M. Night Shyamalan’s the new movie, Trap, follows parent and serial killer Cooper (Josh Hartnett), known as “The Butcher,” who takes his daughter to a concert, only to learn the event is an elaborate ploy by law enforcement to finally catch the killer.

According to Variety, Shyamalan’s described the film to Empire Magazine as the intersection of Silence of the Lambs and a Taylor Swift concert— as outlandish as the concept seems, Trap is inspired by a real sting operation, Operation Flagship.

M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie, Trap, follows parent and serial killer known as “The Butcher,” Cooper (Josh Hartnett), who takes his daughter to a concert, only to learn the event is an elaborate ploy by law enforcement to catch the killer finally.

Shyamalan described the film to Empire magazine as the intersection of Silence of the Lambs and a Taylor Swift concert. As outlandish as the concept seems, Trap is inspired by an actual sting operation, Operation Flagship.

The real-life incident that inspired ‘Trap’

In December 1985, the U.S. Marshals Service sent over 3,000 invitations to fugitives in Washington, D.C., who had 5,117 outstanding warrants between them to attend a Washington Redskins game.

According to The Washington Post, the free tickets were said to have come from a fictitious television channel, Flagship International Sports TV, and those invited were told they’d been selected from a clearinghouse list to see the Redskins play the Cincinnati Bengals in a few weeks.

They were told bus transportation would be provided, and they would attend a pregame party where the “winners” could collect prizes. They were also informed they could enter drawings for season tickets and an all-expenses paid trip to the upcoming Super Bowl. 

On Dec. 15, 1985, 101 arrived at the Washington Convention Center for the party, but little did they know more than 150 undercover officers were waiting for them at the venue, the U.S. Marshals website reported. They were disguised as cheerleaders, caterers, Flagship International Sports TV representatives and janitorial staff members. The Post reported that one undercover Marshal wore a knock-off San Diego Chicken suit.

The invited criminals were separated into groups and put in a private room where the master of ceremonies, played by the chief of enforcement operations, Louie McKinney, said a few words to hype the crowd. 

“We had a prearranged signal with the Special Operations Group, which was supposed to enter the room when it heard me say ‘surprise.’ To my surprise, nothing had happened after I’d given the signal,” McKinney recounted in his 2009 memoir, One Marshal’s Badge. “Thinking that I should repeat the cue louder, I decided to try again. ‘Today really is your lucky day,’ I shouted above the conversations. ‘And I’ve got a big surprise for you!’”

That’s when officers burst into the room and drew their weapons. They repeated the rouse until all the fugitives were in custody, culminating in 144 arrests. 

Trap is in theaters now.