Clayface opens in North America on October 23 and internationally on October 21. The film takes time to find its footing, but once it does, it delivers the sort of nasty yet fun body horror that director James Watkins, known for genre films like The Woman in Black and the Black Mirror episode "Shut Up and Dance," aimed for. Watkins crafts a gritty throwback to 1950s and '60s revenge thrillers and low-budget horror, echoing cult classics from the '80s and '90s with shades of The Fly, Darkman, and Johnny Handsome.
Based on the DC Comics character and penned by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, Clayface follows rising star Matt Hagen, portrayed by Tom Rhys Harries. Hagen, a Gotham City native with a tough background, becomes a successful actor but falls afoul of crime lord Markos Szabo, whose thugs disfigure his face. With no recourse from the law or medical professionals, Matt seeks help from Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a scientist whose experimental, AI-infused nanobot regenerative technology was stolen by former partners. Matt volunteers as a human test subject, and while initially promising, his new skincare regimen has unintended, monstrous consequences.
Harries brings a young Malcolm McDowell-esque quality to Matt, hinting at an inner darkness without overplaying the role. Ackie portrays Caitlyn as more misguided than mad, despite her responsibility for Matt's transformation. The film suggests the nanobots amplify a pre-existing dark side in Matt rather than creating it whole cloth.
The film shifts gears as Matt's pursuit of those who wronged him begins, finally embracing its absurdity and unleashing clever, thrilling, and darkly funny sequences. The creative team, including cinematographer Rob Hardy and makeup designer Nicole Stafford, effectively utilizes Matt's shapeshifting abilities, finding both humor and tension in his literal inhabitation of different characters. As Matt devolves morally and physically, his comic and cartoon-accurate final form is revealed in the film's closing moments, capping his tragic downfall.
While carrying the DC Studios banner and set in Gotham City, Clayface feels largely independent of the wider DCU, proving that the franchise can offer more than just superhero battles. The effectiveness of its old-school practical makeup effects in depicting Matt's transformations, coupled with Harries' desperate performance, sells the illusion of a man becoming a monster. The film's greatest strength lies in its willingness to embrace its B-movie absurdity, making for a fun body horror romp that caters to those with a strong stomach.