Alex Scharfman writes and directs “Death of a Unicorn”, a bonkers horror comedy that is another in a long line of ‘eat the rich’ satires. The movie’s title serves as a good nuts-and-bolts overview of the story. But the film’s ultimate interest is in skewering the uber-wealthy through an outlandish scenario that may be a bit uneven in spots, but that ultimately finds a good rhythm amid the slew of gags and gore.

The movie opens up with Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) on their way to a weekend retreat hosted by his boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant). As they drive through the forest-covered mountains (filmed in beautiful Hungary) we learn quite a bit about them. First, they seem to have very little in common – she is a committed young leftist; he’s a corporate stooge. Making matters worse, their relationship has been strained following the recent death of his wife and her mother.

For Elliot, this weekend gives him a chance to reconnect with his daughter. But it’s mostly about impressing the sickly Odell who is dying of cancer and considering promoting Elliot to the top spot in his pharmaceutical firm. That becomes a running conflict for most of the movie – Elliot’s obsessive ambition for a new position versus his responsibilities to his hurting daughter.

But everything turns upside-down after their car collides with and appears to kill (of all things) a unicorn. As Elliot scrambles to compose himself, Ridley checks on the animal, having some out of body experience in the process. The two make the bizarre decision to load the unicorn carcass in the back of their SUV and drive on to the Leopold’s lavish enclave where they pretend like nothing happened.

But let’s be honest, how does one keep a dead unicorn in the trunk a secret? Through ways I won’t reveal, the Leopolds find out about the unicorn and are just as shocked as Elliot and Ridley. But when it’s discovered the unicorn possesses unexplainable curative attributes, a cured Odell immediately sees dollar signs. So he puts his on-site science team to work replicating the unicorn’s magical properties. Ridley is against what they’re doing but has no allies, not even her father who’s still looking out for his promotion.

But little do they know, the unicorn’s parents are looking for their foal. And when the one-horned creatures find their baby dead, “Death of a Unicorn” quickly evolves into a graphically violent revenge movie that manages to get funnier with every hyper-gory kill. Admittedly it gets incredibly silly. But Scharfman knows what he’s going for, and the movie’s obvious self-awareness is a key reason it works so well.

Another reason it works is the fully committed cast. Rudd and Ortega have a natural father-daughter chemistry that their relationship needs. Meanwhile it’s the Leopolds who provide the laughs. Grant is so good in these roles and it’s no different here. But even funnier is Téa Leoni as Odell’s glaringly phony wife Belinda and Will Poulter as their spoiled and pampered nitwit son Shepard. The latter two delivery one funny line after another, exposing their characters’ insensitivity and entitlement in laugh-out-loud fashion.

Despite how “Death of a Unicorn” may sound, it’s effortlessly easy to get onboard with the wackiness. Scharfman knows how to lure us in. And his keen management of tone and steady flow of humor keeps our expectations in check. Admittedly it would have been nice to see a little more serious attention given to the daughter-daughter relationship at the story’s core. And the movie’s message is far from profound. But it’s hard to complain too much when you’re steadily laughing at the many gags and playfully gasping at the gory retribution.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS