Oct 22, 2026 7:03pm IST
‘Clayface’ Review: Tom Rhys Harries’ Act Elevates This Harrowing Body Horror
As someone who prefers to see canonical interpretations of comic-book characters on screen, one always goes in with a bit of hesitation, a hint of guardedness and a general wariness. And that’s usually because screen adaptations tend to veer wildly away from the character’s original raison-d’être with nothing to qualify the update.
The James Watkins-helmed “Clayface,” written by Mike Flanagan, in that context, causes something of a disruption. While blending the origin story of the title character (in the comic books, Matt Hagen is a treasure hunter, while Basil Karlo is a failed actor), an entirely new villain, Markos Szabo (played by David Dencik) is crafted for this body horror.
In the film, the first introduction to the likeable Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is as a young, on-the-rise Oscar Best Actor nominee from Coast City, who decides to travel home to Gotham City for a television appearance on a talk show. While on a night out, he runs into Mia Torrez (Joana Ribeiro), the girlfriend of local mob boss Markos Szabo. Despite being warned by best friend Corey Bowery (Joshua James), he throws caution to the wind and spends the night with her. He wakes up to find Szabo and his crew hovering over him and eventually avenging his “disrespect” by carving up his face.
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A broken Hagen becomes desperate to return to his old life, and is willing to try out anything. In the bargain, he loses it all - money, reputation and even the appetite for revenge.
And then, he finds Dr Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), who tries to dissuade him because, in her own words, they’re not ready for human trials. Undeterred, he persists. Before they know it, things move forward promisingly. But what follows, is the descent of a good man into the depths of insecurity, constant fear, shallowness and a gnawing thirst for vengeance.
With “Clayface,” Flanagan doesn’t just flip the script and turn character motives on its head, he works within the body horror genre trope, completely excluding the need to watch anything within the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) to be able to follow what’s going on, on screen. This makes the horror of transformation all the more relatable, the torturous pain of loss all the more lived-in and it’s the collaboration with director Watkins that works beautifully.
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Seeing Harries’ Hagen aka Clayface implode and then collapse into himself is unnerving and yet, a treat to watch. Most striking is this one scene in the lavatory where he locks himself while a flight faces mid-air turbulence.
And that’s just it, the beauty of a simple story told well, makes all the difference. The visual effects around the transformations feel deceptively simple but are remarkably effective as they play out. There’s a slight rough-edged quality to the action, but a sharp malleability that just makes you gasp. The background music is pervasively moody and brings the required tension to the fore.
“Clayface” will make you squirm in your seat while it forces you to stare voyeuristically. It compels you to acknowledge and reconsider what it means to be human without guilt-tripping you no matter what choice you make.
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