It might take some time to adjust to exactly what kind of film James Watkins’ Clayface (2026) is. You can’t lump this in with the comic book films that aim for a gritty, grounded tone, nor is it an elevated horror experience with grand ideas about generational trauma. Clayface exists only to please one side of the horror fandom: the freaks obsessed with gory, campy B movies where nobody talks like a real human being. More in line with the silliness of Malignant (2021) than the dourness of something like Midsommar (2019), Clayface is a slice of glorious nonsense.
First written by Mike Flanagan (Carrie, The Exorcist: Martyrs) and later revised by Hossein Amini (Drive), Clayface takes a while to reveal itself as a delightfully unserious movie. We follow rising actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) on the most pivotal weekend of his life. Within a couple of nights, he receives his first Oscar nomination, goes home with the wrong girl at a club, and has his face sliced apart by a Gotham City mob boss. The story’s first act speeds through Hagen’s descent, depicting his acting prospects falling apart due to his facial disfigurement, his attempt to file charges running his bank account dry, and, last but not least, his public perception being tarnished by assault allegations.
‘Clayface’ Embraces the Camp
The difference in character between Hagen at the start of the film and by the time his life has fallen apart is sold incredibly well by the script and by Tom Rhys Harries’ performance. We open on a genuinely nice person who knows everyone’s name on set, doesn’t seem to have an ego, and has such a sincere response to his Oscar nomination. His growing anger at the world throughout the movie is not only justified, but also parallels who viewers first meet.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Hagen’s desperation leads him to Naomi Ackie’s Caitlyn, a radical doctor toying with experimental cell regrowth. In Hagen’s own words, he describes Caitlyn’s stem cell particles as “method actors,” and from that point on, Clayface heads in a direction closer to the work of James Wan and the Final Destination franchise. Enjoyably corny dialogue and acting choices accompany brutal kills that horror fiends won’t be able to get enough of. In fact, Clayface’s biggest flaw is that it should have gone harder on its campy tropes.
DC’s First Body Horror Showcase
DC fans get to see Hagen use his newfound body-morphing powers in incredibly creative ways, while also struggling with his rapidly changing condition. Whether he’s melding his hand with another man’s throat before ripping it out or performing surgery on his own face with nose hair scissors, there are so many examples of Clayface getting super gnarly with its gore and body horror. However, some of the action in the final act defaults to stiff hand-to-hand combat, feeling like a wasted opportunity to use Hagen’s powers. The film’s final kill absolutely delivers on that promise, though.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Additionally, Naomi Ackie (I Love Boosters, Mickey 17) is slightly wasted as Dr. Caitlyn Corr. Her scientist character is charming enough, and she has a great dynamic with both Tom Rhys Harries and Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale), who plays her Gotham PD detective fiancé, John Borrelli. Ackie gets to inhabit the role of a final girl in some moments closer to the end, yet they are brief and frustratingly sparse.
The New Gotham City is a Glimpse Into Hell
Beyond delivering on the body horror genre, Clayface reveals a side of the fledgling DCU fans haven’t seen before. Director James Watkins, best known for Eden Lake (2008), The Woman in Black (2012), and Speak No Evil (2024), sets Clayface apart from what has come before. His visuals aren’t overtly spectacular, but his use of shadows is a lovely touch. Of course, the film gives audiences the first look at the DCU Gotham, which, appropriately, looks like a glimpse into hell. You would hate to spend more than 10 minutes in this place; the city doesn’t seem to have a single clean street, and every passerby looks dodgy.
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
This is a Gotham that desperately needs a billionaire in a bat costume to clean it up. Other than that, Clayface keeps it light on DC and Batman lore, thankfully. The last thing this movie needs is to bloat itself by introducing important players in the universe. Shockingly, Clayface even passes up the chance to drop in Easter eggs. In one scene, Max Minghella’s Detective Borrelli walks through the Gotham PD station, a perfect chance to at least mention a certain Commissioner Gordon by name. Passing up on that chance says a lot about how committed this narrative is to being self-contained.
Glorious (Franchise) Freedom
One big hurdle Clayface had to contend with was depicting a protagonist with a physical visible difference. The script sidesteps this hurdle by telling a cautionary tale about the pursuit of visual, surface-level perfection and how inner ugliness will always find a way out. It’s not revolutionary, but it saves the film from straying too far into problematic territory.
Clayface works as a lean, focused character piece with appropriately gruesome action. Other live-action DCU projects like James Gunn’s Superman (2025), Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl (2026), and HBO’s Lanterns had the responsibility of establishing pillars of the universe, introducing important lore, or recovering the reputation of an IP. Clayface makes full use of its freedom from those expectations. Removed from the DCU, though, it still excels as a splatty B movie and shows the variety of stories the comic book genre can tell beyond big crossover spectacles.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
‘Clayface’ hits theaters on October 23!
Release Date: October 23, 2026.
Directed by James Watkins.
Screenplay by Mike Flanagan & Hossein Amini.
Story by Mike Flanagan.
Based on characters from DC Comics.
Produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn, & Peter Safran.
Executive Producers: Pete Chiappetta, Rafi Crohn, Andrew Lary, Trevor Macy, Chantal Nong Vo, Paul Ritchie, Anthony Tittanegro, Michael E. Uslan, & Lars P. Winther.
Main Cast: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Nancy Carroll, Joshua James, Francesca Corney, Ruby Sear, & Wil Coban.
Cinematographer: Rob Hardy.
Composer: Volker Bertelmann.
Editor: Jon Harris.
Production Companies: DC Studios, 6th & Idaho, Troll Court Entertainment, & The Safran Company.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Runtime: 108 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
