Rising Hollywood star Matt Hagen descends into a horrifying revenge-filled monster when scientific ambition strips him of his identity and humanity.
Director: James Watkins
Cast: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan
Release Date: October 16, 2026
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity and brief drug use.
Runtime: 1h 48m
Review:
DC’s Clayface fully embraces the body horror tropes to deliver a superhero adjacent film that plays more like Frankenstein than The Substance by the time it’s all said and done. James Watkins, who is no stranger to the horror genre, directs the film with a steady hand, borrowing elements from Matt Reeves and Christopher Nolan’s Batman film to deliver a familiar visual aesthetic for Gotham. He moves the film along at a steady pace, spending little time setting up his central character and general set up. Anyone familiar with Bruce Timm’s classic animated Batman series will find plenty of familiar elements with the story taking inspiration from the two-part episode "Feat of Clay." Watkins leans into the gangster elements much like the animated series and Matt Reeves take which will leave those looking for Easter Eggs and nods to the larger comic book world disappointed since the story is laser focused on Matt Hagen/Clayface. Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries delivers a strong performance in the lead role, managing to pry out every bit of emotional depth from the character which makes his story arch all the more tragic. Harries deftly handles the character slow decent into madness by making it a subtle, slow burn transformation. It would have been easy for the story to make Matt a narcissist whose vanity drives the story, but it smartly avoids that path to deliver something more nuanced by making Matt somebody who pulled himself up by the bootstraps to earn his success. His disfiguration and “cure” all leaning into the underlying story thread about his consistent sense of imposter syndrome makes the story all the more intriguing especially when larger set pieces hit. The final act club set piece, seemingly inspired by Scarface, is an impressively staged bit of body swapping action that’s sure to leave an impression. On the downside, the romantic storyline between Naomi Ackie’s Dr. Caitlyn Corr and Matt Hagen feels shoehorned and unnecessary. Mobster Markos Szabo, played by David Dencik, serves as the film’s villain but the character is about as generic as they come leaving that aspect of the story rather underwhelming. Those lackluster elements keep Clayface from being something special even though Tom Rhys Harries takes the opportunity to shine in the central role.
B-
