Clayface Review: DC Delivers Gruesome Body Horror

Clayface follows Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a rising Hollywood actor whose promising career is destroyed after a violent attack leaves him horribly disfigured. Desperate to reclaim his former life, Matt turns to scientist Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), whose experimental treatment restores his appearance but produces unexpected physical and psychological consequences, sending him down a dangerous path of revenge.

Clayface Review:

The Good

First and foremost, the makeup and costume design in Clayface are phenomenal. The prosthetics and practical effects do a remarkable job of making Matt’s disfigurement and transformations look believable. Of course, there’s some VFX involved, but everything blends together extremely well, especially when the movie starts getting gruesome.

I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie. Both deliver solid performances, and their scenes together are among the strongest moments in the film. Ackie comes through just as I expected, while Harries does an especially convincing job capturing Matt’s changing psychology. There’s a gradual progression in his character, and I thought Harries demonstrated that transformation extremely well.

Another thing I appreciated was how the movie modernized Clayface’s origin story. If you’re familiar with the older comics or Batman: The Animated Series, you know that back in the day, somebody could fall into a vat of chemicals and suddenly develop extraordinary abilities. Here, the filmmakers use advanced technology to explain Matt’s condition.

It’s still science fiction, obviously, but they ground the explanation enough that it doesn’t feel completely out of reach. I found myself thinking, “You know what? Maybe in five years, something like this could actually happen.” That balance between science fiction and fantasy worked for me.

The pacing of Matt’s transformation was another highlight. He doesn’t suddenly develop these abilities and immediately understand everything he can do. Instead, the movie allows him to discover and develop his powers little by little. I appreciated that progression because we get to understand his condition alongside him.

Once we reach the second and third acts, things really start turning up. I have to give the filmmakers credit for some incredibly creative deaths. There’s one particular moment late in the movie that I absolutely did not see coming. I won’t spoil it, but the execution was unique, and I appreciated how inventive they got with the violence.

And speaking of violence, my goodness, the body horror in this movie is something else. That airplane sequence alone had me sitting there thinking, “Yo, come on, man!” Some of this stuff is downright nasty. If you’re a fan of gruesome practical effects, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

I also liked how the story handled its villains. The movie doesn’t try to force audiences into believing somebody is good or bad. It presents these characters and their motivations in a relatively straightforward way, allowing us to understand their actions without necessarily agreeing with them.

Another nice touch was the world-building surrounding the Gotham City Police Department. Without getting into spoilers, I thought the film did a good job illustrating why someone like Commissioner Gordon is so necessary in Gotham and why his eventual relationship with Batman matters.

Most importantly, Clayface stays true to the psychology of a Batman villain. Gotham has always been home to deeply troubled characters, and this movie doesn’t pull any punches when exploring that side of its world.

The Bad

While I enjoyed the storytelling overall, a few developments were fairly predictable. Some twists are clearly intended to surprise audiences, but I found myself saying, “Yeah, I saw that coming a mile away.” Nothing here ruins the movie, but if you’re someone who pays close attention to storytelling patterns, you’ll probably recognize a few surprises before they happen.

My other issue is the amount of gore. I always compare horror movies to spicy food because everybody has a different tolerance level. Sometimes spicy food can be too spicy, and sometimes horror movies can be too gory.

That’s how I felt during certain scenes in Clayface. Sometimes the filmmakers linger on the violence longer than necessary. I’m sitting there thinking, “Hey, y’all can pull away now. I get the point!” My imagination can fill in the blanks without showing me every gruesome detail. Horror fans with a higher tolerance might disagree, but for me, some moments went a little too far.

Finally, I wasn’t always satisfied with how the cinematography handled Matt’s transformations. There are moments when the movie uses quick cuts to show him switching appearances, and some transitions happen so fast that they almost feel like shortcuts.

I understand that showing every transformation requires time and money, but a few of these moments came across as noticeably cheap. Even a brief visual transition would have helped sell the effect rather than simply cutting from one appearance to another.

The Verdict

Clayface is a true creature feature that understands exactly what it is, delivering the gruesome body horror and gritty storytelling that make it a refreshing addition to the DC Universe.

This movie reminded me of the horror films we used to get in the 1990s, particularly with its darker atmosphere, pacing, and unapologetic approach to violence. It doesn’t feel like a traditional superhero movie, and I appreciated that.

What’s interesting is that most superhero spin-offs leave me wondering when the main hero will finally show up. That wasn’t the case here. Instead of asking where Batman was, I found myself wondering, “How the hell is Batman going to fight this guy?” That alone speaks to how effectively the movie establishes Clayface as a legitimate threat.

I do want to emphasize that this is absolutely not a movie for the squeamish. If graphic bodily harm makes you uncomfortable, consider yourself warned. This movie is nasty, okay? It’s nasty. Despite a few predictable moments, excessive gore, and some questionable editing choices, I enjoyed Clayface. The performances are strong, the practical effects are impressive, and I’m genuinely interested in seeing where DC takes this character next.

Clayface Trailer:

 

Director: James Watkins
Writer(s): Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini
Stars: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan
Clayface is in theaters now.  Be sure to follow E-Man’s Movie Reviews on Facebook, Subscribe on YouTube, or follow me on Twitter/IG @EmansReviews for even more movie news and reviews!