The DC Universe (DCU) risks a bold move with a Batman character’s tragic origin story that isn’t the Dark Knight. Clayface delivers as a great body horror psychological thriller. It taps into its full potential, but it cuts itself short at times.
Clayface follows rising actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) as he becomes Hollywood’s top entertainer. He receives a nomination for a prestigious film award, and his ascent begins. He is on top of the world.
However, it all comes tumbling down after a one-night stand with the wife of Gotham City’s crime boss. Markos Sazabo (David Dencik) puts him in his cross hairs and leaves his face bloodily scarred as revenge.
Matt loses his movie star good looks, ending his career and leaving his life in shambles. In a desperate attempt to get his life back, he turns to scientist Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), who is working on a scientific experiment to repair human tissue.
The surgery heals his scarring completely, but there are big side effects. They surface when the worst of his emotions get the better of him.
Returning to his old life all fades away once Matt discovers his ability to physically imitate anyone he sees and he starts to lose his grip on his sanity. His dreams of coming back to the spotlight soon turn to a path of revenge on those who have wronged him.
The movie does a great job setting up Matt’s backstory as a debonair actor who loses his career over one fatal mistake. Director James Watkins does well in blending Clayface’s origin story with horror elements, using grotesque scenes that often feel unsettling with visual effects that show Matt’s face deteriorating after his seemingly successful surgery begins to take a dark turn.
Things kick into high gear once Matt gets used to his newfound abilities with some fantastical sequences that beautifully illustrate a man on a quest for vengeance. Even with the practical effects, there is some CGI used in the film, but it’s barely noticeable thanks to some camera angles that don’t completely unveil the monster Matt has become.
What is great is that we see him just getting the hang of his abilities on the fly, making him not only adapt to the changes happening to him but embracing them.
The script by horror icon Mike Flanagan and screenwriter Hossein Amini forms a great balance between the circumstances of Matt’s newfound transformation and the consequences of his actions as he steps into his darker side.
It’s as if his acting chops are translated into his metamorphosis as a killer when he takes on the form of other people he eventually kills. Once he loses himself to the monster within him, Matt fully embraces the villain he becomes as a great tragic arc in his evolution as one of Batman’s most dangerous adversaries.
We don’t see an appearance by Batman, but that’s okay, because this is all focused on Matt becoming Clayface — thanks to Harries’ performance. This is his first lead role, and he nails the part with charm and mischief.
There’s a lot of physicality and mentality in this role, requiring Harries to portray a man who is losing his grip on reality to become a killer. Harries understood the assignment and gives a knockout performance in this role.
Naomi Ackie also gives her best to play a scientist who is caught between changing the world for the better with her new treatment and feeling responsible for what is happening to Matt.
There is a romance angle between Caitlyn and Matt that doesn’t play off well due to her devotion to her fiancé, a Gotham City cop. The two men in her life overshadow Ackie’s character, and the story goes nowhere.
Clayface operates as a standalone horror film, drawing on its strengths as a stylized B-movie psychological thriller. However, the movie doesn’t align with the grand DCU being built as other recent films have.
It isn’t a superhero film, and it isn’t a pure villain story. Instead, it functions as a revenge-focused tale.
Ultimately, Clayface operates as a bold body horror movie within a comic book world. It functions more like a standalone film, not tied to any property.
It’s a solid take on an underrated villain, but it does often fall short of other iconic horror movies that it takes inspiration from. It rightly leans into the character’s territory of scariness and gore. Hopefully the DCU could expand with more bold, out-of-the-box stories like this.
Clayface is now playing in theaters everywhere.
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Mufsin Mahbub
Mufsin Mahbub is a TV and film fanatic who loves all things superhero, sci-fi, horror, and mystery. Outside of writing, he enjoys traveling, gaming, and watching some anime.