Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Death of a Unicorn.

Death of a Unicorn director Alex Scharfman explains why the cliffhanger ending is meant to feel full-circle. Shortly after Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) is killed and resurrected during Death of a Unicorn‘s ending, he and his daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega), are arrested for the deaths of the Leopold family and taken into a police car. The movie concludes with the unicorns charging down the road and knocking the police car into the water in an attempt to save Elliot and Ridley, whose bond has been restored.

During an interview with ScreenRant, Scharfman explains that the ending is meant to show the deep connection between Elliot, Ridley, and the unicorns, while also emphasizing that the unicorns do not fully understand how the human world works. He references the way the unicorns slip on the stairs earlier in the story as another sign of them being inexperienced in the human world. Scharfman also wanted to bring the story full-circle with the unicorns hitting a car at the end after the movie began with a car hitting a unicorn. Check out his comments below:

I think there’s something about Elliot, Ridley and the unicorns having a sense of an ongoing, permanent connection to each other that I think is appropriate for the metaphor of the touching of the horn creating this kind of entheogenic, semi-religious cosmic experience, really seeing the universe in its entirety. The idea being that doesn’t go away, so I think there’s a connection there, and I think there’s the sense of the unicorns both trying to set them free from the cop car, but also not really understanding how cars work. They’re kind of like, “Yeah, okay, great. You’re being held captive, we’ll smash the car and see what happens.” [Chuckles] But certainly, not necessarily understanding the social implications of [the escape] or the mechanical [elements]. Like when they’re coming into the house, they’re slipping on the stairs, they don’t know what stairs are, they’ve never encountered stairs. So, I don’t know, there was something fun about that. And then, I do like the symmetry of ending in the place where we began. In the beginning, the humans hit a unicorn with the car, and at the end, the unicorns hit a car that is holding humans inside. It’s hard, sometimes, when you have an idea like that, where you’re just sort of like, “Oh, that feels right, somehow.” I think the movie, tonally, by design, has a certain emotional heart to it, a sentimentality that is rising through the back end of the movie. But I thought it was important to kind of end on the note of, “These are some metal f—-ng unicorns, and they’re gonna f–k s–t up.” So, that was sort of the [idea], to leave audiences with that [feeling of], “Oh, right, that’s what this movie’s been. I’m glad I got to go to this.” Hopefully people say, “I’m glad we got to go to this emotional place that was perhaps unexpected. But, at the end of it, this has been a fun ride the whole way, and we’re ending on that note.”

What This Means For Death Of A Unicorn

The Horror Comedy Movie Has A Surprisingly Heartfelt Ending

While there is an abruptness and uncertainty to Death of a Unicorn‘s ending, Scharfman’s comments highlight that this is part of the intention behind it. What happens to Elliot, Ridley, and the unicorns does not matter as much as the emotional resolution of Elliot and Ridley feeling connected again after the fantastical and harrowing experience they have been through with the unicorns. The magical creatures played a vital role in rekindling their relationship, and their bond goes beyond Elliot’s resurrection.

Scharfman focuses on the ending being full-circle because of the unicorns and the car, but the ending comes full-circle in another way as well. The movie begins with Riley accidentally falling asleep and resting her head on Elliot’s shoulder, and it ends with her intentionally resting her head against him because of their relationship now being in a better place. While Death of a Unicorn is weird, it is also surprisingly heartfelt, with the ending balancing these elements and concluding the story in dramatic fashion.

Our Take On Alex Scharfman’s Comments

Death Of A Unicorn’s Ending Works Well

From the significance of the unicorn tapestries to the importance of the creatures slipping on the stairs, Death of a Unicorn utilizes its details in clever ways that get paid off by the end of the story. While there is part of me that wants to know what happens to Elliot and Ridley after the police car crashes into the water, I am also content with the story that was presented. There is enough payoff in terms of the story’s logistics and emotions while coming full circle and not leaving everything perfectly resolved.