Trapped

Trapped

Year: 1989

Runtime: 93 mins

Language: English

Director: Fred Walton

HorrorThriller

Kathleen Quinlan is a woman working late in her locked high-rise office building who, along with Bruce Abbott, struggles to elude an intruder trying to kill them.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Trapped (1989)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Trapped (1989). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

The events unfold in a contemporary, urban corporate environment, within a single night. The lockdown and escalating dangers push the action toward dawn, emphasizing a modern thriller vibe.

Location

Kupper-Dietz Building, NTX corporate skyscraper

A luxurious corporate tower housing NTX offices and labs. The building becomes a trap when all exits are sealed and phones fail, trapping employees inside. It serves as a claustrophobic playground for pursuit and survival.

🏢 Skyscraper 🧪 Laboratories 🛑 Lockdown

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:53

Main Characters – Trapped (1989)

Meet the key characters of Trapped (1989), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Mary Ann Marshall (Kathleen Quinlan)

A practical, resilient employee who becomes the central survivor after finding the exits sealed and the phones dead. She showcases quick thinking and courage, navigating the tower's dangers and seeking help from NTX leadership while forming a tenuous alliance with a corporate spy.

🧭 Resourceful 🧠 Quick-thinking 💪 Determined

John Doe (Bruce Abbott)

A corporate spy living secretly in the building to steal NTX secrets. He partners with Mary Ann to uncover the killer and survive the night, bringing stealth, cunning, and practical problem-solving to the crisis.

🧠 Calculated 🥊 Persistent 🤝 Cooperative

Renni (Katy Boyer)

A daytime employee who encounters the intruder and is killed during the escape attempt, underscoring the deadly stakes of the lockdown and the peril that befalls even seemingly ordinary coworkers.

🧭 Courageous 🧠 Quick 💔 Victim

Killer (Ben Loggins)

The relentless father of the dead boy, depicted as a violent, single-minded pursuer. His attacks drive the suspense and push the protagonists into increasingly dangerous confrontations.

🗡️ Violent 🧭 Relentless 💥 Threat

Harold Manley (Wirt Cain)

Head of NTX, whose death in the penthouse triggers unraveling of the corporate mystery. His presence and ultimate fate anchor the thriller’s backdrop of corporate power and betrayal.

🎩 Powerful 🧪 Corrupt 🕵️ Investigated

Danny (Tyrees Allen)

The building’s watchman who becomes a victim in the escalating violence. His appearance marks the danger creeping through the security staff.

🛡️ Guard ⚠️ Vigilant 💔 Fallen

Kappleman (Miles Mutchler)

An NTX employee whose role hints at the high-level corporate machinery behind the building’s operations and the night’s crisis.

🏢 Insider 🧭 Knowledgeable 🧩 Stakeholder

Danuser (Bill Whitehead)

A figure within NTX whose precise role isn’t detailed in the summary, but is part of the corporate backdrop that the protagonists navigate during the lockdown.

🏢 Bureaucrat 🧭 Observer 🗝️ Lesser central

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:53

Major Themes – Trapped (1989)

Explore the central themes of Trapped (1989), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🛡️ Survival

In Trapped, the sealed NTX tower forces characters to endure a night of danger. Exits are blocked, communications fail, and danger comes from within as they improvise to stay alive. The claustrophobic environment heightens paranoia and drives quick, decisive choices.

🔎 Conspiracy

A corporate espionage backdrop reveals secrets about NTX. A hidden spy within the building colludes with or fights against the protagonists, turning a rescue into a hunt. The corporate setting amplifies mistrust as motives blur and alliances shift.

💪 Resilience

Mary Ann's steadfast determination drives the story as she navigates traps, ally or suspect, and fights to outlive the killer. She demonstrates adaptability, leadership, and courage under pressure. Her resolve is tested by close calls, but she keeps moving toward safety, aided by the unexpected partnership with John Doe.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:53

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Locked-in survival thrillers like Trapped

Characters trapped in a confined space must outwit a relentless pursuer.If the desperate cat-and-mouse chase in a confined space in 'Trapped' had you on the edge of your seat, explore more movies like it. This selection features similar high-stakes survival horror and thriller stories where characters are physically trapped and must fight to get out alive.

claustrophobicsuspensefuldesperateanxiousthrillingoppressive

Narrative Summary

The narrative is a straightforward, high-stakes race against time. Characters, often ordinary people, find themselves imprisoned within a location like a building, vehicle, or bunker with a hostile force. The plot revolves around evasion, quick thinking, and utilizing the limited environment to survive until an escape or confrontation is possible.

Why These Movies?

This thread groups movies that share the intense, claustrophobic experience of confined survival. They are connected by their oppressive settings, fast pacing, and the constant, tangible threat that leaves little room for respite, creating a distinctly anxious and desperate mood.

Grief-fueled revenge thrillers similar to Trapped

Stories where profound personal loss ignites a violent and obsessive pursuit.If the disturbing motivation of the killer in 'Trapped', driven by a father's grief, added a heavy emotional layer to the thrills, you'll find similar movies here. These stories feature antagonists whose violent actions are a direct result of deep personal tragedy, creating a complex and unsettling conflict.

darktensetragicunsettlingvengefulsuspensefulheavy

Narrative Summary

The narrative is often a cat-and-mouse game, but the pursuer's backstory provides a tragic core. The plot reveals how a traumatic loss has warped the antagonist's morality, leading them to target those they hold responsible. This creates a conflict that is both physically dangerous and psychologically disturbing.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here by their shared thematic focus on grief as a catalyst for violence. They combine the intense pacing of a thriller with the heavy emotional weight of tragedy, resulting in a experience that is as unsettling psychologically as it is thrilling physically.

Unlock the Full Story of Trapped

Don't stop at just watching — explore Trapped in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Trapped is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Trapped Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Trapped, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Trapped Summary

Trapped Timeline

Track the full timeline of Trapped with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Trapped Timeline

Trapped Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Trapped that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Trapped Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Trapped

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Trapped: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Trapped

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