First Trailer For M. Night Shyamalan’s New Movie Has Very Eerie And Unsettling Vibes

The first trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s newest movie, Trap, has arrived–and it’s a doozy. The film stars Josh Hartnett as a serial killer who attends a concert with his daughter, only to discover that the whole thing was a set-up, or a trap, if you will, to catch him. Or so that’s what the trailer leads us to believe. Shyamalan’s movies are known for their twist endings, so while the trailer looks like it gives a lot away in terms of the plot, there is presumably more under the surface.

Shyamalan said during an event attended by Variety that he was interested in making a movie “from the vantage point of an unexpected person,” and this is Hartnett’s character.

“It kind of led more and more to this dark humor angle that Servant has and The Visit and Split had,” he said. “It’s odd … when you should be terrified and you’re laughing at the same time.”

Shyamalan also spoke about casting Hartnett, who took a break from acting but is now making a comeback with roles on Black Mirror and most recently in Oppenheimer. The writer-director said he was looking to cast someone who was “willing to just let go completely” and “give themselves over” to the project, and that’s what he found in Hartnett.

“That beautiful electricity that requires the right actor at the right time in their life. And that’s where Josh was when when I when I met him,” Shyamalan said.

Trap releases in theaters internationally on August 1 and then in the US on August 9, which is the same day that the Borderlands movie comes to cinemas. Shyamalan wrote and directed the movie, which also stars Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and Allison Pill.

The movie also features original songs from Saleka, performing in the movie as the fictional pop star Lady Raven. Shyamalan earned multiple Academy Award nominations for the movie The Sixth Sense. He also directed the films Unbreakable, Signs, Lady in the Water, The Visit, Split, Glass, Old. His most recent release was 2023’s Knock at the Cabin.

Shyamalan doesn’t just work on spooky thrillers, as he also co-wrote 1999’s Stuart Little.