Death of a Unicorn (2025)

Death of a Unicorn manages to lampoon the megawealthy as it mixes comedy and horror to marginal effect but falls short as a creature-feature.

While laughs are present, the humor is broad enough to smack the Earth off its axis. The comedic performances throughout are middling to good with Jenna Ortega and Will Poulter owning the funniest characters; Ortega through her back and forth with her father and Poulter through his character’s comical and childish brand of evil. Ortega also effectively portrays an anxiety-ridden teen, pacing and excoriating convincingly.

The film seems to have a unified message about the megawealthy, but an incomplete one. Our evil family is fairly uniform and cartoonish, despite some distinguishing quirks. They aren’t just shown as corrupted by wealth; they are depicted as rash, juvenile, short-sighted and incompetent. This creates some comedy but also makes the characters less believable. Consequently, their demise is far less satisfying than it should be.

Our featured creature is largely unconvincing; this is two-fold, as it fails in both design and CGI rendering. The animation is also very much a mismatch for the movements of an equine animal. Smaller details in the design are better, such as the unicorn's horn, its complex geometry hinting at its hidden qualities. Additionally, the purple blood is a nice touch, adding a visual element well aligned with the fantasy behind the story. Another fantasy element is found in Ortega's garb as she sets out into the woods, looking like a Little Red Riding Hood.

Though not without its strengths, Death of a Unicorn is a middling piece of horror and comedy that would have benefitted from authentic feeling villains and a more convincing monster.