” for a long time and are finally ready to ensnare him with the show.
Hartnett’s charismatic villain protagonist proceeds to spend the concert working out ways to evade the police. His plans equal parts clever and desperate. ByTrap’s twist ending, the killer has taken the singer hostage and returned home to his family, only to be captured when his wife drugs him. Although Cooper does end the movie in police custody,Trap’s post-credits sceneheavily implies he will be able to escape justice once again in no time. Hartnett’s character is last seen smiling to himself as he picks the lock of his handcuffs, implyingTrap’s villain is still at large.
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The Sick Girls In Trap Are Exhausted From The Concert
Trap’s Sick Concert Attendees Are A Realistic Red Herring
Since Cooper is such a masterful manipulator, it is easy to think that he has engineered all the concert’s events to suit his needs. There are a few moments whereTrap’s protagonist seems outrageously lucky, like when he tricks the pop star’s uncle into allowing Cooper and his daughter backstage.M. Night Shyamalan’sTrapcameostrains credulity, but it is still within the bounds of believable good fortune. Similarly, the revelation thatTrap’s Cooper has nothing to do with the collapsing concertgoers is a welcome twist that proves he isn’t an omniscient villain, but just lucky.
Numerous girls faint duringTrap’s concert, and it initially seems as if this might be part of Cooper’s plan to divert attention from himself and escape the venue unnoticed. However,the girls inTrapcollapse and fall ill due to the concert itself, not any circumstances that Cooper has engineered. From waiting in long lines for hours to standing and singing, to skipping meals, to simply being overwhelmed by the presence of their favorite star, the young girls are exhausted. Thus, it is no surprise that a few of them faint and feel ill, something that wouldn’t ordinarily seem suspect.
Trap’s Butcher Plot Isn’t Connected To The Ill Concert Goers
Since Cooper sees numerous girls fall ill during the concert, this initially seems like it could be a way for the FBI to lure the Butcher out of the crowd. Later, as Cooper’s villainous acumen becomes clearer, it seems like the quick-thinking villain might somehow have set up this diversion himself to distract the police. However, despiteM. Night Shyamalan’s penchant for twists, the big reveal here is that there is no hidden nefarious cause. The girls attending the movie’s concert succumb to exhaustion and light-headedness much like any ordinary attendee could, andTrapmakes this an effective red herring.
