More Unicorn Action!

Studios often start promoting their films with a brief teaser followed later by a longer trailer. Interestingly, that’s not what A24 has done here. The first trailer, which was released in December, is 2 minutes 17 seconds long. My reaction to it can be found here. Death of a Unicorn trailer 2 is only 1 minute 28 seconds in length.

Why did A24 do it this way? I think A24 is mindful about all the criticism of excessive spoilers in recent trailers, and thus didn’t want to include too much new footage. So why even release another trailer at all, then? Well, because the second trailer spotlights aspects of the film that were glossed over previously.

Trailer 2 has a markedly different tone than its predecessor. This movie is a horror comedy. The first trailer emphasized the comedy part, but the second trailer puts more focus on the horror.

The unicorn was barely seen in the original trailer. That was obviously by design, to heighten suspense and anticipation. Now that we’re closer to the release, trailer 2 has more direct shots of what the unicorn(s) looks like, while still not going overboard by showing too much.

Unicorns are among my favorite underused horror movie monsters, and I’m glad that they are finally getting their due. This is an R-rated film, which is a pleasant surprise. Hopefully, the Death of a Unicorn rating is a sign that we’re going to get a fun and gory rampage!

“There’s no negotiating with monsters!”

Quick takes on Death of a Unicorn trailer 2

0:01-0:15 – The trailer starts off by establishing the film’s location – a vast nature preserve. A voiceover by Elliot (Paul Rudd) tells us that the area is owned by a wealthy family, the Leopolds. Clearly, the Leopolds are the villains of the film, with Elliot and Ridley (Jenna Ortega) caught in the middle and trying to avoid getting killed.

0:32 – 0:36 – An evocative shot of a unicorn standing in a misty forest, with its horn glowing in the darkness. This is the most detailed creature footage we’ve seen so far.

0:43 – 0:58 – Voiceovers from Ridley and several other characters discussing the magical power of unicorns. The Leopolds want to hunt down the creatures, supposedly for the benefit of humanity, but really just to make themselves even richer. Is this movie an allegory for modern environmental issues?

0:59 – 1:02 – The unicorn kills somebody. We don’t see how, but it looks like it gored him in the chest with its horn.

`1:03 – 1:16 – A montage of shots showing Elliot and Ridley running and hiding. Are they only running from the unicorn, or from the Leopolds as well?

1`:18 – A brief shot, a repeat of the first trailer, of the unicorn threatening Ridley with its teeth. Ridley, by the way, means “forest” or meadow”, which I’m sure is why that name was chosen for this movie.

One more thing! Early unicorn legends claimed that the creatures could only be tamed by a “pure” young woman. Ridley, a teenager, might fit the bill in that regard. However, I think it’s more likely that the movie will subvert this by having Ridley join forces with the unicorn to take down the Leopolds.

I don’t think they would want to revive a dated slasher movie trope (the virgin final girl) that has fallen out of favor. A24 is smarter than that, right?

Here is the Death of a Unicorn trailer 2. The movie hits theaters on March 28th.