If you’re in the mood for a horror comedy, Death of a Unicorn is out in theaters right now. Could this be something to introduce your children to the horror genre? It could be, but probably not in the movie theaters.
Death of a Unicorn stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father-daughter duo who find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They run over a unicorn with their car, and they then decide to take this mythical creature to a retreat run by a wealthy pharmaceutical CEO. Of course, we can guess what Big Pharma wants with a mythical creature, but we also know that the death of mythical creatures brings revenge.
And so starts a journey of survival and horror, but in a fun way. While there is some violence and gore, this movie could work well as something to introduce older teens to the horror comedy genre.
Death of a Unicorn age rating: The R-rating in the United States explained
While the official age rating for Death of a Unicorn in the U.S. is an R, it’s rated a 15 in other parts of the world. In fact, in Canada, it’s rated 14A, which does suggest that this will work for some teenagers. It’s just the downside of the U.S. not having something in between the PG-13 and R ratings.
Sex & nudity: There is no nudity or sex throughout the movie. The worst is a man who sits in a hot tub shirtless. Honestly, this is the mildest element of everything that makes up an age rating, and it does explain the 14A rating.
Violence & gore: The unicorn that is hit by a car goes on a mission of revenge, and that leads to some semi-gory scenes. We see people killed by the unicorn, although it’s not in a heavily graphic way. There is one scene that is likely to stick out, which is when a man is impaled by the unicorn horn and his intestines are visible. It’s a somewhat visceral experience, but you’ll know your children best and understand what they can take from a movie.
There is also a scene where a man is kicked in the face by a unicorn. This leaves a nasty, bloody injury to the face, which is pretty normal for movies these days.
Language: The F-bomb is dropped multiple times throughout Death of a Unicorn, and it’s the worst of the swear words used. Other than that, the S-word, B-word, and a few “god damns” are uttered as the unicorn gets his revenge.
Alcohol & drugs: There is some mild drug and smoking use throughout the movie, as a girl vapes and a man smokes now and then. While there are no real drugs used, there is a scene where a man snorts the unicorn horn dust, simulating the use of drugs.
The unicorn blood is also used as a pharmaceutical drug, as it can be used to cure ailments. It’s the whole reason Big Pharma wants the unicorn.
Overall verdict: Who is Death of A Unicorn appropriate for?
With the level of violence in the movie, I’d say that this could work for older teens, from the ages of 14 and up. It’s one of those horror comedies that has you laughing out loud at a lot of the violence, even though it’s gory.
I do believe that the lack of age rating between PG-13 and R gives horror movies an unfair disadvantage a lot of the time. Work with the Canadians with the 14A age rating for this one, but do look at the maturity of your children and level of comfort your children have for these types of movies.
Death of a Unicorn is currently out in theaters.