'“Silence of the Lambs” at a Taylor Swift Concert' Is How M. Night Shyamalan Pitched His New Thriller “Trap”
Director M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie focuses on a father and daughter attending a pop concert with a sinister twist
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Josh Hartnett in "Trap"M. Night Shyamalan had a clear vision for his latest movie Trap.
In an interview with Empire, the director said the pitch for the movie was: “What if The Silence of the Lambs happened at a Taylor Swift concert?”
In the twisty film, a man named Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) attend fictional pop star Lady Raven's concert in floor seats.
However, the concert is not what it seems when Hartnett's character learns it is a massive cover-up in which authorities are attempting to catch a serial killer dubbed the Butcher. "The whole concert is a trap," a vendor tells Cooper in the trailer. "There's no way to get out of here."
The movie, which Shyamalan envisioned as a "very scary and Hitchcockian" one, focused on a pop culture event not unlike Swift's record-breaking Eras Tour, and a scheme to capture someone from the inside.
Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube
As a result, the director said he ultimately directed a concert. “And it wasn’t just a thing in the background. It’s equally important," he said.
"There is no pretend concert going on. I love the idea of cinema as windows within windows. One of the reasons to come see the movie at the movie theater is because there’s literally a real concert that you can see nowhere except in that movie.”
Lady Raven, the focal point of the concert disguised to capture a serial killer, is portrayed by Shyamalan's daughter, singer Saleka, who performs in, wrote songs for and scored Trap.
Hayley Mills, Ariel Donoghue and Allison Pill also star in the upcoming psychological thriller.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Elsewhere in the interview, Shyamalan spoke about making original movies instead of building on something that already exists. “I really do believe in the original movie,” he told Empire.
“I want the industry to move towards more original storytelling. I think audiences would really like it," Shyamalan continued. "Look, I know there’s safety in IP. 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 is in theaters Aug. 2.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
