Title – Clayface (2026)
Director – James Watkins (Speak No Evil)
Cast – Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, David Dencik
Plot – Rising movie star Matt Hagen’s (Rhys Harries) life is ruined by a run in with Gotham City crime boss Markos Szabo (Dencik), leading him to seek support from a potentially dangerous new medical treatment overseen by Caitlyn Corr (Ackie).
“It’s just skin, a very small part of who we are”
Review by Eddie on 23/10/2026
Bringing a body-horror spin to the DC comics feature film wheelhouse, director James Watkins team-up with the screenwriter duo of modern horror kingpin Mike Flanagan and Drive scribe Hossein Amini is a fast-paced and mostly fun ride that entertains throughout without ever morphing into something overtly memorable.
The first cab off the rank of DC’s newly minted Chapter One: Gods and Monsters phase that is being overseen by James Gunn, Clayface explores the tragic backstory of rising actor Matt Hagen, whose bright career is shattered by a run-in with a local Gotham crime boss, sending him down a dark and spiralling pathway towards physical transformation after his face is grossly disfigured.
Played by Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries, Hagen is one of the more tragic comic book figures bought to screen over recent times and even when the film doesn’t take the time to give all of its elements the right breathing amount of breathing room, Harries is hugely impressive here with his transformation from an unfortunate participant into an outright willing player in some horrific acts is a sight to behold.
With a career behind the camera exploring some dark themes and subject matters, including his stunning debut Eden Lake from 2008 and a hugely popular episode of the hit Netflix series Black Mirror, Watkins creative partnership under the watchful eye of Gunn and Flanagan allows Clayface to deliver some big payoffs in its gross out bodily horror (a scene on an aeroplane will have audiences squirming in their seats) and creepy moments (get ready for an interesting sleep analysis segment), helping ensure that Watkins film feels far from a stereotypical Hollywood comic book venture.
Wasting little time getting stuck straight into things, with Clayface likely to have benefited from a little more time establishing Hagen the man not the monster, Watkins keenness to keep things moving and the wince inducing moments to keep coming thick and fast does at times make Clayface’s first solo-outing feel like one that isn’t always comfortable in its own (slimy) skin, with many of the side characters like Naomi Ackie’s scientist, David Dencik’s big bad and Max Minghella’s cookie cutter partner/detective all feeling like mere necessities rather than adding a great deal to the overall enjoyment level of Watkin’s tale.
What is undeniable however is the fact that when Clayface really finds its groove in the second half of proceedings, the film starts to walk to a strong beat, culminating in one of the more memorable final acts from a DC film in some time, proving that with Harries on leading man duties and Hagen’s grotesque transformation now established, there’s some potentially great big screen Clayface moments awaiting viewers than can handle more of the nastiness that is on display here.
Final Say –
Not always able to juggle its lofty ambitions with the type of character development and storytelling nuance needed to take this type of origin tale to the high-end levels, Clayface is still an enjoyable body-horror offering that is sure to gain its share of followers who can handle its horrifying ingredients.
3 Albuquerque “cooks” out of 5
