Running Time: 108 Minutes
Certification: 18
Starring: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Eddie Marsan, Max Minghella, David Dencik, Francesca Corney, Ruby Sear, Wil Coban, Joshua James, Jake Curran, Nancy Carroll, Rob Brydon
Surely comic-books and the horror genre are a perfect match? Both were once considered outsider interests that were accused of corrupting the minds of the youth, while their cinematic outputs have been box-office draws while containing devoted fanbases. There has been crossover between the two, with notable examples including Blade, 30 Days of Night, and Constantine. As part of the new universe spearheaded by James Gunn, DC Studios have already set themselves apart with Clayface, a foray into 18-rated horror focusing on a Batman villain.
The story follows Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), an up-and-coming actor who has risen from a Gotham City street kid to a Hollywood leading man. He is enjoying life after receiving an award nomination, but that all changes when he sleeps with a mobster's girlfriend. The mobster retaliates by brutally slicing Matt's face, leaving him scarred and unrecognisable. Having lost his roles, his agent, and his money on unhelpful surgery, Matt willingly signs up as a human guinea-pig for the nanocell treatment of an experimental scientist (Naomi Ackie). Miraculously, Matt's original looks are restored thanks to regeneration of his face's damaged tissue, but it also gives him worrying side-effects.
Back in 2021, writer/director Mike Flanagan revealed his desire to make a standalone film based around Clayface, inspired by a two-part episode from Batman: The Animated Series called Feat of Clay. The prospect of a horror-tragedy from the creative behind Doctor Sleep and Midnight Mass felt like an exemplary idea, but Flanagan was unable to direct due to previous commitments to Amazon's Carrie series, and next year's The Exorcist: Martyrs. He still retains a screenwriting credit which is now shared with writer Hossein Amini (Drive, Snow White and the Huntsman), while the directorial duties are in the hands of James Watkins (Eden Lake, 2024's Speak No Evil).
In the lead role, Tom Rhys Harries is a great find as the young man intent on proving that he's better than his harsh upbringing. He is framed as a rising star that Hollywood fell in love with, which is easy to believe when the performance captures such charm. Matt's success is important to him, so when that is taken away, the desperation comes forth to try reclaiming what he had. Even when the screenplay is on shaky ground, and neglecting to show much of Matt's life prior to his facial scarring, Harries effectively sells the character through his many changes. Whether helplessly watching his life fall apart, or viciously taking back control, the central performance grounds things in believable emotion.
Admittedly, few of the cast stand out when they have to contend with rather clunky lines. Naomi Ackie brings warmth into her role as the scientist, intent on proving her technology works while also being the film's moral conscience. Eddie Marsan fulfils his role effectively while also contributing to the film's most effective jump scare, and a special mention is deserved for Rob Brydon leaving a memorable impression with his small appearance. However, it is noticeable how Max Minghella sleepwalks through his role as a Gotham City police detective.
Where the film truly comes alive is with the body-horror elements, as the terrific practical effects capture Matt's gooey transformation that he grows more comfortable with. His embrace of these shape-shifting abilities leads to him wreaking clay-based vengeance, which is best depicted during a standout nightclub-set sequence. There are moments when computer-generated effects appear, and it is a noticeable downgrade to the impressive practical work, but thankfully these moments are the rarity.
What unfortunately lets down the film is its screenplay. Just looking back to films from 2024, A Different Man highlighted the pitiful ways the arts treats those with facial differences, while The Substance utilised body-horror to depict the beauty standards faced by those in front of the camera. Compared with those thoughtful approaches, this film brings up familiar tropes of those with facial differences being reviled for the sake of painfully familiar material. We get it, Hollywood is fickle and places importance on image. It is also jarring how the story rushes through a finale to heighten the tragedy, struggling to give some necessary space to fit the runtime to under two-hours.
One longs for what the Mike Flanagan directed project would have been. The man's love for a monologue is well known, as well as how effectively his works are rooted in emotional resonance, which would have truly brought the tragedy forth in this story. Clayface is ultimately a skin-deep affair, but it remains an effective piece of clay-based body horror anchored by a terrific lead performance.
Clayface is out in cinemas from 23rd October
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