My Review of Death Of A Unicorn (2025)

 

Written And by Alex Scharfman

Elliot: "That's my working theory too. Feral Horse. Mad. Tumor ridden. Jumps in the middle of the road. Not the fault of any one driver per say."

Ridley: "It's a fucking unicorn!"

Unicorns are usually sweet and harmless, right? Well, it's a comedy horror movie, so it's a different tale of these ones. Let's just say that going after a unicorn isn't a smart idea to have.

Estranged father and daughter duo, Elliot (Paul Rudd) and Ridley Kintner (Jenna Ortega) are on their way for the former to do some business for his boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant). As they try to hash out some issues, they run over a unicorn.

Instead of calling for help, Elliot tried to make sure the unicorn was dead while Ridley experienced a psychic connection to the unicorn after getting spattered with it's blood. Oh yeah, unicorn blood turned out to be great for curing acne and improving eyesight.

That was something both Elliot and Ridley found while showing up at Odell's house with the dead unicorn. Except the unicorn turned out to be more alive than dead, a tad feral and had a baby unicorn as well. Then there was Odell and family themselves.

Both his son Shepard (Will Poulter) and his wife, Belinda (Tea Leoni) were more about the potential that unicorn blood and dust from it's horn could do for the advancements of science. This put them at odds with Ridley as Elliot seemed to initially be on their side over his daughter's.

The third act played pure horror style as the characters had to survive both a homicidal unicorn and each other. Some lessons are learned, some family issues resolved, there's some alliance changed. Oh and a father and daughter on the same page with a rather impactful ending.

- Kathryn Erbe was the voice of The Unicorn Tapestries's narrator. Anthony Carrigan had a nice supporting role as a butler named Griff.

- This movie marked the director debut of Alex Scharfman.

- Standout music: Cherry-Coloured Funk by Cocteau Twins

- Chronology: Present Day America. 

Death Of A Unicorn was a mixed bag for me. On paper, the idea's good but the execution isn't. It's also too dimly lit in certain scenes as well. It's not a bad movie, so to speak but it's not a classic either.

Rating: 6 out of 10