A24's new horror comedy is already showing it could be the biggest hit of 2025

A24 may have already guaranteed the success of 2025 if the trailer for Death of a unicorn It's anything to follow. A24 is in a very hot spot producing films that hit the sweet spot between arthouse and mainstream. Of Hereditary to Civil War or Everything everywhere at the same timethey've been responsible for some of the most unique genre releases of the last decade. The trailer for Death of a unicorn makes a good case that it can be added to A24's best films list.

The premise sees a father and daughter (played by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, respectively) accidentally run over a unicorn, whose body is then taken and examined by a pharmaceutical company. Although the premise may sound like a children's adventure film, Death of a Unicorn The trailer reveals that it is a bloody horror comedy where the unicorn's father soon comes looking for revenge. The film will also feature a soundtrack by none other than horror icon John Carpenter (Halloween, The thing).

The Death of a Unicorn premise is wild and inventive

The death of a unicorn cannot be accused of being generic

A24 has a knack for taking concepts that might seem ridiculous on paper and turning them into gold. A killer unicorn movie sounds like something from The Asylum or Syfy, but Death of a unicorn instead, it's a creature feature with pointed 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 watershed moment for humanity – but it's clear that Poulter's character's goals aren't exactly altruistic.

Death of a unicorn It's not meant to be truly scary (although certain shots of the unicorn monsters are surprisingly menacing), but it is horror satire with a message. A rich family trying to exploit an innocent animal for their own gain isn't the subtlest subtext, but it means audiences will have fun watching them get eaten and distorted by the vengeful unicorns in the final act.

The cast of Death Of A Unicorn is perfect

Death of a Unicorn breaks Tea Leoni's long film hiatus

Another great sign for Death of a unicorn It's the cast he put together. This suggests that the script must be something special because in addition to Rudd and Ortega – who come hot on the heels of the success of Beetle juice, beetle juice – the supporting cast includes Richard E. Grant, Barry's Anthony Carrigan and Jessica Hynes. Death of a unicorn will also mark Tea Leoni's first film in 14 yearswith his last credit being the 2011 action comedy Tower Assault.

Given the critical and commercial success that has greeted much of A24's output, it's no surprise that they can attract such an impressive ensemble. While there's nothing wrong with the occasional trashy monster movie, It's doubtful Death of a unicorn would have achieved such a star-studded line-up unless there was more substance to the project. That said, while it may seem like a blast, there's always a chance its central hook will actually turn viewers on. off.

After all, everyone thought Snakes on a plane would be a huge hit based on the title and premise alone – only for the 2006 film to do middling business. A24 and the cast's involvement should mean this Jenna Ortega horror film avoids that fate, and there's a good chance it will become the big horror hit of 2025.

A24 has a great track record of balancing weird, dark humor and horror

There's something for everyone in the A24 library

A24 has never scored a Marvel-level success – but they don't intend to either. Your greatest success Everything everywhere at the same time grossed US$143 million worldwide (via Mojo Box Office), plus a slew of Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh. Everything everywhere…is a strange but delightful mashup of many genres and feels like a mission statement for A24 as a producer. They supported emotional dramas (Bird Lady, Moonlight), nightmare horror (Talk to me, Summer solstice) and almost unclassifiable films (The death of a sacred deer, Under the skin).

Like any producer, A24 also had its share of failures, whether False Positive or 2018 Slice. Still, they have an incredibly high batting average, and even films that don't entirely work (like Alex Garland, Men) at least have creative concepts and images behind them. Hopefully, Death of a unicorn will live up to those high standards, because with such a solid premise, an incredible set, and a John Carpenter soundtrack, there's no reason whatsoever why it won't be a blast.

Source: Mojo Box Office