Noelle Henderson is a dedicated writer, director, and editor driven by her passion for storytelling. She has a love for screenwriting, creative writing, editing, and essay composition, so she finds a place for her craft and voice. Immersed in the film industry, Noelle brings a distinctive and personal perspective to her writing and critiques. She commits to advocating for underrepresented voices and crafting narratives that could resonate with future generations and aspiring storytellers. Noelle’s advocacy for change within entertainment led her to The Hollywood Insider, aligning with its mission to reshape media narratives. She takes pride in nurturing emerging talent and promoting inclusivity in entertainment, striving to create a welcoming space for all aspiring artists.
Aug 11, 2024
Any fan of the Showtime hit show ‘Dexter’ will enjoy ‘Trap.’ It’s hard not to when the killer in the film is called ‘The Butcher.’ Unfortunately for the victims of the Butcher, he lacks Dexter Morgan’s code for killing people. Evil Murderers and serial killers aren’t exactly the butcher’s target demographic.
The town of Philidelphia is being terrorized by “The Butcher,” a local serial killer known for kidnapping and chopping his victims up. With the city and regional towns horrified, law enforcement is nowhere near figuring out who the butcher is outside his profile. When the receipt for a popular artist is found in one of the properties he uses for his crimes, the Philidelphia stop on Lady Raven’s tour becomes a setup to capture him. With three thousand men attending this concert, one of them is a serial killer. And we already know who it is. Riley’s dad, Cooper.
Cooper’s Profile:
Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett) is a loving father and a law-abiding citizen. He refuses to speed even when his 13-year-old daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) is anxious about being late to see her favorite pop star, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan).
From the start, Cooper is a regular dad. He loves his daughter, cares about her and the things that bother her, and spends his entire day at this concert because Riley got good grades and is happy to do it. He’s a great dad and a nice guy. He just happens to have someone kidnapped and locked in a basement. This character’s accuracy is one of the film’s major selling points. Frequently, when we see films about serial killers, they come off creepy or off-putting, but Cooper doesn’t. Because he comes off so genuine, you strangely find yourself rooting for him, hoping he can escape this concert without getting caught. Most serial killers are not likable the way Cooper is. I found him eerily similar to Dexter Morgan in the Showtime series ‘Dexter.’ Not only is his MO, but also his ability to appeal to the audience despite being the antagonist.
Cooper is extremely personable and calculated in his interactions with strangers, almost as if he thinks any one of them could be looking for him specifically. When getting concert merch for Riley, another girl wants the last shirt available; Cooper lets the random girl have the shirt, not to lead by example but to keep her eyes away from him. No serial killer could be that kind or generous, right?
Concert Film Aspect:
Cooper’s profile isn’t the only thing Shyamalan nails in this film. It’s the concert culture. The line of fans waiting outside hours before the concert begins, and the doors open just to glimpse Lady Raven. Riley gets on her father’s shoulders to get a better look; the crowd moves with Lady Raven as she makes her way to the backstage entrance, waving at her aggressively in hopes that she will wave back. Every single fan is convinced she waved at them specifically. The use of clear parasocial relationships with artists as large as Lady Raven is accurately portrayed. This desire to be seen and noticed by your idol even though you only know as much as they are willing to release to the public.
Shyamalan even includes fans who fainted throughout the concert due to dehydration and hunger. He mentions this in passing, which helps create a realistic modern concert environment. Fainting fans have become so normal that the film would’ve been less believable without this creative choice.
Any Taylor Swift fan can tell you that this film is supposed to be set in a Taylor Swift-level concert due to the venue’s size, stage setups, and costumes. Lady Raven has one fan she brings on stage with her, similar to Swift for her current tour. This accuracy in portraying this concert creates a space for us to emerge fully in the film. Shyamalan treats the production of the concert portion of the movie with as much care as the action that takes place throughout the rest of the film. Lady Raven’s songs are fully produced original songs, and they are not rip-offs of Taylor Swift songs or borrowed work from another artist. The songs we hear exist in the film’s universe, not ours. Seeing the fans excited and singing along bound the movie into reality.
During an interview with Empire Magazine, Shyamalan revealed that real-life events inspired the film. He loosely based the movie on Operation Flagship, a 1985 US sting operation in which the US Marshal Service and the Washington, DC Police Department arrested 101 fugitives. After sending out 3000 invitations to fugitives with outstanding warrants in the DC area, 101 were bussed to a fake football game. All the staff were undercover cops, including cheerleaders, janitors, and caterers. To ensure that these arrests happened safely and efficiently, the US Marshal Service split the 101 fugitives into groups of 15, telling them they would receive a special message and their tickets. Group by group, they were all successfully arrested.
The tactics in the film are very similar. This is not just some put-up job; it is an entire sting operation, even if none of them say it is. The staff, while not undercover cops, have gone through training with the Philadelphia Police Department and the SWAT Team. They have their own safe words and codes to ensure the staff can be helpful to the entire operation while keeping them safe.
The film’s overall suspense keeps you up from your chair. At moments, I found myself holding my breath because of the tension. Shyamalan’s choice of score and editing style made this possible; as the music cuts in and out, you are forced to sit in silence with no idea what will happen next. This film did not feel predictable like many other horror films. Because of the choice of location, it is quite difficult to predict what will happen and what Cooper will do when pressured this way. The accuracy of the profiler consistently keeps you on your toes as she knows way more about Cooper than we do despite us seeing everything through his perspective. This film never fails to surprise its audience and is a must-watch this summer.
Trap is in theaters everywhere now.
By: Noelle Henderson
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Noelle Henderson is a dedicated writer, director, and editor driven by her passion for storytelling. She has a love for screenwriting, creative writing, editing, and essay composition, so she finds a place for her craft and voice. Immersed in the film industry, Noelle brings a distinctive and personal perspective to her writing and critiques. She commits to advocating for underrepresented voices and crafting narratives that could resonate with future generations and aspiring storytellers. Noelle's advocacy for change within entertainment led her to The Hollywood Insider, aligning with its mission to reshape media narratives. She takes pride in nurturing emerging talent and promoting inclusivity in entertainment, striving to create a welcoming space for all aspiring artists.
Noelle Henderson is a dedicated writer, director, and editor driven by her passion for storytelling. She has a love for screenwriting, creative writing, editing, and essay composition, so she finds a place for her craft and voice. Immersed in the film industry, Noelle brings a distinctive and personal perspective to her writing and critiques. She commits to advocating for underrepresented voices and crafting narratives that could resonate with future generations and aspiring storytellers. Noelle’s advocacy for change within entertainment led her to The Hollywood Insider, aligning with its mission to reshape media narratives. She takes pride in nurturing emerging talent and promoting inclusivity in entertainment, striving to create a welcoming space for all aspiring artists.
Noelle Henderson is a dedicated writer, director, and editor driven by her passion for storytelling. She has a love for screenwriting, creative writing, editing, and essay composition, so she finds a place for her craft and voice. Immersed in the film industry, Noelle brings a distinctive and personal perspective to her writing and critiques. She commits to advocating for underrepresented voices and crafting narratives that could resonate with future generations and aspiring storytellers. Noelle’s advocacy for change within entertainment led her to The Hollywood Insider, aligning with its mission to reshape media narratives. She takes pride in nurturing emerging talent and promoting inclusivity in entertainment, striving to create a welcoming space for all aspiring artists.
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