Horses gallop uneasily into less-than-mythic filmmaking in ‘Death of a Unicorn’

Alex Scharfman, striving to emulate the playful vibe of Joe Dante from the “Gremlins” era (had he remade the Tom Cruise fantasy “Legend”), undeniably has the enthusiasm of a mischievous child, waiting for adults to fall asleep before embarking on an eerie escapade with someone’s doll collection. A portion of this eeriness is maturely handled, tackling themes such as grief, ecological devastation, and capitalist exploitation alongside its gruesome fantasy elements. Unfortunately, what promises to be a delightful fright turns out to be more of a yawn.