By Jackson Van Zyle · Contributing Writer
Sixteen years ago, Heath Ledger’s Joker once said, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you … stranger.”
This quote exemplifies the character of Clayface better than most in Batman’s Rogues Gallery and no more so in his cinematic debut this past week. Clayface is a character who rests on the lower tier of Batman villains.
However, this latest movie from DC Studios has a remarkably diverse pedigree: horror maestro Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House,” “Midnight Mass”) is the writer and catalyst for the existence of this movie, and Matt Reeves, the acclaimed director of 2022’s “The Batman,” contributes as a producer.
“Clayface” follows Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a rising young actor whose life collapses after Gotham mob boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik) carves up his face. Hagen loses his career, his money and his Academy Award, and a corrupt police force offers no justice. Desperate, he volunteers as a test subject for Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), a scientist researching treatments for degenerative conditions like Huntington’s disease. The treatment begins restoring his face, and he starts to hope that his old life might return.
But Hagen overdoses on the medication and discovers his body can now heal from any injury. As he grows more unstable, his thoughts turn to revenge, and he tears through Szabo’s network of minions, becoming more monstrous in both power and behavior with each kill.
“Clayface”does not fit into one genre, which may hurt people’s enthusiasm for a movie heavily marketed as horror. The influences on the film each contribute an element to the world, including Flanagan’s original script that convinced Warner Bros. to greenlight the film, director James Watkins’ interpretation of his script and the creative input from Reeves, James Gunn and the other producers.
“Clayface” has some bold body horror elements that will scratch an itch for fans of the genre but does not commit to the level of full-on horror like “The Fly”or “The Substance.” Neither does the film lean fully into the esoteric supervillain subgenre popularized by “Joker” and “The Penguin.”
Critics have argued that the film’s failure to commit to a genre is its greatest weakness. On the contrary, the dynamic direction of the film is oddly reminiscent of Clayface himself. The film does not let you categorize it as body horror, a thriller, a supervillain film or a tragedy. Rather, “Clayface” forces you to accept the movie on its own terms, and that is the only way Matt Hagen would want you to watch his movie: on his terms.
The movie itself has some rough pacing issues at the beginning but begins to find its groove as the film goes on. “Clayface” is at its peak when Harries, a newcomer to franchise movies, confronts what kind of monster he is becoming but continues to pursue his downward course.
The film has a wide variety of set pieces used in Clayface’s murders. One of the most memorable scenes from the movie is Hagen fighting his way through a squad of Szabo’s men in the middle of a rave in a club, making full use of his powers as Clayface, all the while dancing with moves so smooth, they can only be described as the superhero genre’s answer to Jenna Ortega’s famous dance in “Wednesday.” Despite this and other moments of stylized action, the movie is committed to making Hagen a tragic villain and not a violent antihero a la Venom and Morbius.
In short, “Clayface” has some issues at the beginning with some wooden dialogue and odd narrative choices but finds an authentic identity unique amongst any DC Comics film in recent memory, giving fans the experience of looking fear in the face.
