M. Night Shyamalan's 'Trap': Max Release Date and Time

If watching a killer try to escape the FBI at a pop concert sounds like a thrilling diversion, you'll want to hold onto a particular streaming service in October.

Max will offer M. Night Shyamalan's movie Trap in one week. In a trailer for the twisty psychological thriller, Josh Hartnett plays a dad who takes his daughter to see a musician named Lady Raven. It soon becomes clear that he is an elusive murderer known as the Butcher, and the concert is a trap set by the FBI to catch him. 

The director's daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, plays Lady Raven, and the cast also includes Ariel Donoghue, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film premiered in theaters on Aug. 2. Here's when you can watch it on Max and why a VPN might be worth considering.

Josh Hartnett stars as a dad with a dark secret.

Warner Bros. Pictures

When to watch Trap on Max

Viewers in the US can watch the thriller on Max in the early morning hours of Oct. 25 (12:01 a.m. PT or 3:01 a.m. ET, to be exact). 

Max has three tiers: $10 per month for Max With Ads, $17 per month for Ad-Free and $21 per month for Ultimate Ad-Free. The streaming service also offers annual payment options, which can save some money over paying for a year one month at a time.

Outside of a subscription, Trap costs $6 to rent at Amazon and Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu).  

Max/Warner Bros. Discovery

How to watch Trap with a VPN

Perhaps you're traveling abroad and want to stream Max while away from home. With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to access the movie from anywhere in the world. There are also other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to stop your internet service provider from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you're traveling and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and log-ins when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that's passed our tests and meets our security standards.

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you're using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN. 

James Martin/CNET

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If you're looking for a secure and dependable VPN, our Editors' Choice is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on multiple devices and provides stable streams. It's $13 a month, or you can opt for a deal that gives you 15 months for $6.67 per month if you pay the total amount up front.

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our review of ExpressVPN.

Follow the VPN provider's instructions for installation and choose a country where Trap will be streaming on Max. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you're connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream Trap on more than one device, it's possible you'll need to configure each one to ensure you're signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you're logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you're ready to open Max to stream. 

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you've followed installation instructions correctly and picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services will restrict VPN access.