TrapEnding Explained: Did Cooper Escape and Who Set Him Up in the M. Night Shyamalan Thriller?

Mar. 15, 2025

Josh Hartnett in ‘Trap.'.Photo:© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

The FBI is trying to catch a particularly savvy serial killer inTrap.

The film opens with Cooper and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) at pop star Lady Raven’s (Saleka Shyamalan) arena concert. Unbeknownst to Cooper, the FBI has orchestrated a sting operation to catch him.

When he learns of the federal agents’ plan, Cooper goes to elaborate lengths to escape the building undetected — all while keeping Riley in the dark.

“The cops were literally cheerleaders and mascots,” the filmmaker toldEmpiremagazinein July 2024. “And [the criminals] were all caught. It was so twisted and funny.”

It wouldn’t be an M. Night Shyamalan movie without unexpected twists and complex characters. As the film progresses, Cooper faces unpredictable obstacles when he underestimates the women around him.

So how didTrapend? Here’s everything to know about the film’s final minutes, including why Hartnett decided to go shirtless in a particularly chilling scene.

Warning:Trapspoilers ahead!

What happens at the end ofTrap?

Josh Hartnett in ‘Trap.'.© Warner Bros. Pictures

© Warner Bros. Pictures

Cooper, also known as The Butcher, successfully escapes the arena with the help of Lady Raven. While having a private conversation in the pop star’s dressing room, Cooper reveals to the singer that he’s the serial killer everyone is trying to catch.

He plays on Lady Raven’s conscience, showing her a live video feed of one of his victims, a man named Spencer (Mark Bacolcol), who is tied up in a basement. Cooper tells her that Spencer will die from carbon monoxide poisoning with one push of a button if she doesn’t escort him and his daughter Riley out of the arena in her limousine.

At the house, Lady Raven plays a song on the piano and slips Riley’s phone into her pocket before suggesting they take a selfie. Riley frantically looks for her phone, but before the moment passes, Lady Raven grabs Cooper’s phone and uses it to take the photo. She then runs to the bathroom with the device still in her hand. Cooper goes ballistic when Lady Raven locks the door and refuses to come out.

She uses Cooper’s phone to speak to Spencer, who shares the only details he can remember from his kidnapping. Lady Raven then goes live on social media and asks her 83 million followers to help her find Spencer. It works (viewers later learn that Spencer was found alive), and she texts her limo driver to call the police.

Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue in ‘Trap.'.Sabrina Lantos/Warner Bros. Pictures

Sabrina Lantos/Warner Bros. Pictures

Cooper eventually breaks down the bathroom door and tries to escape with Lady Raven in the family’s SUV — but Rachel, Riley and Logan (Lochlan Miller) block their path. The pop star gets out of the car safely, and Cooper retreats into the house as police swarm the suburban residence.

After taking down a S.W.A.T. member and stealing his uniform, Cooper escapes through a tunnel in the kitchen closet and manages to get behind the wheel of Lady Raven’s limo. They travel back downtown, where fans surround the vehicle after Lady Raven rolls down the window and pleads for help. She’s able to free herself from the flimsy metal bar she’s handcuffed to and escapes safely.

Rachel is aware of Cooper’s plans to kill her, and she suggests that they at least finish Riley’s homemade pie before it all comes to an end. Cooper indulges her request, likely because food waste triggers his OCD, and proceeds to eat the dessert that is laced with the same drugs he used on his victims.

Incapacitated, the FBI is finally able to apprehend Cooper.

Why does Cooper keep seeing his mother’s ghost?

Hayley Mills in ‘Trap.'.© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

FBI profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills) knows that The Butcher only responds to genuine authority because it brings back memories of his abusive mother. She capitalizes on this at the end of the movie.

In his intoxicated state, Cooper believes he’s speaking to his mother when he’s really speaking to Grant, who says, “Not all of you is 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.”

Cooper is lured to the door, close enough for two S.W.A.T. members and Grant to tase him.

Why did Cooper take his shirt off inTrap?

During his confrontation with Rachel, Coopertakes off his shirtand neatly folds it on the kitchen table. This behavior, Hartnett explained to PEOPLE, was just another manifestation of his character’s OCD.

“[Cooper’s] got these qualities about himself that doesn’t want to make a mess, I thought wouldn’t it be interesting if, over the course of this, he just starts taking his shirt off and it gets really visceral,” the actor explained.

Cooper’s disorder was highlighted several times throughout the movie. While the shirt scene was the most notable, viewers also saw him take the time to fix a lopsided towel in a bathroom with the police hot on his heels.

Who is the real killer inTrap?

Josh Hartnett in ‘Trap.'.© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

Cooper is the The Butcher — the serial killer that chops people up — inTrap,but viewers learn this almost immediately.

While speaking toComicBookin August 2024, Shyamalan explained that he revealed Cooper as the antagonist to offer audiences a story told from the killer’s perspective.

“We’ve seen a million stories about serial killers, but to say you are him and this is what life is like for you on the day that you might get caught [is new],” he told the outlet.

Does Cooper escape at the end ofTrap?

Saleka Shyamalan in ‘Trap.'.© Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

The final minutes ofTraphint at Cooper’s escape — but it’s ultimately unclear if The Butcher manages to slip out of police custody.

Before being hauled away in a heavy-duty police truck, Cooper’s OCD manifests itself again, and he stops to prop up Riley’s bike, which tipped over on the lawn. The police don’t notice when Cooper also manages to dislodge a spoke from the front wheel and hides it in his sleeve.

Once in the truck, Cooper uses the spoke to remove his handcuffs. The film ends with The Butcher giving the camera a wicked grin.

ATrapsequel isn’t in the works, but Shyamalan toldThe Playlistin July 2024 that it isn’t out of the question.

“We screened this for an audience. And at the end, someone asked the audience, ‘How many of you wanna see a sequel of this? And every hand in the theater went up,’ " he recalled. “I was like, ‘Whoa.’ "

“That was a strange feeling. They become a part of you. It was such a joyful experience,” he added.

source: people.com