DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’: First Reactions
Early social media reactions to DC Studios’ R-rated horror film *Clayface* are strongly positive, with viewers praising its gruesome body horror and its blend of horror, romance and comic-book storytelling. The film tells the origin story of Gotham villain Matt Hagen and is being presented as a standalone story that does not require prior knowledge of DC.
Directed by James Watkins and co-written by Hossein Amini and Mike Flanagan, the film stars Tom Rhys Harries alongside Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan. It has a reported budget of $40 million and is the third feature in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe; it is due in cinemas on 23 October, with critics’ reviews scheduled for 21 October.
- Early viewers praise the film’s intense body horror.
- Reactions highlight its mix of horror and romance.
- The $40 million film reaches cinemas on 23 October.
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Clayface is a villain from DC Comics, best known as an enemy of Batman in Gotham City. The character has appeared in several forms, but this film centres on Matt Hagen and tells how he becomes Clayface.
The film is part of the DC Universe overseen by studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, which brings together stories based on DC characters. It is described as a standalone origin story, so viewers do not need to know earlier DC films or comics to follow it.
Clayface is directed by James Watkins and stars Tom Rhys Harries, with Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan. Its horror approach and adult rating set it apart from many comic-book films, while its place in the wider DC Universe connects it to a larger set of stories.