Why I Hate Every Shyamalan Film, But Can't Stop Watching Every New One?

Sure, M. Night Shyamalan's box office numbers are pretty impressive. But when it comes to reviews? That’s where things get messy. Take his latest flick, Trap, for example. It hit theaters this August and pulled in over $82.4 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. Definitely not a flop, right? It seems like Shyamalan has successfully reignited his career since his comeback with The Visit. But here's the thing — as one of those viewers who always feels a bit duped after watching his films, yet keep coming back for more, I’ve got something to get off my chest about Trap and Shyamalan.

Back in 2015, Shyamalan made The Visit on a shoestring budget of $5 million, and it went on to make a whopping $98.5 million worldwide. This box office miracle helped him bounce back from nearly a decade of flops and kickstarted his partnership with Universal Pictures. But Trap marks the first time since The Visit that Shyamalan doesn’t team up with Universal. Instead, he's back with Warner Bros. Pictures this time. Their last collaboration was the box office disaster Lady in the Water. Yikes.

Trap is a Shyamalan film through and through. He wrote it, directed it, and even threw in a cameo. Of course, there’s his signature plot twist that we’ve all come to expect. And this time, even his rapper daughter Saleka got involved. She plays pop superstar Lady Raven in the movie.

Spoilers ahead!

In Trap, we follow middle-aged Cooper (Josh Hartnett) and his teenage daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) as they head to a Lady Raven concert. But later it turns out the whole concert is actually a meticulously planned police sting to catch a serial killer called The Butcher. Who’s The Butcher? How’s this concert-turned-manhunt going to unfold? Shyamalan drops these mysteries about 20 minutes in. But here’s the kicker — over the next couple of hours, as I got my answers, I found myself increasingly disappointed and confused.

Sure, Trap sets up a cool premise, but the payoff? A total letdown. And Shyamalan seems way too pleased with himself. Like, dude, are you just patting yourself on the back by paying tributes on your own works?

Shyamalan's been pulling this trick since The Sixth Sense blew everyone’s minds. He’s all about the slow burn, building the story bit by bit, then BAM! A surprise ending that ties everything together. The Sixth Sense nailed this formula. For most of the movie, you think you're just watching a shrink help a kid, but the ending flips everything on its head. It is brilliant.

Shyamalan kept this formula going with Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village, and it kept working. Critics might’ve had their doubts about his logic, but that didn’t stop him from becoming Hollywood's go-to guy for thrillers around the turn of the millennium. However, he got ambitious, started making $100 million blockbusters, and that’s when things went south. The Last Airbender and After Earth didn’t bomb at the box office, but critics tore them apart. Shyamalan himself admitted that by 2013, he was filled with doubts, introspection, and a lot of questioning.

Let’s be honest, though — neither The Last Airbender nor After Earth gave Shyamalan much room to flex his storytelling muscles. One was based on a cartoon, and the other? It was more of a family project tailored by Will Smith for himself and his son than a Shyamalan film.

After After Earth flopped, Shyamalan hit rock bottom. Hollywood wasn’t exactly clamoring to buy his next project, The Visit. But guess what? The Visit ended up being a hit and got Shyamalan back in the game. It brought back his signature move: a simple story in a contained space with a mind-blowing twist at the end. The failures of his big-budget films and the success of The Visit really show how vital Shyamalan’s trademark style is. It’s what keeps fans like me coming back for more.

Here’s the thing: when I watch a Shyamalan movie, I’m looking for the same thrill I get from a great detective novel. I want clever plots and wild ideas. And Shyamalan has got those in spades.

But the catch is that while Shyamalan is great at coming up with these ideas, he doesn’t always pull them off. He doesn’t dig deep enough into the emotions or conflicts behind his concepts. That’s why none of his movies have surpassed The Sixth Sense. When a movie is all about the twist and lacks emotional depth or substance, it starts to feel like fast food —satisfying at first, but you end up getting tired of it quickly.

Trap really exposes Shyamalan's weak points. He has a brilliant concept but can't fully execute it or explore the deeper layers. Don’t get me wrong; it’s still a genius idea to set a massive concert as the backdrop for catching a serial killer, and the tension between the police and the killer in that crowded venue is breathtaking. The best parts of the movie all happen right there.

But just when I thought the concert would take us on a wild ride, Shyamalan switches things up, and suddenly it’s all about The Killer Show. Worse still, other than reinforcing that the killer is a psycho, we don’t get much else to chew on. In the end, Trap turns into one of those movies that’s all about the style but lacks substance. The final twist? Classic Shyamalan-esque, but it feels like he’s shoehorning it in just because it’s expected. If he's banking on this twist to set up a sequel, well, I think he's overreaching.

So, will I watch his next film? Probably. Even though I know I might leave feeling let down again, there’s something about Shyamalan’s wild ideas that keeps me coming back. But next time, I’ll give myself a pep talk before going in: “Keep your expectations in check, because Shyamalan’s twist might be the same old trick.”