M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap Gets First Trailer

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has a history of keeping audiences on their toes and leaving them guessing about what his films are really about until their conclusions, but in the trailer for his upcoming movie Trap, we’re given a twist in this preview that showcases the movie wasn’t at all the kind of adventure we were expecting. While the trailer first implies that Josh Hartnett’s character is a mild-mannered father, we’re alerted to the fact that he’s keeping a dark and disturbing secret that could put his whole life, and the lives of others, in jeopardy. You can check out the trailer for Trap above before it hits theaters on August 9th.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a new experience in the world of M. Night Shyamalan — Trap — featuring performances by rising music star Saleka Shyamalan.

A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock, and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

The director of photography is Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Call Me by Your Name). The production designer is Debbie de Villa (The Hating Game). It is edited by Noëmi Preiswerk and the music is by Herdĭs Stefănsdŏttir (Knock at the Cabin). The music supervisor is Susan Jacobs (Old); the costume designer is Caroline Duncan (Old). The casting is by Douglas Aibel (Asteroid City). 

Earlier this year, Hartnett teased what audiences could expect from the movie, and while his remarks were relatively vague, this new trailer now confirms exactly why the actor considered the new film a departure from some of his previous works.

“It’s a pivot,” Hartnett revealed to IndieWire. “But I try to make all of my roles pivots. If you’re playing the same thing again and again, it gets boring to the audience. Working with M. Night was one of the best experiences of my career. I think he’s a true Artist in the capitol-A sense of the word. And I think people are gonna be really surprised and excited about the movie we make. It’s very bizarre, very dark, and it’s wild.”  

Trap lands in theaters on August 9th.

What do you think of this trailer? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!