In her latest review, Dami Angela Akinniranye shares their thoughts on DC’s latest big-screen outing.
Tom Rhys Harries is disgustingly handsome, bringing a boyish charm to Clayface that makes us root for a Batman villain long before he becomes one. As Matt Hagen, he revels in his newfound stardom, enjoying life as Hollywood’s latest rising celebrity – until a chance encounter with Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro), the girlfriend of mob boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik), at a Gotham nightclub changes everything. Szabo responds in suitably cartoonish fashion, slicing Matt’s face and setting in motion a grim origin story that sends his fortunes into a devastating nosedive.
Facing ruin, Matt turns to Dr Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a mad scientist and his eventual love interest, for help. Her experimental procedure implants nanobots into Matt, granting him extraordinary abilities and drawing clear parallels with the tale of Frankenstein. But Caitlyn’s fiancé, detective John Borrelli (Max Minghella), seemingly Gotham’s one good cop, threatens to derail their growing connection. Matt’s newfound abilities come at a price, however, and his story soon takes a decidedly violent turn. A John Wick-like sequence towards the film’s climax sees his revenge-fuelled rampage reach a bloody crescendo, culminating in a twist that leaves us on the edge of our seats.
Blending horror, action, and psychological tension, Clayface moves confidently between genres, drawing on the strengths of the filmmakers behind it. The screenplay, penned by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, is based on an original story by Flanagan, the horror heavyweight behind The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. Director James Watkins is equally at home in the darker corners of cinema, having previously helmed The Woman in Black and Speak No Evil, as well as the acclaimed Black Mirror episode ‘Shut Up and Dance’.
Here, Watkins deftly weaves together commentary on beauty, the cosmetics industry, and emotional regulation. Matt might have reclaimed his old life had he been able to control his newfound powers and emotions. Instead, Clayface unfolds as a tragedy about a man whose inability to move beyond his anger ultimately transforms him into a monster. Watkins has described Mike Flanagan’s original screenplay as “a tragedy in three acts”, explaining that his aim was to honour that structure. Flanagan has since stepped back from the finished film due to other commitments, including an upcoming The Exorcist project. As he put it: “Clayface, very much is not mine. It’s James Watkins’ movie.”
In casting Clayface, Watkins has assembled an ensemble that brings real weight to the story. In an interview, he explained that he was drawn to Harries because of his ability to "flip between darkness and sympathy", praising the actor's capacity to move through "micro expressions between sympathetic and wounded to something more menacing. "Harries delivers on that promise, making Matt utterly compelling. We're never simply watching a monster, but a wounded man whose desperation gradually curdles into rage. Naomi Ackie is, as ever, a delight to watch, bringing genuine depth to what could otherwise have been a fairly conventional revenge story. The chemistry between her and Harries is equally engaging, sparking whenever they share the screen.
It’s refreshing to see practical makeup effects and a little old-fashioned movie magic on screen. Certain cuts, particularly as Matt “changes” his face from one character to another, fondly evoke memories of low-budget horror classics. The goopy VFX are enormous fun and very hard to look away from. Watkins consciously leaned into practical effects explaining: “There’s something about doing it for real in camera. It’s stronger. Actors are in the moment. They’re responding to something real.”
This latest tale from Gotham has enjoyed a decent opening weekend, which must come as a relief to DC, whose explorations of the murkier territory between villain and antihero have met with varying degrees of success. From the chaotic ensemble pieces of Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey to the darker, more introspective character studies of Joker and The Batman, the studio has repeatedly mined the darker corners of its comic-book universe. Much like Logan, Clayface sidesteps the familiar superhero formula, embracing a fresh tone and genre to offer something distinctly different from the usual comic-book fare. Die-hard fans should be warned, however: this may not be a word-for-word adaptation of Batman: The Animated Series (1992), but it certainly pays its respects.
Beneath its monstrous exterior, Clayface is an enjoyable film, and at times even a surprisingly sweet one. If you can stomach the body horror, there’s a compelling comic-book tragedy here, centred on a rage-fuelled antihero whose descent into monstrosity is as fascinating as it is gruesome.
Clayface is in cinemas 23rd October 2026.
