The Trigger Effect is a 1996 American thriller film written and directed by David Koepp and starring Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue and Dermot Mulroney.

The film grossed $3.6 million in a limited theatrical release in the United States and drew mixed reviews from critics, who highlighted its surreal and enveloping style as well as the performances by the lead actors.

The Trigger Effect was written and directed by David Koepp, who previously worked as a screenwriter on Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible and Carlito's Way, and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.

[2] The film was inspired by the 1978 documentary television series Connections and the 1960 The Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", which starred Koepp's uncle, actor Claude Akins.

[9] The Trigger Effect invokes the idea that one simple event can potentially lead to social, racial and sexual issues, implying that humans cannot live peacefully together.

[10] MacLachlan said that the film shows "how quickly humanity would fall back into almost a tribal existence" after a simple power outage,[8] while actor Dermot Mulroney noted that the film addresses inexplicable yet realistic behaviors between characters, such as mistrust between black and white people, and issues regarding levels of education or personal achievement.

[4] Similarly, SplicedWire editor Rob Blackwelder interpreted it as "a commentary on the underlying sense of danger and lack of trust that permeates American society.

[21] The cast was generally praised,[2][11][21] particularly Shue, who Schwarzbaum singled out for retaining some of her "effective Leaving Las Vegas disoriented languidness.

[3][10][20] In his review for New York magazine, David Denby praised the first half of the film, stating that Koepp shows both a Hitchcockian style, where tension is built through silences of routine domestic scenes, and elements of his collaboration with Spielberg.

[22] According to Denby, "the slightly bluish light scheme (the glam-fluorescent) and the images of suburban peace are reminiscent of Spielberg's mood of surreal wonder.

[23][10] In his review for Metro, von Busack explained that, although the film offers some hints about Annie's past, the character is not fully developed, and felt that Matthew's relationship with Joe is not very clear.

[23] Richard Harrington, writing for The Washington Post, criticized the fact that the film does not explain what caused the power outage and that the characters seem unimpressed about it.

[10] This vagueness was highlighted by Variety editor Ken Eisner, who acknowledged that Koepp's "cool lensing, tight cutting and minimal use of music support this conceptual, if head-scratching approach", describing The Trigger Effect as "a bleak, highly stylized view of modern civilization.

"[2] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 73% from 26 reviews with the consensus: "The Trigger Effect offers a captivating tale of paranoia and societal collapse, even if it runs out of thrills early on.