Jenna Ortega in Death of a Unicorn Aims for Captivating Performance in a Whimsical Thriller
Unicorns are cute, sweet, and dreamy. But this one is not. Death of a Unicorn represents a mighty frightening
Unicorns are cute, sweet, and dreamy. But this one is not. Death of a Unicorn represents a mighty frightening beast who is up for a grab with its horns.
Alex Scharfman, who previously produced Resurrection (2022) and Blow the Man Down (2019), has completely transformed a lovely creature into something terrifying that would not spare anyone when it comes to risking their very existence.
The post also sheds light on Jenna Ortega in Death of a Unicorn and how her role becomes central to the story’s development. Her former roles have shown her acting range and depth, and now in this savage horror comedy, it would be more intriguing to watch her as Ridley.
Plot details of Death of a Unicorn
A father, Elliot (played by Paul Rudd), and daughter Ridley (played by Jenna Ortega), accidentally hit and killed a unicorn while they were on their way to enjoy the weekend. They were unaware that the dead animal had healing powers but with a twist.
They are on a mission to hide the accident from Elliot’s wealthy pharmaceutical boss, Leopold, who later tries to exploit its curative qualities. But they are being hunted down by the unicorn’s parents.
Watch the trailer here:
Alex Scharfman co-founded his production company ‘Secret Engine’ through which he produced the previously mentioned films. He has now put his foot down for an official directorial debut.
A24’s dark comedy horror, Death of a Unicorn, was first premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film and TV Festival. The film is predicted to be a social commentary with the use of beautiful creatures changing into something as horrific as Jurassic Park’s monsters alongside funny characters.
Seems to be an interesting but twisted combination, which should be worth a watch.
Want to check out more movies that are coming this month? Add to your calendar Elisabeth Olsen’s The Assessment.
Director Alex Scharfman on making Death of a Unicorn
In general, a unicorn signifies purity and innocence but with the potency of healing. It could be equally terrifying and destructive if harmed, and that is what the film signifies.
While talking to The Austin Chronicle, Alex Scharfman mentioned that he did thorough research on unicorns before his directorial debut for a feature film began. He noted that there was a belief that drinking from mugs with horns would cure diseases.
The rich and powerful tried to exploit these powers and that is why Scharfman took inspiration from that,
“If you’re updating the medieval unicorn story, then what is a lord and nobleman other than an oligarchic family with an industrial fiefdom that happens to be pharmaceuticals?”
He further clarified that in the film, the beast represents “something older and more primal” rather than just assuming it to be prices and taxes. The film is a satirical demonstration regarding pharmaceutical corruption, billionaire worlds, and exploitation of natural resources, the director already had in mind to make it entertaining and correspondingly blood-splattering.
Jenna Ortega in Death of a Unicorn speaks her heart out
Variety reported how Ortega and Rudd responded about working together in the film. The 22-year-old Wednesday star opened up that they both started shooting one or two days after the meeting. They got comfortable with each other quite soon.
Rudd added that Jenna was extremely wonderful and it seemed that they were real-life father-daughter.
Moreover, Will Poulter, Richard E. Grant, and Tea Leoni give a monolithic representation of the corporate greed of the pharmaceutical industry that later transmutes into a power-hungry hilarious take on late-stage capitalism.
Ortega was given full authority of her role by the director, cited by The Pop Break, as her act inculcated a stereotypical “teenage angst”. Scharfman crafted her role wonderfully where Ortega has a strong emotional core, even ensnaring Rudd sometimes.
Ortega portrays a younger generation teen who feels ignored by the enlightened Millenials and feels unheard. Her angst therefore seems justified. She remains strong and does not shy away from expressing her thoughts, which gives her role a confident and self-assured demeanor.
What to expect from Death of a Unicorn?
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The cynical look at the wealthy category of our society which is only interested in making profits, represented by the unicorn carnage with an ingenious infusion of dark humor is a spellbinding combo that we should be waiting for. However, the question arises, should we mess with things that we don’t completely understand?
The film will be a slasher flick with some gory visuals, and that too, coming from a sweet mythical creature, just like ‘My Little Pony’, it would be fascinating to watch how the thematic dots connect with such fun chaos.
The trailer clearly shows that the horror elements of the film are explicit, keeping the serious and comic tone side by side. It is a monster movie of a unicorn that wouldn’t settle for less than an act of revenge, probably.
Scharfman has kept the excitement wrapped up in the trailer and knows just right when, where, and how to build the tension so that the viewers crave a full-feature watch. The CGI shots do make a statement, it would be again enchanting to see whether they fit well in the rest of the film or not.
The most bewitching element in the trailer is the look of the unicorn. It would be a repetition but we can’t refrain from saying that it was nothing similar to Unicorn Academy kind of creature. It was unequivocally robust, massive, and mighty, surely here to intimidate.
Death of a Unicorn opens in theatres on March 28, 2025, via A24.
Genre: Dark comedy, horror, fantasy, thriller
Cast: Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, David Pasquesi, Anthony Carrigan, Tea Leoni, Will Poulter, Richard E. Grant
Director: Alex Scharfman
Writer: Alex Scharfman
Producers: Alex Scharfman, Drew P. Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Tyler Campellone, Lars Knudsen, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page
Release date: March 28, 2025
Movie runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
Does the trailer convince you to watch it on the big screen? Will this twisted take on a mythical creature live up to the hype? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
