Questions

What is the plot?

Elliot Kintner, a lawyer, and his teenage daughter Ridley are driving through the Canadian Rockies to the estate of Elliot's boss, Odell Leopold, for a weekend. While on the road, Elliot accidentally hits a small unicorn with their car. They stop to check on the injured creature, and Ridley touches its glowing horn, which triggers intense cosmic visions in her mind. Elliot, disturbed by this, kills the unicorn with a tire iron, splattering its purple blood on both of them.

They arrive at the Leopolds' estate with the unicorn's body hidden in their car. Ridley soon notices that the unicorn's blood has cleared her acne, and Elliot finds his vision improved and allergies gone. The Leopolds discover the unicorn alive in the car, but their assistant Shaw shoots it. Odell Leopold, a wealthy pharmaceutical billionaire, learns that the unicorn's blood and horn have magical healing properties and decides to experiment on it.

Scientists led by Dr. Song grate some of the unicorn's horn to create a cure that successfully heals Odell's cancer. Odell orders the unicorn taken to a laboratory for further research, intending to commercialize its healing powers. Ridley objects, citing the story behind "The Unicorn Tapestries" and warning against exploiting the creature, but the Leopolds dismiss her concerns.

While transporting the unicorn to the lab, two much larger unicorns appear and kill Dr. Song and several security guards before vanishing into the woods. Odell organizes a hunting party to track these unicorns and insists that Elliot join them.

During the hunt, the unicorns kill multiple members of the party. Elliot manages to lure the creatures away from Ridley, allowing her to escape to safety. Later, Shepard Leopold, Odell's son, devises a plan to capture the unicorns by holding Ridley at arrow-point, knowing the unicorns are docile toward pure-hearted people.

In the ensuing confrontation, Elliot stabs Shepard with a severed unicorn horn. Shepard retaliates by stabbing Elliot with an arrow, killing him. However, the unicorns use their healing powers to bring Elliot back to life.

After these events, Elliot, Ridley, and the Leopolds' butler are arrested for mass murder. While being transported in a police car, the three unicorns block the vehicle, causing it to swerve off the road. The film ends with the sound of a car crash and a brace for impact, leaving the fate of Elliot and Ridley ambiguous.

What is the ending?

⚠ Spoiler – click to reveal

At the end of Death of a Unicorn (2025), Elliot and Ridley Kintner face the wrath of the unicorn parents after the accidental killing and exploitation of their foal. Elliot lures the adult unicorns away to allow Ridley to escape, but she is captured. Shepard, Odell Leopold’s son, holds Ridley at arrow-point, hoping to use her as bait because unicorns are docile toward a "pure-hearted maiden." Elliot stabs Shepard with the unicorn horn but is also fatally wounded. The mother unicorn kills Shepard and then uses magical powers to revive both Elliot and the foal. The unicorn family leaves peacefully, but the police arrive and arrest Elliot and Ridley. The unicorns then ram the police car, which swerves off the road as Elliot and Ridley brace for impact.

The ending unfolds in a tense, dramatic sequence:

After the hunting party falls into a deadly trap set by the adult unicorns—resulting in several deaths including Odell and Shaw—Elliot returns to the estate with the surviving group. They realize the adult unicorns are the parents of the foal they accidentally struck. The group sends Dr. Bhatia to return the foal, but upon discovering its horn has been removed, the unicorns kill her. Griff, the butler, flees in fear.

The unicorns pursue the survivors into the estate. Shepard and Belinda hide in the wine cellar. Shepard, having experienced visions from snorting the unicorn horn, understands that unicorns are peaceful toward a "pure-hearted maiden." He holds Ridley at arrow-point, intending to use her as bait to capture the unicorns. Meanwhile, one unicorn breaks into the cellar and disembowels Belinda.

Elliot, feeling remorse, steals the foal’s horn and lures the adult unicorns outside to give Ridley a chance to escape. However, Ridley is caught by Shepard. Elliot confronts Shepard and stabs him with the horn, but Shepard retaliates by stabbing Elliot with an arrow. The mother unicorn fatally kicks Shepard, killing him instantly.

Ridley mourns over Elliot’s dying body and describes the visions she experienced. The adult unicorns then use their magical powers to revive Elliot and their foal, restoring the foal’s horn to its head. Elliot experiences visions similar to Ridley’s. The unicorns turn white like the foal and leave peacefully with their child. Griff returns with the police, who arrest Elliot and Ridley after seeing the dead bodies.

As Elliot and Ridley are driven away in a police car, the unicorns return and ram the vehicle, causing it to swerve off the road. Elliot braces Ridley for the impending impact, ending the film on a tense, unresolved note.

Fates of main characters at the end:

  • Elliot Kintner: Initially fatally wounded but revived by the unicorns’ magic; arrested by police; braces for impact in the police car.
  • Ridley Kintner: Captured and arrested alongside her father; shares visions with Elliot; braces for impact.
  • Shepard Leopold: Killed by the mother unicorn after stabbing Elliot.
  • Belinda Leopold: Killed by a unicorn in the wine cellar.
  • Dr. Bhatia: Killed by the unicorns when attempting to return the foal.
  • Griff (butler): Flees during the chaos; returns with police.

The ending highlights the tragic consequences of human interference with mystical nature, the complex relationship between the characters and the unicorns, and the unresolved tension between human law enforcement and the mythical creatures.

Is there a post-credit scene?

⚠ Spoiler – click to reveal

There is no post-credits scene in the movie "Death of a Unicorn" produced in 2025. The film concludes abruptly after the main events, leaving an air of mystery for the audience without any additional scenes after the credits roll.

What role do the unicorns' parents play in the story?

The unicorns' parents are older unicorns who set lethal traps to protect their foal after it is injured. They kill several members of the hunting party and later follow the survivors into the estate. They are docile toward Ridley, the pure-hearted maiden, but become violent when they realize their foal's horn has been removed, killing Dr. Bhatia. In the climax, they magically revive Elliot and their foal before leaving peacefully.

How does the character Shepard interact with the unicorns and what are his intentions?

Shepard steals a vial of the unicorn's grated horn and snorts it, experiencing visions. He orders Dr. Bhatia to saw off the entire horn and later proposes breeding unicorns on a ranch to harvest their blood and horn for profit. He holds Ridley at arrow-point, trying to control the unicorns, but is ultimately stabbed with the horn and fatally kicked by a unicorn.

What is the significance of Ridley being a 'pure-hearted maiden' in the story?

Ridley is identified as a 'pure-hearted maiden,' which causes the unicorns to be docile toward her. This trait is revealed through Shepard's visions after snorting the horn. Ridley's purity allows her to interact peacefully with the unicorns, which is crucial in the story's resolution when the parent unicorns become calm upon her arrival.

What happens to the hunting party during their encounter with the unicorns?

The hunting party falls into lethal traps set by the older unicorns, resulting in several deaths including Odell and Shaw. Later, Dr. Bhatia is killed by the unicorns after they discover their foal's horn has been removed. Belinda is disemboweled by a unicorn when hiding in the wine cellar. The unicorns kill multiple members of the hunting party as retribution for harming their foal.

How does the story depict the aftermath of the unicorns' attack on the police and the main characters?

After the unicorns revive Elliot and their foal, Griff returns with the police who arrest the Kintners. While being driven away, the unicorns ram the police car, causing it to swerve off the road as the occupants brace for impact. The film ends ambiguously, leaving it unclear whether the characters survive, emphasizing the ongoing threat and mystery surrounding the unicorns.

Is this family friendly?

The movie Death of a Unicorn (2025) is not family friendly and is rated R due to strong violent content, gore, language, and some drug use. It contains numerous scenes that could be upsetting or objectionable for children or sensitive viewers, including:

  • Graphic violence and gore, such as people being disemboweled, gored, and killed in brutal ways, including slow crushing of a head and stabbing.
  • The killing of a unicorn by car accident, bludgeoning, and shooting, with the creature’s body used for medical research.
  • Dark and intense scenes involving death, cancer discussions, and drug use, including a man snorting powdered drugs.
  • Frequent strong language, including over 20 uses of the F-word and other profanities.
  • Some mild sexual references and brief nudity, such as remarks about a young woman’s hormones and partial bare chests shown.
  • Themes of greed, cruelty, and drug addiction treated with dark humor and satire, which may be disturbing or inappropriate for younger audiences.

Overall, the film’s tone is a mix of dark fantasy, horror, and satire with graphic and mature content, making it unsuitable for children or those sensitive to violence and strong language.

Does the dog die?

⚠ Spoiler – click to reveal

In the 2025 movie Death of a Unicorn, there is no mention or indication that a dog dies. The plot centers on a father, Elliot, and his daughter, Ridley, who accidentally hit and kill a small unicorn with their car, leading to a series of events involving the unicorn's magical properties and the pursuit by larger unicorns. The story focuses on the unicorn and the human characters, with no reference to a dog or its death in the available detailed plot summaries and reviews.

Therefore, based on the information from the movie's plot and reviews, no dog dies in Death of a Unicorn.