I have never been bashful about my love of A24. While not all of their films have been among my favorites (I’m looking at you, Beau is Afraid), they have produced a multitude that I love including Everything Everywhere All at Once which not only deservedly won Best Picture at the Oscars but is also in my top 10 films of all time. Considering how many indie darlings they release, some may not be as aware of their horror movie past, so it feels great that they are back to remind us of it with Death of a Unicorn. While this doesn’t rank with the likes of Hereditary or Heretic, it’s still wildly entertaining, even if it’s more fluff than substance.
Ridley Kintner (Jenna Ortega) and her father Elliot (Paul Rudd) have had a strained relationship since the loss of her mother, and their forced weekend away to woo Elliot’s boss Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) isn’t helping. The trip goes awry when they hit and nearly kill a baby unicorn on the way through the Leopold’s wilderness reserve, and even more so when the rich family and the Kintners discover the unicorn’s horn and blood hold vast healing properties. The Leopolds reveal their true natures and look to capitalize on their newfound investment opportunity. However, their Faustian bargain brings mama and papa unicorn looking for their injured baby, and they will brutally overturn heaven and hell to get it back.
I am fully aware that, as solid as this premise is, it’s absolutely mind-boggling silly – but so are many films. But for this to come from the company that brought us Moonlight, Ex Machina, and The Brutalist seems to be a bit of a left turn. However, it is nice to know that A24 still carries a sly grin on its face when it comes to releasing bonkers things like this.
While not really a horror film, Unicorn lets the gore fly high and has no problem showing people meeting their demise by getting horribly trampled, stabbed, or ripped to pieces. Much like in Stephen King’s The Monkey, the deaths are always over-the-top and hilarious, but the general horror aspects of it are heavily weighted down. This isn’t something that is going for jump scares or to leave audiences on edge like with the aforementioned Hereditary or next week’s Warfare (more about that then), but it is quite content to make you wince and laugh as the bad (and good) guys die.
But as much fun as the death scenes are, it’s truly the Leopolds who stand out as the best of the show. Shallow, vapid, and intensely selfish, each knows the kind of movie they are in and tear into their roles. Picture the Roses from Schitt’s Creek amped up to the Nth degree but with absolutely no redeemable qualities, and you’ll have a picture of their portrayal.
Surprisingly, the only letdown is Jenna Ortega who seems to be simply reprising her Wednesday role just not quite as gothic. Throw in an unearned redemption arc for a character, an ending that buttons things up just a bit too nicely, and a final scene that will make you roll your eyes, and you finish things on an uneven tone that doesn’t fit in with the whole show.
Oftentimes, films are given an assignment but fail to follow through. Death of a Unicorn knows what it is trying to do and aces its exam. Funny and violent, it doesn’t try to be anything other than what it promises, and it’s all the better for it. The questionable ending and some acting flaws are really all that keep it away from being something you’ll want to repeatedly watch, but even those issues don’t fully detract from how much fun you will have. Just don’t try to take it too seriously or read between the lines, because this is meant to be popcorn entertainment and not something to psychoanalyze.