Death of a Unicorn is A24’s latest horror comedy that just released to the theaters this week. The movie is currently sitting at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.2/10 IMDb rating. The film is directed and written by Alex Scharfman and produced by Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Ari Aster, etc. Death of a Unicorn received very little press and is flying under a lot of people’s radar.
Death of a Unicorn is marketed as a horror comedy but leans more into the comedic aspect. The plot is quite absurd, following the father-daughter relationship of Elliot (Paul Rudd) and Ridley (Jenna Ortega). Elliot is awarded an opportunity to work for the Leopolds, a notoriously wealthy family, as long as he spends the weekend getting to know them. On his way to their luxurious home, Elliot and Ridley accidentally hit an animal crossing the road. Upon further inspection, they learn the animal they hit is actually a unicorn.
The father-daughter duo do their best to hide this discovery from the family, but the unicorn is still alive, forcing them to explain what happened. The unicorn's blood spurts everywhere and is revealed to possess healing abilities that are quite unbelievable. The Leopolds immediately use the blood for their benefit and realize the huge profit they can make off of this discovery. While they dissect the unicorn Ridley knows that more unicorns will come for the baby and they will stop at nothing to have it back.
Death of a Unicorn is a movie that turns out to be exactly what you expect and that isn't necessarily a good thing. The horror comedy misses the mark as a real horror film but works as a campy comedy. The CGI is less than perfect and can look extremely goofy in certain scenes. The design of the unicorn is actually pretty unique but fails to truly terrify. Shepard (Will Poulter) carries the comedy on his back and delivers a hilarious performance. He steals the show anytime he is on the screen and distracts from the fact that it is still considered a horror film.
The kills in this movie are surprisingly gory while still comedic. The creative use of the unicorn and their sharp horns makes for some pretty bloody scenes that will catch you off guard. “Like Jurassic Park on acid” is a great way to describe this film, there are a few scenes that feel like they are pulled straight from the 1993 classic. Whether the homage was intentional or not is unknown but enjoyable all the same.
The story of Death of a Unicorn is no doubt unique and makes for an intriguing monster movie. The lore of the unicorns is touched on briefly but I would have loved to see it further expanded upon. The unicorn’s are whimsical creatures that aren’t meant to be scary, they just want to protect themselves and the abilities they possess. In typical monster movie fashion the unicorns are misunderstood and want to live in peace, away from human interference.
What Death of a Unicorn fails to do is excel as a horror or a comedy. The jump scares are obvious and makes them a cheap attempt to keep in the horror element. The gore is where the real horror is but even then the kills are not to be taken seriously and do not satisfy the revenge plot. The comedy is decent, like I said this is where Poulter's comedic timing carries the film. The other jokes just fall flat and are a poor attempt at making the audience laugh.
There are many aspects of this movie that horror and comedy fans will enjoy. If you’re looking for a fun time at the movies then I would recommend this to you, however don’t expect too much from the film as it already feels forgettable.