Rating: 4/5 stars

A24’s latest production is a wonderfully strange venture into the fantastical. Directed by Alex Scharfman, “Death of a Unicorn” (2025) tells the story of a father and daughter who accidentally kill a unicorn on their way to the father’s work trip in the Canadian Rockies.

Paul Rudd (“Ant-Man”) and Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”) play Elliot and Ridley Kitner, a father and daughter still reeling from the loss of their mother and wife to cancer. While driving to a work trip, Elliot hits a creature that he and Ridley discover to be a young unicorn. They bring it to the home of his affluent boss Odell Leopold, played by Richard E. Grant (“Saltburn”) and his son and wife, played by Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and Téa Leoni (Fun with Dick and Jane). When the family discovers the unicorn, they immediately look for ways they can exploit its healing properties. Unknown to the group, the unicorn foal’s parents hunt them down.

One of the movie’s biggest highlights is the connection between Elliot and Ridley that lies at its core. Ridley tries to warn her father and the Leopolds about the danger of the situation multiple times, but their desire for immortality and wealth overcomes them. Her father insists that he is doing this to support them financially.

Another high point of the film is the effects and the unique design of the adult unicorns themselves. It is quite obvious that most of the film’s $15 million budget was put toward the special effects, which truly paid off. The unicorn parents look truly monstrous and ready to seek revenge, very different from the innocent and beautiful depictions of unicorns typically shown. With dark fur, sharp teeth and even sharper horns, the unicorns will stay in the audience’s minds long after the film ends.

One of the most surprising aspects of the film is how well the comedy works. Will Poulter in particular, plays the greediness and know-it-all aspects of a spoiled heir very well. The film also handles the absurdity of its plot very well.

Where the film begins to fall flat is its satire. Its statements about how wealth can corrupt something pure are not subtle by any means, specifically with the family.

Odell Leopold consistently claims that he is doing this to benefit mankind, as the unicorn’s blood and horn hold healing properties that cured his cancer. However, he then goes on to discuss how moving forward and profiting off of this through their pharmaceutical company will essentially immortalize them.

In spite of this, the film makes for a fun yet nightmarish time. The horror in this movie does not try to hide, bringing itself to the forefront when the group discovers another adult unicorn that slowly begins to pick off security one by one. Finally, we see the unicorn in all of its terrifying glory.

Overall, the film is a creative endeavor that pays off in spades. With a great balance of comedy and horror, “Death of a Unicorn” earns the title of a black comedy.

Image via firstshowing.net