M. Night Shyamalan credited Taylor Swift as one of his biggest inspirations for the upcoming horror movie, Trap.
Some of thebest horror moviesof all time were directed byM. Night Shyamalan, as his commitment to surprising plot twists and original concepts set his films apart.
And his new film, Trap, is a testament to these ideas as it centers around a father who takes his daughter to a popular pop concert only to discover its a police sting operation to catch a serial killer.
The setting of a concert put on by a world-famous singer actually mirrors real-world events. The directortoldEmpire Magazine his initial pitch for Trap boiled down to, “What if The Silence Of The Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?”
Shyamalan’s inspiration wasn’t just taken from Swift; he also took notes from a similar situation in the 1980s.
Operation Flagship was a joint sting done by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., in 1985.
The set-up was used to lure known fugitives to the Washington Convention Center, with the promise of two free tickets for the Washington Redskins home game against the Cincinnati Bengals and the chance to win tickets to Super Bowl XX.
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“It was hilarious,” Shyamalan said. “The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots. These guys were dancing as they came in. And they were all caught. It was so twisted and funny.”
The combination of all these influences produced a completely original film, and the director stressed the importance of originality.
“I want the industry to move towards more original storytelling. I think audiences would really like it. Look, I know there’s safety in IP,” Shyamalan explained. “But it’s really important that we come to the movies and see something we’ve never seen before. I’ll keep fighting for that.”
Trap premieres in theaters on August 9. In the meantime, check out all thenew movies coming out this monthand thefilms arriving on streamingin July.
Kayla Harrington was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team, specializing in The Boys, The Walking Dead, House of the Dragon, Marvel and Star Wars. She also has bylines at Mashable, BuzzFeed, and The Mary Sue.
