Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first trailer for Trap, a new thriller from M. Night Shyamalan with a ridiculous premise that only he could pull off, and it is full of Easter Eggs.
Trap stars Josh Hartnett as a doting father taking his daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert for the pop sensation Lady Raven (played by Shyamalan’s daughter and R&B singer Saleka, who also wrote and scored the film).
But it’s not just a feel-good story, as before the concert begins, Hartnett leaves his daughter in their seats and inquires about the police presence at the venue. A worker quietly asks him, “You know the Butcher? That freaking nut job that goes around just chopping people up?”
It turns out the police have set a trap to catch the notorious serial killer, who they believe will be in attendance. The big reveal is when we find out the innocent father, played by Hartnett, is actually the serial killer, and now he has to find a way out of the trap that’s been set for him.
That’s already quite the premise and a gutsy move to make audiences identify with a character that’s quickly revealed to be a serial killer. Knowing Shyamalan’s track record, there are bound to be a few twists and turns in the story.
As a note for Canadians, Trap was filmed in and around Toronto. Originally many thought Trap was filmed at the Scotiabank Arena, with the creator, shakexcellence, below eventually correcting himself to the First Ontario Center in Hamilton, Ontario.
Past that, there’s an additional neat little Easter Egg in the trailer. While Shyamalan’s daughter, Saleka, plays a central role, the director also seemingly included a nod to the work of his other daughter, Ishana. As pointed out by John Squires of Bloody Disgusting, at roughly 1:10 in the trailer, you can see a billboard for The Watcher, the first picture from Ishana that hits theatres two months before Trap.
Trap hits theatres on August 9, and alongside Hartnett, Donoghue, and Saleka, also start Hayley Mills and Allison Pill.
