Entertainment · Film · 1 day ago
Clayface brings DC’s body-horror villain to the screen, but critics are unimpressed
DC has released Clayface, a body-horror film about a Batman villain who can change shape.
It follows actor Matt Hagen, who is left scarred after an attack and turns to a scientist for treatment.
The film gives Clayface an origin story, presenting Hagen’s transformation as a personal and physical ordeal.
The project began with an idea from writer Mike Flanagan, but he left and Hossein Amini and James Watkins took over as writer and director.
Reviews say the film is gory but disappointing, with one critic describing its look as closer to television than a major film.
The release comes as DC faces a run of underperforming films and questions about the quality and direction of its franchise.
It remains unclear whether Clayface will stand alone or connect to DC’s wider film universe.
DC’s body-horror film Clayface has received negative reviews from the Guardian and Rolling Stone.
The Guardian called it a missed opportunity and said it was very gory but not very good.
Rolling Stone compared watching the film to eating Play-Doh and described it as flavorless.
The film follows actor Matt Hagen, who is left hideously scarred and undergoes treatments that restore his appearance.
The Guardian reported that the film was made for around $40 million.
- Who
- Clayface, a DC film directed by James Watkins, stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen.
- What
- The film gives Batman villain Clayface a body-horror treatment. The Guardian and Rolling Stone reviews were unimpressed.
- When
- The reviews were published on 21 October 2026.
- Where
- The story is set in Gotham City. Liverpool was used as a stand-in, according to the Guardian.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Matt Hagen is left hideously scarred after a razor blade attack and his acting career falters.
Scientist Caitlyn Corr gives Hagen a series of treatments that restore his appearance.
The Guardian and Rolling Stone publish negative reviews of Clayface.
- Production budget
- Around $40 million
- Director
- James Watkins
- Lead actor
- Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen
- Setting
- Gotham City
- Filming location used as a stand-in
- Liverpool
3 sources
What people are saying
Clayface is overwhelmingly not a moment.
watching this intriguing-on-paper chronicle of a Batman supervillain once again recast as a tragic antihero, one who’s dealing with the psychological fallout of his newly batshit physical state, is the equivalent of eating a handful of Play-Doh, and twice as flavorless.