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A slick, high-concept creature comedy with a sharp anti-rich streak, but the satire is broader than deep and the tonal mix doesn’t fully land for everyone. If you want a goofy, violent fantasy-horror with star power and a few big laughs, it’s worth a look; if you need tighter writing or richer emotional stakes, it… Read more
Where to watch: Buy
Mon · 1h 47m
Director: Alex Scharfman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter
A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Alex Scharfman
Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter
A slick, high-concept creature comedy with a sharp anti-rich streak, but the satire is broader than deep and the tonal mix doesn’t fully land for everyone. If you want a goofy, violent fantasy-horror with star power and a few big laughs, it’s worth a look; if you need tighter writing or richer emotional stakes, it may feel thin.
Death of a Unicorn is built on a wonderfully silly premise and mostly knows exactly what kind of movie it is. The setup gives it an easy engine: a magical creature, a privileged family retreat, and a billionaire whose greed turns wonder into commodity. That makes for a breezy, nasty little genre toy with enough invention to keep it moving, even when the jokes are blunt and the social commentary is obvious.
The movie’s biggest appeal is the collision of tones: fairy-tale imagery, creature-feature violence, and a very modern contempt for wealth. When it leans into the absurdity, it’s fun; when it pauses to explain itself, the spell weakens. The cast helps a lot, especially in keeping the material light on its feet, but the script doesn’t always give them enough nuance to elevate the satire.
As a crowd-pleasing oddity, it works better than as a fully satisfying horror-comedy. It’s the kind of film you watch for the premise, the kills, and the smug pleasure of watching the powerful get punished. If that’s enough, it delivers. If you’re hoping for something sharper or stranger, it may leave you wanting more.
jer ☘️ (4★) · 9270 likes
killing rich people gotta be one of the best genres ever
justinwuah (2.5★) · 6917 likes
they are really gonna typecast jenna ortega as a teenager up until her 30s
Rendy Jones (3★) · 6363 likes
I really want to do a line of the unicoke tho.
George Carmi (3.5★) · 6210 likes
we need more unicorn movies. they're too cool. untapped lore. this was so fun and so funny and i had a very good time with it. will poulters comedic timing needs to be studied.
moviemattk ✌🏻 (4★) · 5360 likes
Letterboxd users: “capitalism and the rich bad!” Absurdist comedy-horror unicorn movie: “yes, capitalism and the rich bad!” Letterboxd users logging the movie: “wtf very obvious themes, I didn’t feel intellectually challenged by the silly unicorn horror movie 😡” Full review from SXSW..
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eat-the-rich satire, creature feature, dark comedy, fantasy horror, greed and exploitation, family dynamics, wealth and privilege, body horror
horror-comedy, satire, creature feature, fantasy, dark humor, class conflict, wealth, body horror, absurdist, 2020s