{"id":809618,"date":"2026-10-21T20:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T20:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/809618\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T20:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T20:56:11","slug":"clayface-review-dcu-molds-villain-origin-story-into-fun-horror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/809618\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Clayface’ Review: DCU Molds Villain Origin Story Into Fun Horror"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tIf James Gunn\u2019s Superman was for the classic superhero fans, James Watkins<\/a>\u2018 Clayface<\/a> is for the horror junkies.<\/p>\n

\n\tFittingly penned by Exorcist: Martyrs horror maestro Mike Flanagan and Drive scribe Hossein Amini, Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries<\/a> as the titular Batman villain, who starts off as rising actor Matt Hagen from humble Gotham City roots before he crosses the brutal mafioso Szabo (David Dencik).<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Szabo cuts up Matt\u2019s face in one of many graphic scenes, the actor loses his career and just about everything else in his life. But when he discovers the groundbreaking nanotech research of Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), he convinces her to restore his face to its former glory, only to result in terrifying side effects and a bloody quest for revenge.<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing the upbeat hero\u2019s story of 2025\u2019s Superman, Gunn\u2019s DCU<\/a> plays with multiple genres in its latest outing, delivering a suspenseful body horror about a bright young star\u2019s transformation into the iconic supervillain from Batman\u2019s rogues\u2019 gallery.<\/p>\n

\n\tHarries\u2019 undeniable chemistry with Ackie gives the movie a sexy rom-com element at times, before his charming infatuation grows into something darker and toxic, becoming the monster to her Dr. Frankenstein.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith the discovery of his new abilities, Matt is able to shape-shift into whoever he wants, adding a chilling element reminiscent of John Carpenter\u2019s The Thing (1982) and the 1998 Denzel Washington thriller Fallen. It\u2019s also played for laughs in one scene as Matt gets caught mid-transformation, sporting a little black dress and earrings.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot only does Watkins nail the jump-scares, but he also spares no detail in the creative kills and graphic body horror scenes, the likes of which you\u2019ll doubtfully see in Man of Tomorrow.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Matt learns he can regenerate from even the most gruesome injuries, there\u2019s also a Jason X quality to the horror of his super abilities.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe flick is sure to resonate in Hollywood as part of Matt\u2019s journey takes place in the film industry of DC Comics\u2019 L.A. surrogate, Coast City.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile the movie highlights the reality of corrupt cops who are in the wealthy\u2019s pockets, as well as medical companies that prioritize cosmetic surgery advancements over life-saving discoveries, Clayface never preaches to its audience like previous DCU films might have been accused of doing.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhether you\u2019re a comic book nerd or a horror junkie, Clayface is worth the price of admission for its genre-driven approach to a lesser-known character, hopefully serving as a roadmap for the DCU\u2019s onscreen future.<\/p>\n

\n\tTitle: Clayface
Distributor: Warner Bros
Release date: October 23, 2026
Director: James Watkins
Screenwriters: Mike Flanagan & Hossein Amini
Cast: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hr 48 mins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If James Gunn\u2019s Superman was for the classic superhero fans, James Watkins\u2018 Clayface is for the horror junkies.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":809619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9711,9408,1154,96,59,9712,62264,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-809618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-clayface","tag-dc-studios","tag-dcu","tag-entertainment","tag-gb","tag-james-watkins","tag-tom-rhys-harries","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=809618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/809618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/809619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=809618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=809618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=809618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}