Is M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Perfectly Camp Enough to Garner a Sequel?
Horror maestro M. Night Shyamalan has done it again, this time, for his concert film-turned-serial killer chase, Trap. Is it unserious as hell? Absolutely. But it’s still an undeniably good time at the movies, begging the question: Is it enough to warrant a follow-up film?
Trap might just go down in history as the most M. Night Shyamalan movie of all time. Not only does his daughter Saleka play pop star Lady Raven in the film (oh yeah, we get to listen to these songs verse for verse), but the whole third-act plot twist and overall absurdity has his fingerprints all over it. More than anything though, one dead giveaway that this is indeed an M. Night Shyamalan production is that Trap suffers from a particularly woeful case of “fun premise, questionable execution.”
Still, Josh Hartnett’s girl dad-slash-serial killer, who’s known around town as “The Butcher,” makes Trap what it is: a silly summertime thriller that invites its audiences not to take it too seriously. For something that was advertised as a horror, I wasn’t prepared for how many times my theater burst out into laughter during this thing. The box cutter scene? A delight.
In any case, I think that beyond The Sixth Sense and maybe Signs, the Hollywood establishment will never fully allow themselves to jive with Shyamalan’s originality and creative vision—which might explain why Trap currently sits at a 53% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although it’s not too considerable of a difference, the public was slightly more lenient, giving it a 65% approval rating. With such mixed reviews, would Warner Bros. even consider greenlighting a Trap sequel?
Could there be a Trap 2?
Spoilers for Trap ahead!
Warner Bros. has yet to announce a follow-up to Trap, and honestly, it seems unlikely. Historically, Shyamalan hasn’t really dabbled in sequels, so even though Josh Hartnett’s killer gets away in the end, I fear the door is closed for future Trap installments.
Still, it is an intriguing concept—the intrinsic horror of standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a crowded concert venue—and has some startling real-world connotations when you look below the surface. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing a spin on the same premise in the future.
I’ll always be a proud M. Night Shyamalan stan, so even though I thought Trap was a blast, it’s probably for the best that he focuses on his next projects, whatever they may be.
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