Clayface's Body Horror Draws Divided Reactions For R-Rated Batman Movie

Published Oct 25, 2026, 11:18 AM EDT An avid comic book fan since she first read "Stan Lee's Soapbox," Allison Hambrick is your friendly neighborhood generalist writer. Journalism, editing, media production, copywriting—she does it all. From her very first blog post about Smallville as a primary schooler, Allison developed a passion for superheroes and the entertainment industry at large. Majoring in writing and film at SCAD, Allison put her skills to work writing, editing, podcasting, and more. Currently, she moonlights as an editor at the ASHRAE Journal by day and Screen Rant by night. Allison also previously worked for Warner Bros. Entertainment and for Disney. Through her writing, she hopes to inspire, to entertain, and to empower others to be the best versions of themselves, and her mission in life is to make Stan proud. In her free time, she enjoys reading, video game design, traveling, and spending time outside with her dogs, Loki and Elphaba. Allison is fluent in movie quotes, and her favorite film is Superman II. Clayface hit theaters this weekend, with a projected box office haul of $24 million against a $40 million budget. The DC Universe film follows Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen/Clayface, an actor on the rise until he is disfigured and his treatment causes him to develop strange shapeshifting abilities. Directed by James Watkins, Clayface also stars Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, Joshua James, and Nancy Carroll. As a horror film and a Batman-less spin-off, the movie was seen as a gamble, but DC Studios greenlit Clayface based on the strength of its script, which was penned by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. Ultimately, it earned a score of 75% among critics and 94% among fans on Rotten Tomatoes. This divide has also played out on social media, with some users giving mixed opinions and others praising it. "I really enjoyed the story this movie had to tell, and I can understand why it was fast-tracked, especially considering it wasn’t originally planned as part of the DCU," wrote @cloan912 on Threads. "It fits surprisingly well with the universe’s current Gods and Monsters theme, exploring what happens when a man loses everything that makes him who he is." A more negative review from @invader_stimTTV on X reads: Didn’t feel apart of the DCU at all C oast City and Gotham mentioned only Blend of Darkman, The Joker (2019), Venom and Morbius Few cool scenes of Clayface changing appearances but a story we’ve already [seen] Overall, very whelming 2.75/5 ⭐️ Clayface Receives Mixed Responses As A DC Adaptation Over on Reddit, Clayface also received a wide variety of reviews, with some calling it stellar and others leaving unimpressed. A particularly positive review from Present-Bobcat-7763 stated: "Really good, really fun and really gross, 9/10. The creativity in the fight scenes elevate this movie a lot, [especially] in the final act you really get into it. It's a slow burn that keeps you on your toes the entire movie." Many reviewers compared the body horror elements to David Cronenberg's The Fly, though a handful of users called out what they felt was a lack of horror compared with how Clayface was marketed. Alternatively, some reactors highlighted the absence of Batman and a more comic-influenced Gotham City. "It's also very strange how they keep drawing attention to the film being set in Gotham (in a modern-ish setting?) with 0 references to Batman," wrote user simple-mug. "Given it opens with the same pulpy DC logo of Superman breaking out of his chains, I wonder if regular movie goers are going to be confused or let down by this." Another user, Muad_dweeb_69, simply pointed out the job that DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn has ahead of him if Clayface underperforms. "No other studio head would have green lit something like this so early," they explained. "Reception really needs to be stellar. If this flops critically and financially, it really begs the question on whether Gunn has the ability to carry out the 'good scripts get green-lit' approach he is taking with the IP." Clayface is now playing in theaters. Clayface Release Date October 23, 2026 Runtime 108 Minutes Director James Watkins Writers Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini Cast Tom Rhys Harries Matt Hagen / Clayface Naomi Ackie Dr. Caitlin Bates