Clayface follows Matt Hagen, a Hollywood star horribly disfigured by a Gotham crime boss. An experimental treatment restores his appearance but fractures his mind, sending him down a dark path of revenge.
It should come as no surprise that this is full-on body horror: it’s literally about a man whose skin melts away and transforms into clay. The film gets VERY gory, with some incredible kills and gruesome transformations. One bathtub scene in particular is mesmerising.
It’s completely standalone: no Batman, Superman or wider-universe homework. Think Cronenberg meets The Godfather, if Michael Corleone was made of modelling clay. The nightclub scene steals the show, letting Tom Rhys Harries have some real fun with the character. The clay effects are fantastic, the pacing never drags, and I loved every minute. This is how you do a villain origin story.
You’ll laugh, you’ll recoil in horror, and you’ll be glad you saw it on the big screen.
9/10