Death of a Unicorn
Death of a Unicorn
A weekend retreat has deadly consequences when a father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to find his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature's miraculous curative properties.
Michael Heimgartner reviewedJuly 15, 2025
Darkly Funny, Bloody, and Weirdly Charming – But Also Uneven
This one had me curious from the start. The concept sounded intriguing - an offbeat mix of dark comedy, horror, and satirical commentary on greed and loss - and honestly, I think it delivers just enough of that weird, irreverent energy to be worth checking out. But it’s definitely an uneven experience, one of those films where you see flashes of brilliance but also some frustrating missteps that hold it back from being great.
For one thing, the cast here is stacked, and they all seem like they’re having a blast. Will Poulter especially stands out - he steals every single scene he’s in with that perfectly calibrated blend of smirking menace and goofy charm. He really elevates the whole ensemble, which otherwise feels good but maybe a bit underused. Nobody’s doing bad work here, but you get the sense they were never really pushed to their limits. It’s that kind of movie where everyone’s playing it just broad enough to match the satire but without digging too deep.
I also have to mention the CGI, because it was kind of a mixed bag. At the start I found it pretty rough and distracting, not quite convincing enough to sell the creature elements without taking me out of the film. It does get better as things go on, or maybe I just got used to it, but it’s not exactly a highlight. That said, there’s a clear commitment to delivering the kills with gleeful, over-the-top splatter, which was genuinely surprising given the pedigree of the cast. I appreciated that willingness to get messy and mean, even if the effects weren’t always flawless.
What really worked for me was the dark comedy. Not all the jokes land, but when they do, they really do. There’s this wicked, absurd tone that kept me entertained throughout, even when the pacing started to lag. Because, yeah - the film has its stretches that feel slow or aimless. It sometimes seems caught between being a razor-sharp satire and a goofy, blood-soaked horror-comedy, and the result can feel unfocused. Some of the dialogue is intentionally absurd in that A24 way - quirky and self-aware - but it also adds to the film’s weird charm.
I do think there’s something admirable about how unapologetically weird it is. It’s a nasty little splatter satire that’s not trying to be a four-quadrant crowd-pleaser. It’s about corporate greed, exploitation, and the absurdity of grief, but it’s delivered with this knowingly trashy sensibility that I respect, even when it doesn’t always work. At least it commits to the bit.
Honestly, I’m not even sure you could have done much more with this idea without losing the horror-comedy vibe entirely. If you wanted it to be a serious exploration of loss, you’d have to ditch the exploding unicorn guts and surreal banter. This story only really works on that heightened, absurd level - and even then it’s a tough balancing act.
I also love that it’s an A24 film, which always makes me a little more willing to give something weird and ambitious a shot. Say what you want about them, they’re consistently willing to bankroll stuff that other studios wouldn’t touch, letting filmmakers experiment, even if the results are messy. This is definitely on the messier side of their catalog, but I’d rather see this kind of risk-taking than another bland, formulaic studio horror.
In the end, Death of a Unicorn is one of those movies that’s not for everyone. It’s absolutely not among the best films of 2025, but it’s definitely one of the more entertaining ones if you’re in the right mood. It’s got bloody kills, absurd comedy, an eager-to-please cast, and that weird A24 vibe that rewards you for giving oddball projects a chance. Just don’t expect too much depth - or take it too seriously - and you might have a pretty good time.