What do the Unicorn Tapestries mean in Death of a Unicorn? Real-world inspiration behind the film, explored

Death of a Unicorn is a film in the comedy horror genre and it's helmed and written by Alex Scharfman. It had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film and TV Festival. Afterward, A24 released it theatrically on March 28, 2025.

Here's the official synopsis:

"Father-Daughter duo Elliott and Ridley hit a unicorn with their car and bring it to the wilderness retreat of a mega-wealthy pharmaceutical CEO."

One of the elements in the film is of the Unicorn Tapestries, which has a real-world connection. So let us take a look into its meaning and everything else.

Real-world Unicorn Tapestries from Death of a Unicorn explained

A still from Death of a Unicorn | Image via A24 YouTube

Death of a Unicorn has a real-life Unicorn Tapestry in the plot, which follows a father-daughter duo accidentally hitting a unicorn to death. The two are on their way to meet his boss. The carcass of the unicorn is brought to his boss' residence, where the parents of the fantasy animal start attacking everyone one by one.

Leopold's family plans to use its body for medical purposes. Around that time, Ridley Kintner (played by Jenna Ortega), who is the daughter of Elliot, starts looking up information about the animals. She stumbles upon an artwork called tapestry from France that was made around the 16th century. It showcases a unicorn being lured by a maiden for the noblemen.

Ridley quickly recreates that art digitally to find out more, as there are parallels between the art and their situation. She finds out that the parts of the artwork that are now lost, showcase the aftermath of holding a unicorn captive. Ridley interprets the entire thing as the mythical depiction of a creature that was earlier seen as a warning sign.

The original tapestry is also called the Hunt of the Unicorn, and it consists of seven arts. Reports suggest that it was created in the Netherlands by creators who are unknown to the world. Someone stole the artwork from the Rochefoucauld family when the French Revolution took place. Luckily, they were able to find it again. It is currently placed at The Cloisters Museum and was restored by John D. Rockefeller Jr. It consists of a unicorn who is being hunted by several people.

In Death of a Unicorn, this artwork is used as a tool to foreshadow the deaths that will happen in the future. Odell, Belinda, Dr. Bhatia, and Shepard, among others, end up getting k*lled by the unicorns.

More about Death of a Unicorn

Death of a Unicorn is produced by its writer-director Alex Scharfman, Lucas Joaquin, Theresa Steele Page, Tyler Campellone, Drew Houpt, Tim Headington, and Lars Knudsen. The cast members of the film include:

Paul Rudd as Elliot Kintner
Jenna Ortega as Ridley Kintner
Will Poulter as Shepard Leopold
Anthony Carrigan as Griff
Richard E. Grant as Odell Leopold
Sunita Mani as Dr. Bhatia
Téa Leoni as Belinda Leopold
Jessica Hynes as Shaw
Steve Park as Dr. Song
Kathryn Erbe as Tapestry Narrator's voice

In an interview with Screen Rant, Death of a Unicorn director spoke about the death of Dr. Bhatia as the character might not be deserving that end like most. He said:

"Well, the Sunita one gets a big reaction, certainly, because she seems largely undeserving. She does steal a vial of unicorn horn, so the idea being they're playing in absolutes. A small infraction is still an infraction, and that counts."