Death of a Unicorn (2025), directed by Alex Scharfman in his feature debut, is an ambitious blend of horror-comedy, social satire, and fantastical creature feature that swings big but doesn’t always hit the mark. Produced by A24 and boasting a starry cast led by Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, and Will Poulter, the film promises a wild ride with its premise of killer unicorns and a skewering of capitalist greed. While it delivers moments of absurd fun and gory spectacle, its tonal inconsistencies and shallow commentary prevent it from fully realizing its potential.
The story follows Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd), a corporate lawyer, and his college-aged daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) as they travel to the lavish estate of Elliot’s billionaire boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant), in the Canadian Rockies. En route, they accidentally hit a baby unicorn, an event that spirals into a chaotic mix of moral dilemmas and bloody mayhem. The unicorn’s purple blood possesses miraculous healing properties—curing everything from acne to cancer—prompting the greedy Leopold family, including Odell’s wife Belinda (Téa Leoni) and son Shepard (Will Poulter), to exploit the creature for profit. However, the unicorn’s vengeful family arrives, turning the estate into a battleground of gore and absurdity.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its cast, who elevate the material with infectious energy. Jenna Ortega delivers a grounded performance as Ridley, the film’s moral compass, infusing her role with understated heart despite a script that sometimes reduces her to a stereotypical angsty teen. Paul Rudd brings his trademark bumbling charm as Elliot, though his character’s shift from sycophantic employee to principled hero feels rushed. Standouts include Will Poulter, whose comedic timing as the spoiled, coke-snorting heir Shepard steals scenes, and Anthony Carrigan, whose deadpan delivery as the put-upon servant Griff provides consistent laughs.
The premise itself is a bold hook—unicorns reimagined as ferocious, almost prehistoric beasts with a cosmic edge. The film leans into this absurdity, particularly in its third act, where gory kills and creature-feature chaos evoke Jurassic Park with a splatter of B-movie schlock. Moments of dark humor, like Poulter’s character snorting unicorn horn dust (dubbed “unicoke” by fans), land well and embrace the film’s campy potential. The production design, with the Leopolds’ opulent estate set against the stark beauty of the Rockies, adds visual flair, even if the CGI unicorns occasionally look less convincing in daylight.
Despite its promising setup, Death of a Unicorn struggles to balance its ambitions. The “eat-the-rich” satire, targeting the pharmaceutical industry and loosely inspired by figures like the Sackler family, feels derivative and lacks bite. The Leopolds are caricatures—greedy, selfish, and one-dimensional—making the social commentary feel like a retread of sharper films like The Menu or Triangle of Sadness. The script’s attempt to weave in themes of grief and environmentalism, particularly through Ridley and Elliot’s arc, comes off as forced and underdeveloped, undermining the emotional stakes.
Tonally, the film is a mess. It oscillates between earnest family drama, broad comedy, and visceral horror without fully committing to any. The horror elements, while occasionally effective (a head-crushing scene is particularly brutal), lack the suspense needed to elevate the creature-feature aspects. The pacing drags in the middle, with repetitive debates about the unicorn’s value that fail to evolve the narrative. Additionally, the CGI, while imaginative, can feel cheap, especially when the unicorns are fully visible, detracting from the film’s immersive quality.
Death of a Unicorn is a wild, messy experiment that’s both entertaining and frustrating. Its absurdity and strong performances make it a fun, if flawed, ride for fans of A24’s offbeat catalog or horror-comedy enthusiasts. However, its failure to fully embrace its B-movie potential or deliver incisive satire leaves it short of cult-classic status. It’s a film that’s “so bad, it’s good” for some, but for others, it’s a missed opportunity to go harder in either its horror or humor.
Worth a watch for the cast and unicorn-fueled chaos, but don’t expect it to linger long in memory. Stream it on HBO for a quirky, gory escape.
