A24’s Death of a Unicorn 2024, HuraWatch Movie, directed by Alex Scharfman and featuring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, is a black comedy horror that plunges viewers into a twisted world of mythical creatures and corporate depravity. The film delivers a sharp critique of moral bankruptcy, ecological hypocrisy, and capitalist greed, cloaked in stylized horror and deadpan absurdity.

Plot Summary – Myth Meets Moral Crisis

The story follows Elliot (Paul Rudd) and his teenage daughter Riley (Jenna Ortega) who hit a unicorn with their car en route to a corporate retreat hosted by Elliot’s employer, a powerful biotech conglomerate. What begins as a tragicomic accident soon spirals into a corporate nightmare when executives learn of the unicorn’s existence and see it not as a wonder, but as a marketable biological commodity.

As the corporate elite scramble to exploit the mythical creature for pharmaceutical gain, the film unravels a surreal, gore-splattered allegory about the commodification of life, the absurdity of wealth worship, and the moral vacuum that often fuels innovation.

Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd – A Magnetic Father-Daughter Duo

Jenna Ortega delivers a standout performance as Riley, a skeptical and environmentally conscious teen who serves as the film’s ethical center. Her grounded portrayal contrasts perfectly with Paul Rudd’s deadpan charm, which masks his character’s growing unease with the company’s sinister agenda. Together, they embody the emotional backbone of the story—ordinary people swept into a grotesque farce orchestrated by morally bankrupt elites.

Their chemistry is nuanced and convincing, navigating between comedy and horror with precision. This emotional dynamic lends gravity to an otherwise surreal plot, helping anchor the film’s sharp thematic undercurrents.

A24’s Signature Touch – Atmosphere, Aesthetic, and Ambiguity

A24 continues its tradition of stylized horror, blending naturalistic dialogue with dreamlike visuals and moments of stark violence. Cinematographer Hunter Zimny uses stark lighting contrasts and eerie symmetrical compositions to create a visual language reminiscent of Hereditary and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, though with a distinctly absurdist flair.

The film’s aesthetic is minimalist yet loaded with symbolism—from sterile corporate interiors to the unicorn’s haunting physical form, an uncanny blend of beauty and decay. Composer Alex Somers’ score adds a layer of dreamy dread that lingers well after the credits roll.

Themes – Satire of Corporate Greed and Environmental Decay

“Death of a Unicorn” is as much a horror film as it is a dark satire. The unicorn, a mythical being traditionally associated with purity, becomes a grotesque metaphor for nature’s exploitation. The biotech executives, portrayed with gleeful amorality, embody the hubris of capitalism unchecked by conscience.

Key Themes:

• Ecological Exploitation: The unicorn represents endangered life—magical, rare, and rendered vulnerable by greed.

• Corporate Satire: Executives speak in wellness jargon and sustainability buzzwords while plotting biological extraction and patent warfare.

• Moral Complicity: Elliot’s internal conflict reflects the compromises made by ordinary people within corrupt systems.

Death of a Unicorn Ending Explained – Surreal Justice or Ironic Defeat?

The climax unfolds in a kaleidoscope of chaos and dark comedy. The corporate retreat descends into madness as the unicorn’s body becomes a battleground of interests—some seeking to preserve it, others to dissect and patent it. Ultimately, nature reclaims control in a poetic, if bleak, sequence that blends body horror with symbolic retribution.

The ending is intentionally ambiguous. Does the unicorn’s death mark the final desecration of innocence, or a mythic reminder that some things are not meant to be commodified? The film offers no easy answers—only the haunting image of human folly encircling a fading legend.

Cultural Relevance – A Unicorn for the Age of Climate Collapse

Scharfman’s debut taps directly into our zeitgeist. It’s a film for the age of greenwashing, performative virtue, and ecological despair. Much like Don’t Look Up and Sorry to Bother You, it uses surrealism to reflect uncomfortable truths.

“Death of a Unicorn” joins a lineage of socially aware horror that blurs the lines between laughter and horror, delivering its critique through disarming absurdity.

Critical Reception – Divisive, Daring, and Distinctly A24

Initial festival responses have been polarizing. Some hail it as a cult classic in the making, while others criticize its tone as uneven or too opaque. But in true A24 fashion, Death of a Unicorn refuses to cater to the middle. It demands attention, dares viewers to think, and rewards those willing to embrace its strangeness.

Highlights from Critical Consensus:

• Performances: Ortega and Rudd are uniformly praised.

• Direction: Scharfman’s tone management and symbolic visuals lauded.

• Criticism: Some reviewers cite excessive ambiguity or tonal shifts.

• Score & Cinematography: Universally acclaimed.

Final Verdict – A Brutally Clever, Morally Provocative Fable

Death of a Unicorn is a bold, intelligent, and bitterly funny examination of ecological destruction and ethical decay. It’s not a film for everyone—but it is very much a film for right now. As a dark fable for an era of extinction and extraction, it offers a chillingly relevant myth for the modern world.