Death of a Unicorn – a horned horror-comedy gallops into cinemas (trailer).
Imagine, if you will, Paul Rudd—Hollywood’s enduring man-child—playing chicken with a unicorn. It’s not your average fairy tale collision; it’s Death of a Unicorn, an upcoming supernatural comedy-horror from Alex Scharfman that promises to be part absurdity, part morality tale, and wholly entertaining. Scheduled for an early 2025 release, the film boasts a cast so star-studded you’d think they were filming in Hollywood’s night sky.
The premise? A tale as old as time—or at least as old as Hollywood’s penchant for quirky road trip disasters. Rudd plays Elliot, a man attempting to juggle professional obligations and parenting as he barrels toward a crisis management summit with his boss, Dell Leopold, and said boss’s family. Somewhere along the way, the car meets an ethereal speed bump: a unicorn. And, as you might imagine, the situation goes from “Oops, did we just hit something mythical?” to “Corporate greed is about to unleash supernatural mayhem.”
Enter Jenna Ortega as Ridley, Elliot’s teenage daughter, who presumably brings the sass, the smarts, and maybe a healthy dose of “Dad, what have you done this time?” Richard E. Grant, the master of villainous smirks, plays Dell Leopold, a corporate honcho who takes the whole “harvest the unicorn for its curative properties” idea several miles too far. Téa Leoni, Will Poulter, and a stellar supporting cast—including Anthony Carrigan (Gotham’s best bald bad guy) and Jessica Hynes (of Spaced fame)—round out this chaotic cavalcade.
As the Leopolds’ scientists poke and prod the unicorn, they discover that meddling with magical creatures isn’t without consequences. Yes, the unicorn’s horn might heal your dodgy knee or clear up your chronic hay fever, but dabbling in mythical medicine often leads to deadly repercussions. (And by “deadly,” we can only hope that means something delightfully grotesque or comedically catastrophic.)
Filming took place in Hungary, where the crew presumably avoided any unicorn-related vehicular incidents of their own. Despite the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the production soldiered on thanks to indie darling A24, who remains the Switzerland of film studios—neutral and not embroiled in the chaos.
Adding an extra layer of magic to the proceedings is a score composed by the legendary John Carpenter, alongside Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. Expect an eerie-yet-funky soundtrack that’ll have you wondering if unicorn-chasing is the next big 80s-inspired slasher genre. And if the trailer’s use of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys is any indication, the tone of the film will be a pitch-perfect blend of whimsy and dread.
So, what’s the moral of Death of a Unicorn? If Hollywood has taught us anything, it’s this: don’t mess with nature, don’t trust corporate types with otherworldly creatures, and definitely don’t tailgate a unicorn on a dark and stormy night. Here at SFcrowsnest, we can’t wait to see how Rudd and Ortega navigate this bonkers blend of horror, comedy, and eco-fable. Grab your popcorn and your horn polish, folks—this one’s going to be magical.
