Death of a Unicorn (2025) — US comedy-horror grounded in dark humor touching on the very elements of fantasy. Blending a whimsical and fantastic landscape with themes of corporate greed and moral grey area, Alex Scharfman directs the feature debut of his film. 107 minutes long, it finds a new perspective on the fabled animal and unicorns are not all they seem being magical symbols, certainly yet beings that due to their location may cause problems.
The story tracks Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his teenage daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), driving to a weekend retreat with Elliot's boss, wealthy heir Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) only for them to hit a unicorn with their car. The scientists of the Leopolds family find the extremely astonishing healing power of the corpse of the unicorn and they intend to make good with this newfound knowledge. Yet the outbreak leads to a lot of unnecessary deaths when the vengeful parents of the unicorn show up and acts viciously.
As part of the chaos, Will Poulter as Shepard Leopold the son of The Leopolds.
Alex Scharfman Directed and Written, along with cinematography by Larry Fong & Music by Dan Romer, Giosuè Greco.
"Death of a Unicorn" is a unique concept; one which plays with mainstream portrayals of unicorns and inserts the narrative with a strong skewering of corporate exploitation. I thought Paul Rudd nailed Elliot (an earnest dad hilariously placed in impossible positions) in his performance as good. Jenna Ortega does well to match the toughness and tenderness of teenage girl, which gives the film Emotional Range. Richard E. Grant gives a magnetic, almost malevolent performance as Odell Leopold
But the film is not immune from criticism. The general mix of genres and the idea of re-imagining these mythical creatures alternative has been promoted by some critics, but hangs on those that argue it came off badly tonally and lacked coherent character build up to further its plot.
Special effects, especially with the unicorns in particular have also been critiqued quite a bit by critics.
Film "Death of Unicorns" is a movie which refuses to fall into the typical genre conventions and delivers audiences a twisted fantasy view on corporate greed. Though it may not appeal to everyone, its uniqueness and the performances of both central cast members is something to keep in mind when looking at this unusual comedy-horror film. It is a sure thing for fans of dark humor and fantasy, as the material here is interesting enough.
