Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd Shine in A24’s ‘Death of a Unicorn’ - Review

‘Death of a Unicorn’ reminds us not to mess with unicorns.

Anyone who is a parent to young children is familiar with kids’ strange fascination with mythical unicorns. Children’s programming often depicts unicorns with many rainbows, glitter, and perhaps supernatural abilities. There’s even a purple unicorn in the ‘My Little Pony’ franchise who’s literally named Twilight Sparkle. But you know what we don’t often see associated with unicorns? Violent murders and a vengeful attitude.

A24’s newest horror comedy is from writer and director Alex Scharfman.

‘Death of a Unicorn,’ explores exactly what could happen if you don’t treat unicorns with the respect they deserve. In the film, Elliot (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) accidentally strike a young unicorn with their car while on the way to a business meeting that has the potential to profoundly impact Elliot’s career. Not knowing what to do with the dead unicorn, Elliot loads it in the back of his car so that he can get to his meeting and deal with the unicorn carcass afterward. Of course, the business getaway quickly takes a dark and bloody turn when the parents of the baby unicorn arrive, seeking retribution.

The biggest problem with this film is that it doesn’t fully lean into any genre enough to be truly satisfying. There aren’t enough laughs to be a comedy, and there aren’t enough scares to be horror. And while there is some gore that can provide a bit of excitement for genre fans, an overreliance on computer-generated effects over practical ones makes even the bloodiest bits significantly lackluster. It would be one thing if the CGI effects looked good, but most of the time, they don’t. The few occasions where practical props and effects are used are noticeable improvements but too sparse to matter.

The redeeming quality of ‘Death of a Unicorn’ is its cast, smartly utilizing Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd as the likable protagonists playing against the disgustingly rich and morally depraved characters depicted by Richard E. Grant, Will Poulter, and Téa Leoni. Despite the material being a bit underwhelming, these actors are having a lot of fun in the film. Leoni, in particular, is fun to see on screen, hamming it up in her first film role in over a decade.

Verdict

I give ‘Death of a Unicorn’ 3 out of 5. It has the premise and the cast to at least justify a watch, but its lack of practical effects and laughs will leave you longing for a little extra unicorn magic.