diff --git a/crates/vm/src/vm/vm_ops.rs b/crates/vm/src/vm/vm_ops.rs
index 2e2c11f81..404228608 100644
--- a/crates/vm/src/vm/vm_ops.rs
+++ b/crates/vm/src/vm/vm_ops.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use crate::{
     Py, PyRef,
     builtins::{PyInt, PyStr, PyStrInterned, PyStrRef, PyType, PyUtf8Str},
     object::{AsObject, PyObject, PyObjectRef, PyResult},
-    protocol::{PyNumberBinaryOp, PyNumberTernaryOp},
+    protocol::{PyNumberBinaryOp, PyNumberSlots, PyNumberTernaryOp, PyNumberUnaryFunc},
     types::PyComparisonOp,
 };
 use num_traits::ToPrimitive;
@@ -541,22 +541,30 @@ impl VirtualMachine {
         Err(self.new_unsupported_bin_op_error(a, b, "*="))
     }
 
+    fn unary_op(
+        &self,
+        a: &PyObject,
+        slot: impl FnOnce(&PyNumberSlots) -> Option<PyNumberUnaryFunc>,
+        op: &str,
+    ) -> PyResult {
+        let f = slot(&a.class().slots.as_number)
+            .ok_or_else(|| self.new_unsupported_unary_error(a, op))?;
+        f(a.number(), self)
+    }
+
+    // PyNumber_Absolute
     pub fn _abs(&self, a: &PyObject) -> PyResult<PyObjectRef> {
-        self.get_special_method(a, identifier!(self, __abs__))?
-            .ok_or_else(|| self.new_unsupported_unary_error(a, "abs()"))?
-            .invoke((), self)
+        self.unary_op(a, |s| s.absolute.load(), "abs()")
     }
 
+    // PyNumber_Positive
     pub fn _pos(&self, a: &PyObject) -> PyResult {
-        self.get_special_method(a, identifier!(self, __pos__))?
-            .ok_or_else(|| self.new_unsupported_unary_error(a, "unary +"))?
-            .invoke((), self)
+        self.unary_op(a, |s| s.positive.load(), "unary +")
     }
 
+    // PyNumber_Negative
     pub fn _neg(&self, a: &PyObject) -> PyResult {
-        self.get_special_method(a, identifier!(self, __neg__))?
-            .ok_or_else(|| self.new_unsupported_unary_error(a, "unary -"))?
-            .invoke((), self)
+        self.unary_op(a, |s| s.negative.load(), "unary -")
     }
 
     pub fn _invert(&self, a: &PyObject) -> PyResult {
@@ -571,9 +579,7 @@ impl VirtualMachine {
                 self,
             )?;
         }
-        self.get_special_method(a, identifier!(self, __invert__))?
-            .ok_or_else(|| self.new_unsupported_unary_error(a, "unary ~"))?
-            .invoke((), self)
+        self.unary_op(a, |s| s.invert.load(), "unary ~")
     }
 
     // PyObject_Format
diff --git a/extra_tests/snippets/operator_unary.py b/extra_tests/snippets/operator_unary.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a61e3b9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extra_tests/snippets/operator_unary.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+from testutils import assert_raises
+
+
+class A:
+    def __neg__(self):
+        return "neg"
+
+    def __pos__(self):
+        return "pos"
+
+    def __abs__(self):
+        return "abs"
+
+    def __invert__(self):
+        return "invert"
+
+
+a = A()
+assert -a == "neg"
+assert +a == "pos"
+assert abs(a) == "abs"
+assert ~a == "invert"
+
+
+class I(int):
+    def __neg__(self):
+        return "I.neg"
+
+
+assert -I(3) == "I.neg"
+assert +I(3) == 3
+assert abs(I(-3)) == 3
+assert ~I(3) == -4
+
+
+# Slots follow methods assigned or deleted after class creation.
+class Late:
+    pass
+
+
+with assert_raises(TypeError):
+    -Late()
+Late.__neg__ = lambda self: "late"
+assert -Late() == "late"
+del Late.__neg__
+with assert_raises(TypeError):
+    -Late()
+
+del I.__neg__
+assert -I(3) == -3
+
+# Only the type is consulted, not the instance.
+i = Late()
+i.__neg__ = lambda: "instance"
+with assert_raises(TypeError):
+    -i
+
+
+class Meta(type):
+    def __neg__(cls):
+        return cls.__name__
+
+
+class WithMeta(metaclass=Meta):
+    pass
+
+
+assert -WithMeta == "WithMeta"
+
+with assert_raises(TypeError) as cm:
+    -"a"
+assert str(cm.exception) == "bad operand type for unary -: 'str'"
+with assert_raises(TypeError) as cm:
+    abs([])
+assert str(cm.exception) == "bad operand type for abs(): 'list'"