M. Night Shyamalan addresses the common concern that his upcoming film Trap has already revealed its twist. Trap is an upcoming Shyamalan thriller about a man and his daughter attending the concert of one of his daughter’s favorite musical artists, only to discover that the event is a set up to catch a serial killer named the Butcher. In the Trap trailer, it is revealed that the protagonist, played by Josh Hartnett, is the Butcher. In addition to Hartnett, Trap‘s leading cast features Hayley Mills, Alison Pill, Ariel Donoghue, Marnie McPhail, Vanessa Smythe, and Saleka Shyamalan.

Speaking with Empire, Shyamalan speaks about the response to the Trap trailer and whether it spoiled the film. Asked whether Trap‘s main twist had been unveiled, Shyamalan responded coyly with “Who can say?” The director went on to explain the deep intentionality behind the Trap marketing, saying he knew that “that was how [he] was going to sell it” from the time the film first started production. Shyamalan also spoke about the importance of this kind of marketing for viewers’ enjoyment of the film. Check out the full quote from Shyamalan below:

“The response [to the trailer] was so amazing. [As to whether the big twist has been spoiled] Who can say? But I did know that that was how I was going to sell it when we were shooting. The story already starts months before you come into the movie theatre. As a storyteller, I have to be a part of that. I was very careful.”

Shyamalan’s History With The Twist Ending

Twist Endings Have Become Synonymous With Shyamalan’s Work

Shyamalan’s Trap trailer does include a major twist in the trailer itself when it reveals that Hartnett is the Butcher. Rather than having viewers discover this shift when they hit the theater, Trap audiences will know going in that the tension comes from the film’s protagonist trying to dodge the authorities, putting on a facade for his daughter, but not knowing moviegoers. Shyamalan’s sly response to whether this is the twist in the film leaves the option open for more cinematic turns to come with Trap, with the director still seeming to address the fact that this unusual marketing was intentional.

While the revelation of the movie’s biggest conceit is intriguing, this likely surprised Shyamalan audiences because of the director’s history with the twist. Ever since Bruce Willis’ character’s true identity was revealed in the ending of The Sixth Sense, the twist ending has been synonymous with the Shyamalan film and is often what might draw audiences to the theater. With Trap seems to come more of a twist beginning than a twist ending, which is a different structure for the director.

In some ways, this could be a good thing for the quality of Trap. While a number of the director’s films have done well at the box office and among critics, Shyamalan’s signature narrative device is also his most oft-criticized tool. While the twist ending functioned swimmingly in The Sixth Sense, it is arguably less dramatically effective in some of his other, low-rated works, such as Old. Even if Trap has more turns to come, perhaps that film leans less heavily on the twist as a story crutch than some of Shyamalan’s other work.

Source: Empire