DIRECTOR
James Watkins
Eden Lake, The Take (Bastille Day), The Woman in Black, Speak No Evil

STARS
Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Eddie Marsan, Max Minghella and David Dencik

Clayface provides a seamless addition to the ‘Gotham’ world, turning a villain once again into a character you can root for. Matt Hagen, an up-and-coming actor, has his fame turned against him when he spends a night with a fellow actress, who is instead involved with a notorious mobster. Her mobster husband finds them together in bed the morning after and consequently disfigures the protagonist’s face for sleeping with his wife, leaving Matt with no job, no prospects, and a swift end to his Hollywood ambitions, an industry reliant on aesthetics. Fuelled by a desperate impulse to repair his facial damage, he pairs up with an experimental nanobiotechnologist that accomplishes more than he could ever dream of. Matt is born anew. On the borderline of human and mutant, Clayface is created, and with it comes an unparalleled universe of body horror, gore, and vengeance.

James Watkins’ Clayface excels as a suspenseful, gory thriller. One of DC Studios’ more experimental productions, the film feels different as it explores psychological thriller in a way that feels deeper and more nuanced. Touched with romance, the villain’s origins as a Hollywood heartthrob make him an intriguing and self-aware character as he comes from a background of hard work and competition. His transformation becomes more than a physical reconstruction, blurring the boundaries between the man he once was and the monster he is becoming. His budding romance with his creator was a brilliant touch, and could have been explored further, escalating tension, and building an additional climax to the film, making his gradual loss of humanity feel even more personal. However, this also plays a part in understanding the extent of his horrific actions that leave the audience paralysed, ensuring his spot as a villain.

The darkness and edginess of Gotham is slightly overplayed, and at times feels unnecessarily dramatic. The dialogue stretches on and can feel too explicit, leaving little room for subtlety. Focusing more on body language alongside body horror would have offered a deeper insight into the character’s psychological deterioration. By allowing the audience to interpret Matt’s changing appearance and behaviour for themselves, the film could have made his descent into something inhuman even more unsettling. However, the gore and horror constantly return the film to its glory, warping reality and challenging the limits of the human body. Clayface remains an entertaining watch that provides a new direction for psychological horror for DC, demonstrating the potential for superhero cinema to embrace a darker and more psychologically complex form of horror.

Clayface is showing in cinemas across Australia from October 22nd, 2026.

Moviedoc thanks Warner Bros. Pictures and Universal Pictures for the invitation to the screening of this film.

Review by Janer for Moviedoc

Follow on Instagram – @cksjaner

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