So like… a unicorn is just a horse with a horn, right?
Sure, the mythical beasts are often associated with other supernatural features in the cryptozoological canon. In some stories, they soar through the sky via the power of friendship and rainbows. In others, they grant extended (if cursed) life to the drinker of their sparkly blood. But at the end of the day it’s really all about that horn, baby.
Death of a Unicorn, the A24-produced horror-comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, understands the horn’s importance as well as any other film in the hallowed unicorn monster movie genre (which includes approximately zero other films at the moment). The gnarled cranial spikes of these fancy horses tear into flesh and guts with glee. They flip over various obstacles and hiding spots, revealing tasty human snacks underneath. They’re also occasionally ground into a fine powder that functions as a pharmaceutical-grade hallucinogen.
If something can be done with a unicorn horn, Death of a Unicorn endeavors to try it out. That commitment to the bit alone puts this debut effort from writer-director Alex Scharfman firmly into “charming B-movie” territory. Even if the plot around the horn-y mayhem largely fails to impress.
Death of a Unicorn finds attorney Elliot Kintner (Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Ortega) arriving in Canada to meet at the massive rustic estate of Elliot’s rich, prospective employers, the Leopold family. Patriarch Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant) is terminally ill and seeks a legal expert to assist his loving wife Belinda (Téa Leoni) and idiot son Shepard (Will Poulter) in maintaining his empire after his passing. Elliot is therefore a candidate to guide the company trust, but the Leopolds won’t be able to make a final determination until he proves himself a true family man, getting along with his daughter even after the untimely death of his wife and Ridley’s mother.
The teenaged Ridley’s involvement in this trip is as inexplicable as the presence of the unicorns themselves. She is conjured only to provide an emotional arc for the Kintners and to serve as a young, vaping foil to the outrageously wealthy Leopolds. Thankfully, the film breezes past that contrivance quickly. Displaying seasoned judgment in his directorial debut, Scharfman ensures that Death of a Unicorn honors its title immediately, with Elliot’s rental car making mincemeat of the poor pony before the opening title card. Not knowing what else to do, the Kintners pack the corpse away in the trunk and continue on to the Leopold estate. Unbeknownst to them, unicorns have remarkable healing properties. What’s more, they share something in common with fellow legendary creature Vin Diesel: they’re all about family.
As both a love letter to practical effects and a proof-of-concept for badass unicorns, Death of a Unicorn works splendidly. These hand-crafted critters are properly imposing and quite likable, especially as they begin to sow bloody chaos in the Leopold estate. Scharfman and company also wisely opt not to reinvent the monster movie wheel, borrowing liberally from Spielberg to instill a sense of mythological menace. “It looks like the shark fin from Jaws,” Ortega previously told Den of Geek. That comparison proved to be apt.
When it comes to the rest of the storytelling, however the film is less successful. Rudd and Ortega’s utility to Death of a Unicorn largely begins and ends with them inking their names on the contract to attract a distributor. Elliot and Ridley are simply too generic for even these preternaturally charming, honest-to-goodness movie stars to liven up.
The rest of the cast fares better with their more archetypical roles. Will Poulter further establishes himself as among the best in the biz at portraying haughty dipshits (see also: Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). The mere sight of his character’s stilted walking gait was enough to provoke generous laughter from a packed auditorium at the film’s SXSW premiere. Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, and Steve Park also find creative purchase as the Leopold family’s tormented domestic helpers.
Even at a relatively brisk 104-minute runtime, Death of a Unicorn occasionally feels bogged down by ineffective pathos and by-the-numbers satire. Still, the film knows it has the goods with its violent unicorn premise and doesn’t let it go to waste. In the end, it’s a horse with a horn and that’s all it needs to be.
Death of a Unicorn premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8. It opens in theaters on March 28. Learn more about Den of Geek’s review process and why you can trust our recommendations here.
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