A24’s gory mythical creature feature “Death of a Unicorn” is never as entertaining as its premise. Debut writer and director Alex Scharfman tries to woo audiences with a deluge of “Jurassic Park” references, but cheeky nods to beloved franchises shouldn’t overshadow your original concept. Aside from primarily stationary glimpses, there’s too heavy a reliance on iffy visual effects that fall short of bringing Scharfman’s horned beasts to life. It’s a ridiculous horror-comedy that’s light on horror and inconsistently humorous, worth a few eat-the-rich laughs but not much else.

Paul Rudd stars as Elliot Kintner, a corporate stooge headed to his bosses’ wildlife reserve mansion for a weekend retreat. Along for the ride is his rebellious-looking daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega), and on that ride, Elliot hits a unicorn—then smashes its brains in. In a panic and already behind schedule, Elliot throws the presumably deceased...