The FBI sets a trap for a notorious killer in M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller, Trap. M. Night Shyamalan directed the 2024 psychological thriller Trap, which dropped on Netflix on March 11 after showing in cinemas in August.
The story follows Cooper, a man living a double life — he appears to be an ordinary father during the day but secretly carries out brutal murders at night. His behaviour is shaped by his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which influences how he executes each move with precision.
A concert becomes a trap, and the killer’s the star act (Photo: Trap/Blinding Edge Pictures)Things begin when Cooper and his teenage daughter Riley (played by Ariel Donoghue) attend a concert by popular music star Lady Raven (portrayed by Saleka Shyamalan) at a large venue. Unknown to Cooper, law enforcement officers have set up a covert sting operation during the event to lure and arrest him.
Once Cooper discovers that he is the target of this operation, he begins crafting an elaborate plan to leave the arena without alerting authorities — all while making sure Riley remains unaware of what is happening.
The idea behind this movie came from a real sting operation organised by the U.S. Marshal Service on December 15, 1985. Known as Operation Flagship, that strategy involved sending over 3,000 fugitives fake letters saying they had won tickets to a major football game.
More than 100 suspects were arrested after showing up at the Washington Convention Center to claim these tickets. Speaking to Empire magazine in July 2024, Shyamalan explained how strange and darkly amusing he found the whole incident: “The police dressed like mascots and cheerleaders.
And they caught every one of them. It was disturbing and hilarious at the same time.” As expected from Shyamalan, the movie doesn’t rely only on plot twists — it also challenges viewers with morally layered characters.
Cooper’s plans don’t unfold smoothly, especially as he fails to anticipate how strong the women around him are. If you’re wondering what happens in the final moments of Trap, this breakdown will explain the last scenes and the meaning behind Josh Hartnett’s shirtless moment.
How does Trap finish?
Eventually, Cooper — also known by his secret identity as The Butcher — finds a way to slip out of the arena with Lady Raven’s help. Inside her dressing room, Cooper comes clean and confesses that he is the serial killer everyone has been hunting.
He manipulates the pop star by showing her live footage of a victim named Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), who is locked in a basement. Cooper threatens that with one button, Spencer will die from carbon monoxide poisoning if she doesn’t cooperate and help him and Riley leave the premises in her limo.
Lady Raven pretends to follow along but cleverly disrupts his plan by showing interest in visiting Riley’s home. Riley is thrilled and quickly calls her mum, Rachel (Alison Pill), who agrees to host the artist.
Once they get to the house, Lady Raven plays the piano and discreetly pockets Riley’s phone while pretending to take a selfie. Riley notices her phone is missing and starts searching for it, but before she finds it, Lady Raven cleverly grabs Cooper’s phone instead and uses it to take a photo.
She then excuses herself to use the bathroom and locks the door behind her. Cooper reacts aggressively when she doesn’t come out. Inside the bathroom, she contacts Spencer through Cooper’s phone. He gives her all the details he remembers about his kidnapping.
Without wasting time, Lady Raven goes live on social media and begs her 83 million fans to help locate Spencer. Her appeal is effective (as we find out later, Spencer is rescued), and she also sends a message to her limo driver to alert the authorities.
What happens after Lady Raven’s move?
After Cooper smashes the bathroom door, he drags Lady Raven into the family’s SUV and tries to drive off — but Rachel, Riley, and Logan (Lochlan Miller) block their escape route. Lady Raven steps out unharmed, and Cooper runs back into the house as armed officers arrive.
He manages to overpower a SWAT agent, steals the officer’s uniform, and sneaks out through a tunnel hidden behind a kitchen closet. Now disguised, Cooper jumps into Lady Raven’s limousine and heads back toward the city. Crowds gather around the car once Lady Raven sticks her head out the window, asking for help.
She then frees herself from the handcuffs using a weak metal bar and makes her escape. Cooper, now alone in the car, changes into normal clothes and disappears into the crowd unnoticed. He eventually gets back home, where Rachel is waiting. Their interaction is filled with tension.
Rachel reveals that she set him up by leaving a concert receipt at one of his hideouts and alerting law enforcement. Although she knows he has plans to kill her, Rachel offers one last act of kindness by asking that they eat the homemade pie Riley baked before anything else.
Cooper agrees, likely because wasting food disturbs his OCD. Unknown to him, the pie is laced with drugs similar to what he’s used on victims. Once weakened, the FBI moves in and arrests Cooper.
What’s the story behind Cooper seeing his mother’s ghost?
All through the movie, Cooper has disturbing visions of his mother. These hallucinations often appear whenever he feels an urge to give in to his violent behaviour.
Dr. Josephine Grant (played by Hayley Mills), who profiles serial killers for the FBI, figures out that Cooper only reacts to strong authority figures — something connected to trauma from his abusive mother. She uses this knowledge during the final confrontation.
In his drugged state, Cooper thinks he’s speaking to his mother, but in reality, it’s Dr. Grant talking to him. She tells him, “Not all of you are a monster. You’re my son, and this is who you are, end of story. It’s good it’s over. It’s good you’re stopping the monster. Let me see you one last time. I accept you. Come closer.”
He falls for it and walks toward the door, where two SWAT agents and Grant tase him.
Why did Cooper remove his shirt in that kitchen scene?
Cooper takes off his shirt and carefully folds it during the confrontation with Rachel in their kitchen. Josh Hartnett later revealed to PEOPLE that this action represents another way Cooper’s OCD expresses itself.
Shyamalan turns a real sting into a chilling thriller (Photo: Trap/Blinding Edge Pictures)Hartnett explained that Cooper doesn’t like disorder. So, in that intense moment, removing his shirt neatly shows his effort to stay in control. He said, “He has this instinct not to make a mess. I thought it would make sense if he quietly took off his shirt, and the moment just becomes very physical.”
Though that scene stands out, there are other moments in the movie where Cooper’s compulsions show, like when he stops to straighten a crooked towel, even while being chased by police.
Who’s the killer behind the murders in Trap?
There’s no mystery about the identity of the killer in Trap — Cooper is The Butcher. The film wastes no time in making this clear. During an interview with ComicBook in August 2024, Shyamalan said he chose to reveal Cooper’s identity early so the story could focus on the killer’s mindset.
He said, “There are many films about serial killers, but what if we told this story from the killer’s point of view on the day he might be caught?”
Does Cooper escape at the end?
Although Cooper is captured, the final scene hints that things may not be over. After he’s put into a secure police vehicle, his OCD resurfaces once more when he stops to fix Riley’s fallen bicycle on the lawn. Nobody notices that he quietly removes a spoke from the bike and hides it in his sleeve.
Inside the police truck, Cooper uses that metal piece to unlock his handcuffs. As the movie comes to a close, the Butcher gives the camera a wicked grin. There’s no confirmed sequel for Trap, but Shyamalan said in a July 2024 interview with The Playlist that he hasn’t ruled it out.
He shared, “We showed this film to a test audience, and when asked who wanted a sequel, every single hand went up. I was stunned.” The director added that he felt a deep emotional connection to the characters: “It felt strange when it was all done. These characters had become a part of me. It was a truly fulfilling experience.”
