Brought to us by A24, Death of a Unicorn is weird, very weird. If you watched the trailer and thought “this is not for me” trust me, you are right. This is the kind of movie that I feel is going to be something that either clicks with you or you just think is dumb and is trying way to hard. I had fun with this and thought that it was another hit for A24, but I could certainly see why some may not like it.
How to Download Death of a Unicorn
Death of a Unicorn was released on 28 March 2025. You should be able to download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Max in a couple of months since the realse date. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the current availability.
The Movie Review
Cast and Characters: A Unique Ensemble
A huge part of the appeal here is the cast. Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega play the roles of a father and daughter duo called Elliot and Ridley. Elliot has a massive job opportunity, so he and Ridley are driving to a very remote area to meet with his boss. These are like mega rich people and they live in the middle of a massive nature preserve.
The Unicorn Incident and Strange Turns
Well, if you have seen the trailer, you know what happens. A unicorn ends up in the middle of the road, and Elliot hits it. That is right, a unicorn! Elliot freaks out and decides to try and put the poor unicorn out of its misery. Of course, he freaks out, and they decide, for some reason, to put the unicorn in the car and head to the house of his boss.
Meet the Leopolds: The Dark Side of Riches
Once there, we meet the Leopold family. The Leopold family is awesome, they are led by the very ill, Odell, his wife, Belinda, and their son, Shepard. Rupert Everett, Tea Leoni, and Will Poulter are fantastic as the Leopold family. I also have to give a shoutout to Anthony Carrigan as the Leopold’s servant, Griff.
Magic, Greed, and Unicorn Lore
While the Leopold family is clearly super rich, they at least do seem ok at first. However, once the unicorn is discovered, they show their true colors and decide to “sell” the amazing medical advances that the unicorn offers. No spoilers here, but there is some kind of deep connection between Ridley and the unicorn, and she starts to put together the history of these magical beasts.
The Slasher Shift: Adult Unicorns Arrive
Turns out that this was just a baby unicorn! The adult unicorns are out looking for their baby, and they are also looking for blood. Once the adult unicorn shows up, the movie turns into something of a slasher/creature feature style of movie. The trailer pretty much delivers on what it promised, and as I said, I had fun with this.
A24’s Signature Style: Clever or Too Clever?
The movie is very self aware of what it is and I can see why some may say that it is trying too hard to be clever or perhaps even a tad on the pretentious side which has been said about many A24 movies. I though, thought that the characters playing it all straight and serious worked and made the movie funnier.
Gore, Shock, and Entertainment
There is some really fun gore in the movie, and I was pretty shocked by it, as I did not expect the movie to go as hardcore as it did with the blood and guts. However, I am very happy that they did, as it made the movie even more fun. At the end of the day, Death of a Unicorn is a movie about killer unicorns, and I feel it delivers on what it promises. If this is available on one of your streaming services, it is well worth checking out.
