Blood, Blades, and Broken Bonds: Creature Carnage and Heart in Death of a Unicorn

Death of a Unicorn has been on my to-watch list from the moment I first got wind of it. Even before I knew what the movie was about, the name alone caught my attention, and when I learned it was a horror comedy, that sealed the deal for me. I’m a huge horror fan, and I love it when filmmakers mix their scares with laughs, so I just had to check this film out. I bought a ticket for opening weekend as soon as I got the chance, and now that I’ve finally seen the movie, I’m happy to report that it’s pretty fun.

Death of a Unicorn was written and directed by Alex Scharfman, and it stars Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, and Richard E. Grant. In the film, Elliot is a widower struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, Ridley. He hopes their upcoming trip to his boss’s estate will give them a chance to reconnect a bit, but he ends up getting a lot more than he bargained for.

On the drive to the estate, they hit a baby unicorn with their car, and since they’re more or less in the middle of nowhere, they bring the carcass with them. When they arrive, Elliot’s boss and his family perform experiments on the creature in hopes of capitalizing on its magical abilities, and not long after they begin, the unicorn’s parents arrive and wreak bloody havoc in search of their child.

Like a lot of horror comedies, Death of a Unicorn doesn’t blend its two genres quite as seamlessly as I would’ve liked. It almost feels like two movies fused together, and unfortunately, only one of them fully works. Let’s begin with the comedy.

Most obviously, Paul Rudd plays Elliot, and he’s…well, he’s Paul Rudd. He basically just rehashes the same schtick we’ve seen him do a million times before, and in my opinion, it never gets old. Even when the guy isn’t cracking jokes, he exudes an irresistible charm that makes his character instantly likable, and of course, when he goes for laughs, he gets them. Granted, I wouldn’t quite say he had me in stitches, but he elicited a number of audible chuckles from me throughout the film.

In contrast, Elliot’s boss and his family feel like worn-out cliches. They’re the kind of arrogant, greedy people satirized in just about every “eat the rich” story ever made, and unlike Paul Rudd’s typical routine, these stereotypes got old a long time ago. To be fair, they have a couple of funny moments here and there, but on the whole, when this family takes center stage, the film really drags.

There was even a time in the first half when I thought they were going to ruin the entire experience, but thankfully, Death of a Unicorn finds its footing again at around the midway point. The tone quickly shifts from mostly comedy to mostly horror, and to my surprise, the movie ends up being a real blast.

You might not love it if you’re not a huge fan of creature features, but if you enjoy this brand of terror, you’re going to have a great time seeing these unicorns rip through their (mostly) helpless victims. Writer/director Alex Scharfman absolutely nails the tension, suspense, and action that monster movie fans crave, and he imbues the kills with the kind of gore you’d expect to see from creatures that literally have razor-sharp blades sticking out of their heads.

On top of that great fun, the second half of Death of a Unicorn also has some genuine emotional and thematic substance. For starters, Elliot’s boss and his family clearly don’t care who or what they have to hurt to put more money in their pockets, so the unicorn attacks carry a sense of justice you don’t always get in this subgenre.

What’s more, this ordeal finally allows Elliot and Ridley to reconnect, and their dynamic is genuinely touching. In particular, seeing Ridley go from angsty teen to loving daughter will almost certainly warm your heart, and that’s largely due to Jenna Ortega’s great performance. Ortega totally nails every emotional beat her character experiences, so even though Ridley’s journey doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, you’ll still be right there with her every step of the way.

My one knock on the second half of Death of a Unicorn is the visual effects. The unicorns are brought to life with a mix of practical effects and CGI, and when the monsters are digital, they don’t look great. It almost feels like they were rendered with VFX software from 2015, so when you see these creatures in all their “glory” (and I use that term very loosely), it’s painfully obvious that they were made in a computer.

That being said, I don't quite think the CGI unicorns are distractingly bad. They definitely don’t add to the experience the way, say, the apes in the recent Planet of the Apes films do, but as long as you know to temper your expectations, you shouldn’t have any problem suspending disbelief when these monsters appear on screen.

All in all, I had a pretty good time with Death of a Unicorn. Sure, this isn’t a great movie, and it’s not going to end up on my top-ten list come December, but it’s a fun creature feature with some effective comedy and just enough thematic substance to elevate it above its lesser cinematic peers. I probably wouldn't recommend the film to non-horror fans, but if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, I suggest giving it a watch.