Remember in Cabin in the Woods when a unicorn stabbed a man to death with its horn during the film’s insane final act? While it was a memorable showing of the film’s distinct brand of horror-comedy, it also begged the question: Can unicorns be effective horror movie killers? Well, Alex Scharfman’s feature directorial debut, Death of a Unicorn, puts that concept to the test – unfortunately to mixed results. 

The film follows Elliot (Paul Rudd) as he travels to his boss’ secluded estate with his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) for a weekend of lucrative business opportunities. However, their trip takes an unexpected turn when they crash into a unicorn crossing the road – which sparks a series of increasingly bizarre and deadly consequences. Death of a Unicorn is at its best when the titular creatures are on-screen, causing murder and mayhem. The film boasts a good blend of digital and practical effects, so these unicorns have a great screen presence. When they’re simply roaming around, they’re as majestic as anyone could imagine. Yet, once they go aggro, they become this dark, vengeful force that causes some jaw-dropping bloodshed. Horror fans, especially gore hounds, will have a blast seeing these creatures rip people to shreds and the entire last act is a delightful bloodbath full of inventive kills. Plus, these unicorns have some interesting lore that make them more than just fun killing machines. 

The tapestry Ridley finds explaining some of the mythos behind unicorns is really interesting and adds some solid depth to the narrative. It builds an intriguing cautionary tale of humans being an invasive species that gives greater meaning to this greedy group getting hunted by unicorns. Not to mention, the “powers” these creatures possess are well-executed and pretty damn cool. The way their blood is this wildly powerful healing agent fuels the opportunistic nature of these characters to fun extents. The brief cosmic journey the unicorns take Ridley on is visually immaculate and creates a larger scope to their existence. There are also some shocking surprises along the way that elevate the terror of these creatures. When it comes to making unicorns a worthy addition to the horror genre’s lineage of killers, Death of a Unicorn achieves that goal in spades. 

Unfortunately, Death of a Unicorn doesn’t lean into its crowd-pleasing creature premise enough to overshadow its flawed comedy and writing. Every part of the narrative not directly involving unicorns is a genuine drag because the human characters are incredibly uninteresting. The fractured father/daughter arc with Elliot and Ridley has no real meat on its bones and is heavily weighed down by weak emotions. Ridley, herself, is more of a plot device than an actual character – whose mission is to spew lore, take cheap shots at the wealth around her, and act as a generic final girl. Aside from Ridley and Elliot, there’s just an excess amount of rich snobs, powerless scientists, and unmemorable lackeys that fill up the screen and generally tank the good vibes. 

Not even the performances impress, despite a very talented cast. Ortega is totally on auto-pilot – delivering a stock-standard snark and screen presence that she’s done better with in other projects. Rudd feels totally out of his element and never finds the right comedic footing. He doesn’t mesh well with the satirical approach that Scharfman’s direction brings or manage to fit into the film’s brand of horror. He just never seems comfortable on-screen, and it results in Elliot being an unenjoyable, frustrating character. Richard E. Grant and Tea Leoni don’t bring anything special and just feel like generic, ego-driven rich people. The only ones who really make a mark are Will Poulter as the family’s greedy son Shepard and Anthony Carrigan as overworked butler Griff. Poulter has some hilarious one-liners that easily elicit laughs and he’s at his funniest when Shepard is solely-driven by his unabashed narcissism. Plus, his relationship with Griff is super funny because of how Poulter and Carrigan flawlessly establish this over the top master/slave-like dynamic. 

However, there aren’t too many funny moments outside of Shepard and Griff since the more satire-driven elements of the film fall flat. Often, the film is clogged up with hollow satire that pokes fun at greed without making a point that’s unique or solidly sticks. There’s no depth to the morals or ideas the film is trying to instill and, honestly, the comedy works better on the horror side of things. It’s way funnier to see these greedy people run for their lives from these unicorns than it is to hear their dialogue and banter about the morality of what they’re doing. Honestly, the film is doing more than it needs to and just gets in its own way of having fun. Death of a Unicorn has such amazing B-movie potential that’s never realized because it forces itself into satirical corners that simply aren’t all that compelling. 

Death of a Unicorn is a fun, bloody creature feature that’s sadly wrapped in crummy comedic commentary. Viewers will definitely find the gory goods they want to with plenty of hilariously wild kills and a genuinely terrifying antagonist, but the film’s shortcomings keep it from leaving more of a lasting impression.

Watch the Trailer here: