A24 may have already secured the sleeper hit of 2025 if the trailer forDeath of a Unicornis anything to go by. A24 has been on a real hot streak of producing movies that hit the sweet spot between arthouse and mainstream. FromHereditarytoCivil WarorEverything Everywhere All at Once, they’ve been responsible for some of the most unique genre outings of the last decade. The trailer forDeath of a Unicornmakes a good case that it might be added to the list ofA24’s best movies.
The premise sees a father and daughter (played by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, respectively) accidentally running over a unicorn, whose body is then taken and examined by a pharmaceutical company. While the premise may sound like a kid’s adventure film,Death of a Unicorn’strailerreveals it to be a gory horror comedy, where the unicorn’s parent soon comes to seek revenge. The film will also feature a score by none other than horror icon John Carpenter (Halloween,The Thing).
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The Premise Of Death Of A Unicorn Is Wild & Inventive
Death of a Unicorn can’t be accused of being generic
A24 has a knack for taking on concepts that might sound ludicrous on paper and spinning them into gold. A killer unicorn movie sounds like the stuff of The Asylum or Syfy, butDeath of a Unicornis instead a creature feature with spiky dialogue and a great hook. When the unicorn’s horn is discovered to have cancer-curing properties, this makes the creature of great interest to Will Poulter’s pharmaceutical CEO. This is obviously a gamechanger for humanity - but it’s clear the goals of Poulter’s character aren’t exactly altruistic.
Death of a Unicornisn’t aiming to be truly scary (though certain shots of the unicorn monsters are surprisingly menacing) but is instead a horror satire with a message. A rich family trying to exploit an innocent animal for their own gain isn’t the most subtle subtext, but it meansaudiences will have a fun time watching them getting eaten and skewed by the vengeful unicornsin the final act.
Death Of A Unicorn’s Cast Is Perfect
Death of a Unicorn breaks Tea Leoni’s long movie hiatus
Another great sign forDeath of a Unicornis the cast it assembled. This suggests the screenplay must be something special because in addition to Rudd and Ortega - who is coming in hot off the success ofBeetlejuice, Beetlejuice -the supporting cast includes Richard E. Grant,Barry’sAnthony Carrigan and Jessica Hynes.Death of a Unicornwill also mark Tea Leoni’s first movie in 14 years, with her last credit being 2011 action comedyTower Heist.
…whileDeath of a Unicornlooks like a blast, there’s always a chance its central hook might actually turn viewers off.
Given the critical and commercial success that has greeted much of A24’s output, it’s little surprise they can attract such an impressive ensemble. While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional trashy monster movie,it’s doubtfulDeath of a Unicornwould have pulled in such a starry line-up unless there was more substance to the project. That said, while it looks like a blast, there’s always a chance its central hook might actually turn viewersoff.
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
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After all, everybody thoughtSnakes on a Planewas going to be a runaway hit based on its title and premise alone - only for the 2006 film to do average business. The involvement of A24 and the cast should mean thisJenna Ortega horror movieavoids that fate, and there’s a decent chance it could become the shock horror hit of 2025.
A24 Has A Great Track Record For Balancing Weird, Dark Comedy & Horror
There is something for every mood in A24’s library
A24 has never scored a hit on the level of Marvel - but they’re not aiming for that either. Their biggest hitEverything Everywhere All at Oncescored $143 million worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo), in addition to a host of Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh.Everything Everywhere… is a weird but delightful mashup of many genres and feels like a mission statement for A24as a production company. They’ve backed emotional dramas (Lady Bird,Moonlight), nightmarish horror (Talk to Me,Midsommar) and almost unclassifiable films (The Killing of a Sacred Deer,Under the Skin).
Paul Rudd’s first horror movie was 1995’sHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, where he played Tommy Doyle.
Like any production company, A24 has made its share of duds too, be itFalse Positiveor 2018’sSlice. Even then, they have an unbelievably high batting average, and even movies that don’t fully work (like Alex Garland’sMen) at the very least have creative concepts and imagery behind them. Hopefully,Death of a Unicornwill live up to those high standards, because with such a solid premise, an amazing ensemble and a John Carpenter soundtrack, there is no reason whatsoever it shouldn’t be a blast.
Death of a Unicorn
Cast
Death of a Unicorn: Released in 2025, this fantasy drama follows a father and daughter who accidentally kill a unicorn on their way to a weekend retreat. Their discovery leads to a series of events involving the father’s billionaire boss, who aims to exploit the unicorn’s extraordinary healing abilities.
