“Death of a Unicorn” is a delightful look at family dynamics, with fangs

“Death of a Unicorn” is a wonderful addition to the horror comedy genre alongside films such as “Happy Death Day” and “Freaky.” The unicorns are a marvel of practical and visual effects, both beautiful and scary. The cast does a good job balancing between humor and fright even when the movie sometimes goes over the top.

Elliott Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega, also a producer on the picture) are in an airplane seated next to each other. They are on the way to the Canadian Rockies to see the Leopold family at one of their vacation homes.

An attorney, Elliott is preparing power-of-attorney documents for the ailing patriarch, Odell (Richard E. Grant). He is hoping to become a partner in the Leopold enterprises, which are extensive.

This matters to Elliott because he made a promise to his dying wife that he would provide financial security for their daughter. If he can seal this deal, then his family will be set for life.

Elliott brought Ridley along to give the appearance that they are a happy family. He and Ridley unfortunately have become estranged. She is an art-history major away at college and finds the trip to be a nuisance. She listens to music on their car trip.

The journey in their rented vehicle to the estate is a long one. When Elliott becomes distracted, they strike an animal in the road. Their car is damaged but they stop to check if the creature is still alive. To their amazement, it is a unicorn!

As Ridley kneels by the hurt unicorn, its horn begins to glow. She reaches out to grab it. Immediately she starts to see a kaleidoscopic landscape of images. They are startling but not frightening.

Her reverie is interrupted by blood splashing on her face. Elliott has taken a tire iron to put the animal out of its misery. He loads it into the vehicle as they continue to the estate.

At the lodge, the two meet the Leopold family. In addition to Odell, there is Belinda (Tea Leoni), his wife, and their son Shepard (Will Poulter), who seems to be perpetually in party mode.

Ridley goes to freshen up. As she wipes some of the unicorn blood off her face, her acne miraculously disappears. Elliott’s allergies seem to correct themselves as well.

A commotion is heard outside as the Kintner car starts to shake violently. Soon the secret of the unicorn is out in the open. But how did it revive itself? The creature is killed anew.

When the Leopolds discover the curative effect the unicorn blood has had on Ridley and Elliott, they summon medical staff to treat Odell. Soon his tumors have gone into remission.

Dollar signs now flash in the Leopold’s eyes and minds as they sense the financial bonanza this unicorn blood will give them. But up in the hills mysterious howling noises of other unicorns emerge. Will this create havoc with their plans?

In a film titled “Death of a Unicorn,” you had better be sure that you have good unicorns and good unicorn lore. According to the production notes, the creators added “hooves based on elephants, tails modeled on lions, and teeth derived from mandrills. Additionally, talons were added to the adult unicorns’ hooves.” The results are both majestic and fear-inducing.

The lore comes from tapestries at the Met Cloisters. These depict the capture and imprisonment of a unicorn. The myth includes the idea of a maiden with a pure heart who can subdue the wild nature of these animals by her mere presence. This becomes a plot point that is not overdone when Ridley is near the creatures.

Another lore piece are the healing properties, both for themselves and for others, of these magical beasts. The idea of resurrection adds a wonderful factor of uncertainty in dealing with the rampaging unicorns in the film. When are they really dead, if ever?

I was impressed to discover that the baby unicorn which is struck on the road was a practical effect of puppetry. This is not to take away from the visual effects of the other unicorns. But I liked the tangible quality the final result presented to the eye.

The cinematography is of note for two reasons. There are wonderful vistas of landscape which are a pleasure to see. The night scenes when the unicorns are hunted are well-lit and should translate well to the small screen.

Notice must be given to the palatial vacation home of the Leopolds. The lodge is a testimony to excess even as it tries to appear rustic. As the action goes from the people in the home to warfare in the corridors, the house becomes its own character.

As far as the fear factor goes, the picture succeeds totally in ratcheting up the terror as time goes by. What could have been a tired trope of people trapped in an isolated location is offset by the humorous monomania of the Leopolds.

This brings us to the issue of the acting. There is a fine line to be drawn between being farcical in portraying the Leopolds or having their craziness appear organic to the characters. Sometimes the actions and dialogue would become too over the top. But in general Grant, Leoni, and Poulter keep to a happy medium in portraying this family’s fatal flaws.

As far as Rudd and Ortega go, their performances seemed archetypal, except in their interaction with each other. The sadness of their loss has created an almost unbridgeable gap between them. But as the film progresses, we see more understanding arise in the family dynamic.

But really the human performances are secondary at all times to the anticipatory excitement of the arrival of the unicorns who want their baby back. In their own bloodthirsty way, these creatures also share family values in terms of protecting each other.

This movie has some gory scenes in it. Even with the humor, and the idea that people are getting their just dues, it is too much for small children. Teens will love it. This is a film that succeeds in executing its vision and creating a worthwhile addition to the horror genre.

4 and a half out of 5 stars

A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.

Starring Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani, Jessica Hynes, with Téa Leoni and Richard E. Grant
Written and Directed by Alex Scharfman