The brand new movie “Clayface” (directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini) hit the silver screen on Oct. 23, 2026 to mixed, but leaning positive, reviews. It’s the latest addition to the James Gunn DC Cinematic Universe, however, it’s far from your average superhero movie. “Clayface” takes a body horror angle on the classic Batman villain and titular character, a rarity for superhero movies.

The movie stars Tom Rhys Harris as a big-time Hollywood actor named Matt Hagen, and Naomi Ackie as a struggling doctor named Caitlyn Corr. For those unfamiliar with the source material, Clayface is typically depicted as a struggling actor (either named Basil Karlo or Matt Hagen depending on the iteration) who undergoes an experimental procedure to reshape his face. Said procedure goes horribly wrong and turns him into a shapeshifting monster made of clay.

With a runtime of 108 minutes, “Clayface” wastes no time introducing Hagen’s new persona. This choice to have the procedure happen so early comes at the detriment of the movie. There is not a lot of time for the viewer to grow attached to Hagen and sit in his despair as his career spirals out of control before he makes this life-altering decision.

Aside from a rushed beginning, the movie is executed wonderfully. In particular, the effects team did an incredible job with the practical effects through the film. This is a body horror movie so there’s quite a bit of gore, most of it done practically. According to Watkins, this was done to control costs and adhere to the gritty aesthetic. There’s multiple scenes that had viewers squirming in their seats and audibly whincing.

Speaking of viewers, this movie was a risk for a number of reasons, one of which being the box office flop of DC’s last project, “Supergirl”. After the moderate success of the 2025 film “Superman”, DC was let down by its spinoff not making back its budget of roughly $170 million. “Clayface” was made for less than a quarter of that movie’s budget and made back what the studio spent on it in the opening weekend.

After an early showing of “Clayface”, a longtime fan said, “I’m not even big on horror movies but this film was masterfully done. I’m really hoping this opens the door for more relatively niche villains from Batman’s rogues gallery to have time in the limelight.” Beaming after the movie ended, he added, “Imagine a movie about DC’s Killer Croc and his origin story!” Fans want more and the door is open because of the success of “Clayface”.

This fan also remarked about the way the movie builds tension. Without giving away too much, there’s a scene where the main character’s clay abilities begin acting up in an enclosed public space and he has to find a way to stop it without getting caught. The scene goes on for what feels like forever and the audience spends the whole time waiting for what they assume is going to go wrong, just for everything to go as smoothly as someone with a face made of melting clay could hope for.

Another standout factor is the performances from the cast. None of them are the same 20 names you see in every big movie, but maybe they should be. Harris does a phenomenal job playing the character of Matt Hagen. Him being a rising star wouldn’t be convincing if Chris Hemsworth was playing the role (which isn’t meant to slight either one of them.)

Harris shows range in this film, going from a revenge hungry super villain, to an overwhelmed man down on his luck and madly in love with a woman he can’t have. Without revealing who he spends the movie yearning for, her performance is fantastic as well. Everyone in the cast, including random side characters with maybe 10 seconds of screen time bring gravity to their scenes.

Lastly, this movie might seem unapproachable to people who aren’t fans of DC but when actually watching it, it’s easy to forget it’s even a DC film. It does take place in Gotham City but Batman (or even Bruce Wayne for that matter) are completely absent from mention. There are references for eagle-eyed fans, but nothing terribly in your face.

In a year where some of the most talked about films are horror, nobody expected this movie to stand out. Come award season, maybe it won’t, especially compared to movies like Curry Barker’s “Obsession” or Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms”. However, this movie screams cult classic. It’s a very solid 8/10 and should be seen by anyone who’s a fan of horror or superheroes.