Clayface Spoiler-free Review

by Cineman and Dean

CINEMAN

Another DC movie? Yeah, I guess count me in. Starring Tom Rhys Harries and Naomi Ackie, Clayface is written by Mike Flanagan & Hossein Amini, and directed by James Watkins, taking one of Gotham’s more unusual characters into the world of body horror. The trailers looked super captivating, promising something different from the usual superhero fare, and thankfully, the it delivers on that promise.

There are some absolutely grotesque and nightmarish moments here, with set pieces that lean into the gruesome side of Gotham and Clayface himself in ways that are genuinely uncomfortable to watch. If you’re a fan of body horror, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. But what I appreciated most is that Clayface doesn’t rely entirely on shock value to carry the experience.

At the centre of the story is Matt Hagen, a gorgeous, successful actor whose life takes a terrifying turn as he transforms into something barely recognisable as human. His journey from Hollywood heartthrob to absolute monster gives the film a solid character arc to build around. There’s something inherently compelling about watching a man lose not just his appearance, but the very thing that defines his identity.

The forces working against Matt are also well layered. From mob bosses to friends and colleagues who betray him, there’s no shortage of people making his life miserable. His complicated relationship with his physician adds another interesting dimension to the story. There’s plenty here to explore around vanity, ambition, exploitation and the pressures of an industry obsessed with appearances. Unfortunately, the film never quite digs deep enough to elevate these ideas into anything massively profound beyond general cautionary tales of fame and vanity. What you see is pretty much what you get.

Thankfully, the technical side of things is a real highlight. The practical effects, special effects and VFX are all impressively executed, with some fantastic moments captured in camera. I’ll always appreciate seeing a filmmaker pull off a cinematic magic trick without relying entirely on digital wizardry, and Clayface has a unique blend of the two that remind you just how effective these techniques can be.

Tom Rhys Harries carries the lead role really well, giving Matt enough humanity to make his transformation matter. Naomi Ackie is a welcome addition, and the supporting ensemble rounds things out nicely.

Ultimately, Clayface is a deeply captivating and accessible horror film that delivers a solid cinematic experience. It might not dig as deeply into its themes as I would have liked, but it’s a whole lot of fun, particularly with spooky right here! If body horror isn’t your thing, you might want to close your eyes during a few sequences, although I found it fairly manageable overall.

This is probably one of those films that’s even more fun with a crowd. Grab some popcorn, bring a few friends and prepare for some squirm-inducing moments. Gotham has never looked quite this gooey.

Cineman’s Rating: 7/10

DEAN

I’m going to get this out of the way immediately: horror movies are not my jam. Body horror even less so. But Clayface is a DC villain in Batman’s Rogues Gallery so I put my squeamishness aside (I covered my eyes for some scenes) and got pumped up. I’ve always enjoyed Clayface in the Batman Animated Series, Batman Caped Crusader, and the Harley Quinn animated show, so getting a proper live action version of the character in an R-rated horror film really piqued my interest.

In Clayface, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is the quintessential Hollywood movie star. He’s been nominated for an Academy Award. He’s popular and talented. He’s worked his way up from the Narrows in Gotham City to living lavishly in Coast City. His star is well and truly on the rise. But then he gets attacked and severely scarred, which leads everyone to drop him, but he wants to get his old life back so he volunteers for human trials for a procedure that will fix his face, but of course, this is a comic book movie so the side effects is that he turns into a terrifying revenge-filled clay monster, who can turn into anyone he wants and therefore losing his identity and humanity in the process.

I really enjoyed this iteration of the character, which combines a lot of Basil Karlo and Matt Hagen (the two main iterations of the character from the comics). The descent into madness, desperation to gain his old life back while losing himself in the process was really well executed. I never had any doubt that the story would be decent when I heard that Mike Flanagan (Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, Carrie, etc) co-wrote the screenplay. James Watkins’ direction was excellent too. He’s no stranger to horror having directed Eden Lake and Speak No Evil. I think it was smart to market this film as what it was: a body horror comic book movie. They leaned into that, and I think that worked tremendously.

I think Hagen’s character arc was great. You rooted for him but also felt that he was actually becoming the villain he’s supposed to be in the comics, and I loved watching that unfold on screen. The body horror was really well done even though I was fighting for my life to keep my eyes open. The gore and special effects really held up and there’s a particular scene in an aeroplane that kept me on the edge of my seat.

The performances were really solid in this. I think Tom Rhys Harries was really good as Matt Hagen. His chemistry with Caitlyn Corr (played by Naomi Ackie) was great. I like Max Minghella’s performance as a good cop in Gotham City (one of two, probably). I do think that the bad guys were a bit too generic and lackluster. I would have preferred some more substance to make the revenge aspect really satisfying. But this still ticked a lot of boxes for me as a DC fanboy.

I’m sure Sony must be looking at Clayface, and thinking “why did this work but our Spiderman villain movies didn’t?” … Well, you made bad movies. And this isn’t. It’s a solid story, good performances and really excellent effects. I didn’t think I needed Villain-centric stories in the DCU but with the Penguin series being excellent and this movie doing really well, I think I’m ready for more.

Dean’s Rating: 8/10

Clayface is in cinemas 23 October 2026.

Overall Team Rating: 7.5/10

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