Research shows that many girls and women drawn to true-crime books, podcasts, documentaries, and late-night Googling find a productive catharsis in investigating how past predators have operated, and the aesthetic of educating themselves about real-world violence. In other words, consciously or unconsciously, true-crime aficionados feel like studying real-life stories might help them avoid becoming victims themselves.
There is a sense of reclaiming power - real, imagined, and social - in consuming media that gives some degree of voice back to women permanently silenced by brutal acts. Enter Trap: Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan not only seems to understand this women-who-love-true-crime motivation, he actively caters to it.
It rose to a new boil in 2020 and 2021, when viewers stuck in COVID quarantine at home found an escape in trying to solve real and fictional crime because they couldn't solve the pandemic. It's still one of the United States' most popular genres - especially among women, who make up the majority of true-crime book readers.
In a recent YouGov poll, 61% of American women (as compared to 52% of American men) said they watch true-crime content. All of which may help explain the ending of M. Night Shyamalan's serial-killer thriller Trap.
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