Death of a Unicorn is a Promising Concept

IMDb

3/5 stars

There has been some heated discourse lately about the rise of "elevated horror" films, or horror movies with very obvious sociopolitical themes and symbolism. It's a silly term because horror has always been socially conscious, but it has helped define a certain look for a lot of recent horror movies. Alex Scharfman's directorial debut Death of a Unicorn almost feels like a parody of the subgenre. It is an imaginative throwback to Spielbergian wonder with a cynically modern helping of social commentary thrown on top. The result feels like it wants to say something while not really saying much at all.

Elliot (Paul Rudd) is traveling with his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) to a company retreat deep in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. On their way, they strike and kill an animal with a more than passing resemblance to a unicorn. Upon hearing this news, Elliot's boss (Richard E. Grant) wants to test the animal and discovers that its blood has amazing healing abilities. While the company heads start using its remains for new pharmaceuticals, more of the creatures come to the house seeking revenge.

The idea of a fantastical creature being exploited by greedy opportunists is hardly new, but Scharfman has fun with the idea; turning these magical horses into killing machines and giving horror fans some gleefully sadistic scenes of violence. Unfortunately, the social satire is so on-the-nose to be nearly ironic. I know it's not meant to be taken seriously, but the message about the evil pharmaceutical business feels slapped on and (unlike the titular unicorns) has no bite. The film itself is entertaining enough, but I don't think every horror film needs an "important" message to stand out.

Written and directed by Alex Scharfman // Starring: Paul Rudd, Jenn Ortega, Will Poulter, Sunita Mani, Steve Park, Anthony Carrigan, Tea Leoni, and Richard E. Grant // A24// 107 minutes // Rated R