You've never seen unicorns quite like those at the center of Death of a Unicorn. Not the sparkly, sweet unicorns of modern-day pop culture, these are primal beings with sharp fangs, killer horns, and a bloodthirsty need for revenge.

The film, now playing in theaters, has quickly earned a reputation for flipping the fairy tale structure on its head. “These are some metal f---ing unicorns,” Scharfman told ScreenRant, referencing his vision of the creatures as primal forces of nature—not the sparkly, plush-toy versions that come to mind.

Writer and director Alex Sharfman’s splurchy dark comedy carves itself into halves, a clever first half followed by a more routine second one. Yet it’s a feature film debut signalling a filmmaker of actual wit.