Death of a Unicorn revealed why the unicorns turn white, and the reasoning makes sense. A24's comedy horror movie focuses on a father and daughter, Elliot (Paul Rudd) and Ridley (Jenna Ortega), whose lives took a turn after they accidentally hit (and killed) a unicorn while on a drive at Leopold Wildness Estate. This accident leads to them being chased by the unicorn's parents, who go on a killing spree to get revenge for their child.
Throughout the movie, which began streaming on HBO Max on July 25, 2025, the unicorn's parents are colored black, but they ultimately change to white for some reason, leading to speculation among viewers of the film. The change is important to the unicorns' arc in the movie because it has something to do with their emotions due to the tragedy that happened to their child.
Why Did the Unicorns Turn White in Death of a Unicorn?
While the baby unicorn was brutally killed by Elliot, it was revived while inside the car before being shot in the head again by the Leopolds' assistant, Shaw (Jessica Hynes), to cement its death. The baby unicorns' death served as the launchpad for all the tragic things that happened inside the Leopold Estate, mainly because the creatures' parents are out for revenge.
The unicorns' parents appeared as creatures with black fur, which was quite confusing because these mystical creatures are usually white. There was a much deeper explanation why the parents are on a killing spree, and it was all explained through the real-life Unicorn Tapestries from France.
In the said artwork, it was revealed that a medieval king and his henchmen successfully lured and captured a unicorn. Although the tapestries ended with the image of the unicorn in captivity, Ridley was able to decipher the remaining pieces of lost artwork, revealing that the unicorn went on a killing spree and killed its captors (which was the same thing that happened in the movie).
The black fur of the adult unicorns meant that they are in a deep state of mourning and rage, considering that their child died and they blamed the humans for it.
Traditionally, the unicorns are usually white, which symbolizes their purity and innocence. However, Death of a Unicorn chose to represent the deadly mystical creatures (aka "divine monsters") as black in the good chunk of the film to signify their vengeful nature, and it remained that way while they killed some of the notable members of the Leopold Estate.
Ultimately, in the end, the unicorns were able to revive their baby by reattaching its horn and resurrecting Elliot (played by Ant-Man star Paul Rudd) in the process. After doing so, the black fur of the unicorns turned white, signifying that their state of mourning disappeared, and they calmly returned to their natural state of purity and peace.
Others have theorized that the black fur of the adult unicorns symbolized their disdain and deep hatred toward humans, primarily due to their reckless actions of harvesting the healing capabilities of the dead baby and for murdering it in the first place. It then transformed to white after the baby was revived, indicating that this hatred had dissipated.
Death of a Unicorn Has a Wild & Ambiguous Ending – Here’s What It Means
While the transition from black to white fur of the unicorns served as the crux of Death of a Unicorn, the movie's wild ending presented more questions than answers for the viewers.
After the baby unicorn and Elliot's resurrection, Elliot and Ridley were arrested by the authorities due to their presumed involvement with the massive deaths that took place at the Leopold Estate.
However, the movie ended with the unicorns following the police car and forcing it off the road, seemingly killing both Elliot and Ridley in the process.
Despite that tragic end, many believed that the unicorns were simply trying to help Elliot and Ridley escape because it would not make sense if they wanted to kill Elliot again, even after resurrecting him.
More so, Ridley already had an established connection to the unicorns after being healed by the baby's blood, and there are several times in the film that the adults didn't blatantly kill her because they knew she was innocent in the first place.
While the fate of Elliot and Ridley is up in the air, it's possible that even though they could have died, the unicorns can still revive them and help them escape the police.
Directed by Alex Scharfman, Death of a Unicorn has a star-studded cast headlined by Paul Rudd, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Richard E. Grant, and Téa Leoni. Death of a Unicorn premiered in theaters on March 28, 2025.
