‘Clayface’ review: The Batman villain gets an edgy spin-off in James Watkins’ gory, predictable body horror

Dir: James Watkins. US. 2026. 108mins

DC Studios takes chances with its latest offering, the gory body-horror Clayface, which is an origin story for one of Batman’s myriad villains. Modestly budgeted and focusing on a character many viewers will be unfamiliar with, the film feels liberated from the straitjacket of expectations, delivering graphic violence and edgier storytelling than is typical of a blockbuster superhero saga. Director James Watkins provides B-movie grit, and Tom Rhys Harries is sympathetic as a Hollywood star who becomes disfigured and seeks a radical facial treatment, losing his soul in the process. But the picture’s combination of monster movie and love story ultimately suffers from a critical weakness: neither the presentation nor the tragic antihero is novel enough to sustain a full-length feature.

Director James Watkins provides B-movie grit

Warner Bros. releases the film in the UK and US on October 23, hoping to capitalise on the Halloween season. No rational box-office observer would put Clayface in the same commercial realm as last year’s Superman ($619 million worldwide) but, after the disappointment of Supergirl ($126 million), DC would like to see this lower-profile project succeed on its own terms. Sony spent years trying to turn Spider-Man’s nemeses into big-screen sensations, hitting pay dirt with 2018’s Venom ($856 million). Clayface represents Warner Bros.’ first attempt to do the same but, with no major stars, grosses should be solid as opposed to spectacular.

Actor Matt Hagen (Rhys Harries) is nearing superstardom, having just been nominated for an Oscar. But when he returns home to Gotham to celebrate, he runs afoul of ruthless crime boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik), who viciously slices up his beautiful face, leaving him horribly scarred. After a series of unsuccessful surgeries — as well as a smear campaign orchestrated against him by Szabo — Hagen is dropped by his Hollywood reps and left penniless.

Desperate to revive his career, Hagen seeks out Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a brilliant scientist developing an experimental procedure that could restore his flawless countenance. Corr warns him that human trials are at least a year away, but he convinces her to proceed and at first the treatment works wonders. But eventually, they notice odd side effects, such as his body’s sudden ability to heal instantly from any wound. Even more disturbing, Hagen starts being able to transform his face to resemble other people.

Watkins (2024’s Speak No Evil) draws on his horror background to create this dark, gruesome thriller, lingering on close-ups of broken bones and ripped flesh. With the characters shouting expletives and the story highlighting a little more sexual content than is typical for comic-book fare, the film targets an adult audience that should enjoy squirming once Hagen experiences the terrible repercussions of Corr’s procedure.

Initially, the character’s problems are limited to the shocking, sometimes disgusting changes happening to his body. (One scene, in which he uses scissors to cut open his sealed-shut eyes while flying in a plane travelling through severe turbulence, is memorably grisly.) But the screenplay, from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, later catalogues Hagen’s spiritual turmoil as he realises he has never known his true self, always shifting to be what others wanted. Adding to Hagen’s dilemma is his growing attraction to Corr, who possibly shares his feelings but is engaged to diligent, dull cop John Borrelli (Max Minghella). Hagen also starts obsessing about getting revenge on Szabo, which leads to an alarmingly ballooning body count as Hagen taps into his newfound powers.

Clayface revels in its nastiness, but the filmmakers also try to develop the tender bond between Hagen and Corr, who have both been abandoned by society. (Corr’s scientific breakthroughs were mocked and dismissed, leaving her a pariah among her peers.) The two actors have a warm rapport that gradually moves into something potentially romantic, and Ackie once again demonstrates the understated humanity that makes her characters so alive on screen.

But, once Hagen becomes consumed by the hatred and despair within himself, the narrative grows more generic, resulting in an ending that is predictable rather than poignantly inevitable. Despite some mild commentary about Hollywood’s shallowness, Clayface ultimately is not that different from countless other stories, from The Phantom Of The Opera to Darkman, about a disfigured, broken man and the brave, innocent woman who sees something beautiful inside him. It is refreshing that a film that takes place primarily in Gotham never bothers mentioning Batman, but Clayface could have used a character so instantly compelling and haunted.