DC Studios is about to show audiences a side of Gotham they have never seen before.
With “Clayface,” the studio is stepping beyond the usual superhero formula and into full-blown psychological and body horror. Dark, unsettling and deeply personal, the film gives one of Batman’s most distinctive villains a long-overdue origin story while pushing the DC universe into bold new territory.
For DC Studios co-chair and co-CEO Peter Safran, that creative freedom is exactly the point.
One of the things that’s really important to us is that our slate of movies, television, gaming and experiences covers a vast spectrum of entertainment,” shares Safran. “We want to make sure that everything feels different.
That philosophy takes a particularly chilling turn with “Clayface,” which Safran describes as a dream project for the studio.
The idea of doing a horror movie under the DC banner is something that audiences have never seen before and are not expecting but I think are going to embrace fully. The fact that we can make a true R-rated horror movie for DC Studios, that’s just a dream come true.
Watch the trailer:
One of Gotham’s most tragic villains takes center stage
“Clayface” stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a Gotham street kid whose life changes dramatically when he rises to become a Hollywood leading man.
His success, however, is brutally cut short after a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured.
With his career shattered and his support system gone, Matt turns to an experimental treatment that promises the impossible. It works, at least at first. His appearance is restored, but the procedure also begins to alter his relationship with reality.
What follows is a descent into obsession, rage and revenge.
Safran believes the character is perfectly suited for that kind of darker treatment.
Clayface is one of the great Batman villains, and he’s never had his time in the sun. And so along with this, we’re getting an opportunity to tell his origin story.
For audiences used to traditional comic book adaptations, Safran promises something much more unexpected.
You’ve certainly never seen anything like it in the comic book space, but we’re really excited to bring it to the world.
Horror rooted in fear, identity and loss
At the center of “Clayface” is director James Watkins, who approaches horror from a psychological angle rather than relying only on shock value.
For Watkins, the most effective fears are often the most recognizable.
We all have those anxieties. Fears of losing our ability to work, our reputations, our identity. These are horrors we can all really identify with.
Those fears become even more disturbing when the human body itself becomes unpredictable.
We all have those anxieties. Fears of losing our ability to work, our reputations, our identity. These are horrors we can all really identify with – likewise, fears of our bodies going wrong.
I think these primal fears make the most compelling horrors, and I wanted to lean into them.
That makes Matt Hagen more than just a villain in the traditional sense. His transformation is physical, emotional and psychological, with each stage of his descent raising questions about how far a person can go when everything they value is taken away.
Revenge becomes the real monster
Revenge also plays a major role in Matt’s story.
Watkins sees it as something painfully human rather than purely villainous.
I find the dangers of revenge fascinating, because it’s also such a primal human instinct to want to right wrongs, he says.
That instinct becomes a driving force behind Matt’s downfall.
To some extent, we are all hostages to our primal urges and I thought this was an interesting element to Matt’s tragedy: to make the film ask whether we can control our emotions, or do they control us.
That question gives “Clayface” an emotional foundation beneath the grotesque imagery and horror set pieces.
The result is not simply a story about a man turning into a monster. It is about a man losing control of himself while desperately trying to reclaim what he believes was stolen from him.
More than jump scares
Audiences expecting a standard collection of horror beats may also be surprised.
Watkins says he is less interested in predictable scares and more drawn to horror that lingers.
Whether you call them horror or psychological thrillers, I like to operate in the space between those two things,” he says. “Doing clockwork scares doesn’t particularly interest me.
Instead, the filmmaker wants the fear to stay with viewers after the movie ends.
I want to have scares that get under your skin and that speak to anxieties we all share, so when you leave the theater, they stick with you more than just a jump scare.
Body horror gives him the perfect vehicle for that approach.
Body horror taps into such a primal fear – essentially fear of our bodies betraying us, Watkins says.
Combined with Matt’s fractured sense of identity and buried impulses, that fear gives the film room to explore both spectacle and character.
James Gunn on why horror fans are special
For James Gunn, horror also comes with another advantage: its audience.
I love making horror movies. It is a lot of fun. And I think horror fans are probably the nicest fans in the world, says the filmmaker.
He finds the contrast especially amusing.
There’s something about the vibe of people who like to watch this really crazy, scary stuff, who have this other side that’s just so nice.
That enthusiasm could make “Clayface” one of the more intriguing experiments in the growing DC Studios slate.
Rather than fitting neatly into one familiar superhero mold, the film leans into the unsettling, tragic and grotesque sides of a character whose story has always been ripe for horror.
A very different kind of DC movie
Written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with a story by Flanagan, “Clayface” also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.
The film is produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Michael E. Uslan, Chantal Nong Vo, Lars P. Winther, Rafi Crohn and Paul Ritchie serving as executive producers.
Watkins’ creative team includes cinematographer Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris and costume designer Keith Madden. Music is by Volker Bertelmann.
DC Studios presents a 6th & Idaho Production, a James Watkins Film.
“Clayface” opens in cinemas internationally beginning October 21, 2026, with its North American theatrical release set for October 23, 2026. The film is rated R-18 by the MTRCB. Distributed locally by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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