[HorrorScience] Clayface (2026)

Reading time: 8 minutes

YEAR

2026

DIRECTOR

James Watkins

SCRIPT

Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini

DURATION

108 minutes

DISTRIBUTION

Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Nancy Carroll, Joshua James, Aaron Paul

In cinematographic terms, the DC universe is not going through its best moments, but at the same time, it must be admitted that some of the productions they are making are notably beyond expectations. This gives me enormous joy, because years ago I would never have imagined that I would see a series aboutPeacemakereitherCreature Commandosand I certainly wouldn't have expected them to create a movie about the classic Batman villain, Clayface (aka Clayface).

Clayface is a somewhat complicated characterwithin Batman's rogues gallery, and that is duebecause there are at least eight different versionsof this character since its creation in 1940, until today. These, instead of replacing each other, coexist in the same universe, which causes them to rarely even collaborate, as in the mythical story known asMud Pack, where the first four Clayfaces team up to get revenge on Batman.

Because of this, the first question that came to mind when I learned about the creation of this film was: Which Clayface are they going to adapt? And the second, obviously, was will Batman or some other important Gotham character appear?

After seeing the film in the cinema, I see that they have decided to adapt the story of the first Clayface, but using the name and appearance of the second and no, there is no Batman or anything related to him, because even though the film takes place in Gotham, it could have happened anywhere else and no one would have noticed the difference.

Because this movie is very recent, I am going to be brief and without going into details of the plot, to avoid spoiling it for someone, although it is also true thatIt is better to see the movie before reading any article that talks about it just in case.

The film begins by showing us actor Matt Hagen, who has just been nominated for an Oscar for best actor. This totally moves the protagonist, since his career towards stardom was notably tough, as he grew up with an abusive father in one of the most conflictive and poorest areas of Gotham.

Luck smiles on Matt, and he decides to celebrate by enjoying himself with a stranger, who coincidentallyShe is the partner of a powerful Gotham businessman and mobster named Markos Szabo., which will cause problems the next day, when the gangster and his henchmenThey cut off Matt's face as revenge.

With his face completely disfigured,Matt is replaced in the film he was going to shoot and also abandoned by his agent.In addition, he is also scammed by the surgeon who operated on him to try to reconstruct his face and, if that were not enough, Markos's influence means that Matt's legal battle against him ends up being useless, which leaves his reputation irrecoverably affected.

Desperation consumes Matt, who loses absolutely everything and has to return to the neighborhood where he grew up, to waste away inside his dirty, small apartment. At that moment he sees a news story that talks about an experimental treatment with living cells that repair possible defects in the skin, muscles and bones. Desperate, Matt turns to Dr. Caitlyn, responsible for the treatment, who is unable to advance her research after having lost the funds.Matt offers to be his guinea pig, freeing her from any legal responsibility for what happens to her during treatment.

Little by little, Matt's face recovers and he finally gets his second chance at stardom again, leaving behind everyone who took advantage of him and left him to his fate just when he needed them most. However, during his primeMatt begins to see the side effects of the treatment, since his face begins to disfigure uncontrollably. Dr. Caitlyn manages to make him recover, but warns him that it is best to stop the treatment, since they are unaware of the side effects. Matt is opposed to the idea, preferring to risk them rather than miss his chance again.

ClayfaceIt is a contained film.It stands alone, there are no references to anything related to other DC charactersand it can be enjoyed perfectly without having any idea who Clayface is or without knowing that it comes from the Batman comics, which seems like a success to me.

I think its low budget (about 44 million) can work more in its favor than against it, since instead of stuffing us with special effects showing Hagen's skills, it uses various much cheaper effects (such as showing his silhouette in shadow, or making cuts when he turns into someone, instead of showing the complete process),showing only the character as he appears in the comics in the final part of the film.

It is worth clarifying thatThis film can be included in the horror subgenre called “Body Horror”,so we will see manydeformations and explicit scenes that may stir some more sensitive stomachs. It's curious, because these scenes go from less to more, and in the final part of the film they let themselves go and give us a couple of original and bloody deaths or at least, tremendously explicit.

Clayface is a short film (just over an hour and a half) that, in general terms, I liked. It is not something that breaks the mold, nor is it going to be unforgettable, but it is an approach to the horror genre by DC and it also gives the opportunity to a comic book character that I really like and who is not usually found among the most popular inhabitants of Gotham.

However, my purist side makes me wish that the story was slightly different, that it was based on the story of Basil Karlo (the original Clayface) instead of Matt Hages (the second Clayface). It's also a bit cliché that they put in a remarkably forced and one-sided romance. In a certain sense,This movie mixes elements of the first three Clayface, as it has a similar origin to the first, Basil Karlo (the disgraced movie star who murders for revenge), the appearance and name of the second, Matt Hagen (as well as his ability to change shape) and the romantic dependence of the third, Preston Payne, (who required his beloved to be able to control himself and not end up going crazy).

Clayfaceis in a rather delicate situation, since its bloody scenes andhis "Body Horror” may alienate fans of superhero movies, but at the same time,It's not raw enough(at least not in all the scenes) to attract die-hard fans of this type of cinema. In any case, I am delighted that they have dared to give a film to a minor character, who I also like a lot and, honestly,If I had to make a Clayface movie, I would have also chosen to make it horror,genre that is also linked to its several original comic versions.

Curiosities

At no time is the name ClayFace used to refer to the protagonist
Writer Mike Flanagan was the one who convinced producer James Gunn to make a film centered on this character.
The release date was planned for September 2026, but it was delayed to coincide with Halloween and thus try to attract the public that goes to see horror movies on that date.
Aaron Paul plays Matt's father, but he only appears briefly in the film. Apparently many scenes were shot with him, which were going to be used as Flashback to tell Clayface's childhood, but they were finally cut from the final version.
The mask Matt wears to hide his disfigured face could be a reference to the mud mask the first Clayface wore to hide his identity.
Mike Flanagan admitted that he based it on the Clayface episodes of the '90s Batman animated series, which explains the tremendous resemblance in the story and the choice of Matt Hagen as the protagonist, instead of Basil Karlo (the original Clayface and the one who usually appears in the comics more frequently).