Few directors are more wily than M. Night Shyamalan. The director has long been known to play around with the audience, both for incredible entertainment and the occasional practical joke. However, after Split shocked audiences with its end-credit reveal, the ends of his movies have become as exciting as the latest MCU entry. Trap, his latest film, features a serial killing father seeking a way to escape a concert venue. With the police closing in from all sides, Shyalaman has the opportunity to build a longer story than one might have anticipated. So, how does he close out his latest thriller? Suffice it to say, everything below is in full-blown SPOILER territory.
SPOILER: Trap Ending
After being cornered by the police for at least the third time, Cooper (Josh Harnett) has been tasered and arrested. As the police and S.W.A.T. units march him toward their vehicles, Cooper bends down to pick up a bike. Once he has, the police march him into custody, and he says a tearful goodbye to his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoguhue).
However, inside the vehicle, it’s revealed that Cooper broke off a spoke of the bike he stood up. With the spoke, which was hidden up his sleeve, he picks the lock on his handcuffs and plans his next move.
Trap Mid-Credits Scene
After the cut to black, a mid-credit scene appears to inform the audience about Cooper’s next moves. Instead, Trap brings back the vendor from the merch setup for an encore. Jaime (Jonathan Langdon) brings some much-needed energy to Trap during a couple of scenes with Cooper. He also reveals the FBI and Philadelphia PD’s plans for catching The Butcher. As he does so, he reveals his own true-crime following has led him to pay attention to The Butcher’s work.
As Jaime watches on the TV, the local news reporter reveals Cooper’s name and his picture. Jaime, shocked that it was the man he spoke to, realizes what he had done. As he does, he swears off helping anyone ever again and plans to keep this a secret from everyone else.
Will Trap get a sequel?
While the mid-credits sequence does little to establish a path for a sequel, the ending certainly does. We suggest staying through the mid-credits because it’s one of the funniest scenes in the movie. However, regarding sequel potential, we’ve already received our answer.
While Shyamalan has already made sequels to previous movies, it’s a rarity for him. The Unbreakable, Split, and Glass, trilogy came together over eighteen years. That said, Trap feels like one of the few movies he’s made with obvious sequel potential. First, the relationship between Cooper and FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills) feels ripe for potential showdowns. Despite playing the hunter and prey, they rarely come face-to-face. One cannot help but wish this relationship was baked into the DNA of the movie.
Additionally, Cooper is a serial killer who never shows his passion on screen. While Trap tells us about his horrific acts, we never see him in full form. Because he’s always running, it’s a real case of the audience taking Shyamalan’s word about his cool and collected demeanor. One cannot help but wonder what that aspect of Cooper looks like and if it’s a key that Harnett can play convincingly.
Finally, there seem to be large aspects of the movie that are left unexplored. One wonders if the Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) had a bigger role or more personal tie to The Butcher in previous drafts. The same goes for Grant, who seemingly picks up his scent immediately. With more cracks at a franchise, aspects of the characters can be expanded, there’s a lot of potential. Shyamalan ends Trap in a way that makes us question when the Trap sequel is coming, not if it is coming.
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