2024 has given audiences a Shyamalan Summer, and it’s a family affair. Earlier this year Ishana Night Shyamalan had her film directorial debut with The Watchers. Now, M. Night Shyamalan (Split, The Visit) returns with a film featuring a debut performance and original music by one of his other daughters, Saleka Shyamalan. Trap follows a father taking his daughter to see her favorite pop star in concert. When the father discovers the entire concert is a set-up to catch a wanted serial killer, known as “the butcher,” he must try to find a way to avoid capture while hiding the truth from his daughter.

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap is quite different than most serial killer flicks. Most crime thrillers follow the investigation, examine the psyche of the killer, and show the crimes in sometimes graphic detail. Trap, on the other hand, focuses almost entirely on the gambit. In fact, we only get vague details about this serial killer’s crimes and minor tidbits about his psychosis. Because the film is entirely from the point of view of the butcher, we only know what he knows. It keeps the audiences firmly in the present, along for the intense ride with a deranged killer. Shyamalan creates a fun balance of suspense and dark humor. Most of the humor comes from the butcher as he tries to keep the facade of being a doting father to his daughter while he gets into increasingly dramatic situations to make his escape. It’s an often hilarious blend of danger and social awkwardness. While for the most part this adds great laughs to an otherwise tense, cat and mouse thriller, Trap does get a bit lost in the third act. Those final moments take what is one of Shyamalan’s most grounded plots to a place so unlikely, and even repetitive, that it loses any sense of realism and moves into absurdity. The climax might keep the film from being truly great, but there’s no denying Trap is still a highly entertaining watch.

A definitive highlight for Trap is the fantastic performances. Josh Hartnett (The Faculty, 30 Days of Night) makes a triumphant return to horror as loving father and deranged serial killer, Cooper. Cooper is a man who likes to keep his daily life separate from his unsavory extracurricular activities. When he realizes he’s caught in a trap and must escape before he’s discovered, the audience watches as his mood shifts from curious to cocky to desperate and everything in between. Hartnett is truly wonderful in this role. He adds a bit of humor as Cooper lies and manipulates in an effort to get out of an impossible situation, while at the same time trying to be a perfect girl dad. Yet what makes his performance really shine are the moments when he’s pretending to be “normal” around others, but his eyes always reveal the predator within. While Harnett is the heart of Trap, the film also has great performances from Ariel Donoghue (Wolf Like Me), Saleka Shyamalan, and Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World).

Because Trap primarily takes place at a concert, most of the artistry comes from achieving the look and feel of a huge pop star performing. Anyone who has attended a big concert will appreciate all the elements Shyamalan used to create an authentic feel. This includes an epic venue, tons of security, and of course hundreds of screaming teenage girls. Yet what’s most impressive is the pop star herself, Lady Raven. Played by Saleka Shyamalan, this character feels like a pop star who could exist in the real world. Her concert includes great lighting, flashing choreography, iconic fashion, and surprisingly catchy songs written and performed by Saleka herself. While this also makes the film feel a bit like Shyamalan trying to catapult his daughter’s music career, it’s impossible to deny Saleka’s star quality as Lady Raven. Without her, the concert wouldn’t feel as real as it does in the film.

Trap is a darkly humorous game of cat and mouse that keeps audiences at the edge of their seat, when they’re not busy dancing in it. Shyamalan’s later films seem to work best when he goes for a more simplistic story that doesn’t rely on a grand twist, and this film is a testament to that, despite the somewhat silly final act. The film is entirely character driven and set within one evening, ramping up the stakes and delivering both suspense and laughs. Hartnett is back with a vengeance, perfectly embodying both a loving father and a cold, calculated killer. With an epic concert setting and a pop beat tying it all together, Trap is a fun, thrilling horror hit.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10