Matt Konopka reviews ‘Clayface’, a muddy mixed bag of melty body horror and tonal inconsistencies that don’t allow the film to take shape.
With James Gunn (The Suicide Squad) steering the ship at DC Studios, the company aims to push boundaries with its comic book movies. The first to really stretch those limitations under Gunn’s leadership is James Watkins’ Clayface. A live-action, Rated-R take on the popular Batman villain who first debuted in 1940, the new film aims for a body-horror origin story in the vein of Cronenberg’s The Fly. What it delivers, however, is a muddied and scare-less (though entertaining) adaptation that likely won’t satisfy comic book or hardcore horror fans.
Penned by Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) with rewrites by Hossein Amini (Drive), we meet Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), an actor nominated for his first Oscar. On his way up, it feels like nothing can stand in his way. That is, until Matt sleeps with Theresa (Ruby Sear), the girlfriend of crime boss Markos Szabo (David Dencik). To teach him a lesson, Markos and his goons cut up the actor’s face, leaving him looking like a patchwork horror show. Money-maker ruined, so is Matt’s career. Desperate, he opts for an experimental treatment from scientist Caitlyn (Naomi Ackie). At first, it works, restoring Matt’s face and his confidence. But an unexpected side effect leaves him transforming, able to mold his flesh into different shapes and people. Driven by rage, the actor sets out for bloody vengeance with his newfound abilities.
For months, much has been made about Clayface as the rare DC Studios rated-R comic book horror movie set in the world of superheroes. Remember when Venom was supposed to be a genre film and then most definitely wasn’t? To the credit of Watkins and all involved, Clayface makes an admirable attempt to live up to that promise…even if it’s ultimately a mixed bag.
Combining elements of The Fly, The Thing, The Blob, and any number of “The” body-horror movies, Clayface goes hard on cringe-worthy visuals. Before Matt even meets Caitlyn, his wounded face and visceral surgeries display imagery that’ll have less seasoned viewers squirming in their seats. Hagan’s appearance is what sells the genre vibes here, as he walks around in a mask or bandages reminiscent of either George Romero’s Bruiser or Goodnight Mommy, depending on the scene. Though charming as hell, he’s effectively creepy, making the audience and everyone around him just a little uneasy.
Accompanying the visuals are a couple of moments that had even this “seen it all” horror vet shifting uncomfortably. Namely, a scene on a plane that has Matt’s eyes covered by thick strands of gooey flesh that he must cut with a small pair of scissors to see again. Incorporating mostly practical makeup enhanced by CG, the effects in Clayface are nothing short of excellent, ooey-gooey craftsmanship. From half-melted faces to Matt’s gradual transformation into a monster, there’s plenty to ooh and ahh over.
If only the film were as scary as the effects imply. Sure, there’s a decent amount of body horror that might be the squirmiest thing your average comic book movie fan has ever seen. And there’s a solid dose of bloodshed (though most kills are off-screen). But the atmospherics and actual scares do little to support all that for anyone wanting a true horror movie.
Heavily influenced by Cronenberg’s The Fly, Matt and Caitlyn develop a romantic spark. Matt thinks he’s in love, while Caitlyn isn’t so sure how she feels, especially with cop boyfriend John (Max Minghella) waiting for her at home. As the two grow closer and Caitlyn helps Matt with his side effects, “scares” arrive in the form of things like Matt shape-shifting into his much-older lawyer while sleeping. Cue the screams of terror. He also changes into Caitlyn and feels himself (herself?) up while dreaming, which…weird. All of this to say that, outside of a few unsettling moments of body horror, Clayface struggles mightily to develop a frightening atmosphere. More often than not, it just comes off as silly.
Speaking of silly, I have to note that, yes, there’s a “which one is the real (insert character)” scene during the climax, and, yes, it’s laughable in all the wrong ways.
All that’s frustrating too, because Matt’s transformation in the eyes of Caitlyn is what’s supposed to be horrifying. Think back to Jeff Goldblum’s hideous and painfully slow evolution in The Fly. Cronenberg loads that film with nastiness, but the heart of the horror comes through the eyes of Geena Davis watching the man she loves become a monster. Clayface attempts something similar, but never comes anywhere close to that terror. For one, there’s no gradual progression for Matt from good guy to villain. That flip happens so suddenly it gave me whiplash. That means Caitlyn hardly projects fear around him as much as she does fascination for her Frankenstein monster. Not to mention, the horror hits harder when body parts are falling off, not morphing into hot people who grin like the Smile demon. It doesn’t help either that the chemistry between him and Caitlyn sputters more than sizzles. If anything, what little romance there is feels forced at best, ill-advised at worst.
But the real issue comes from a tonal imbalance, or what I refer to as “the James Gunn of it all”. Whether Gunn inserted himself much into the project or not, the effort to occasionally play as a Gunn film resonates throughout and threatens to melt the whole experience. Perhaps the most egregious example arrives in the third act, when Matt takes part in an upbeat dance number to hide from villains. It’s played entirely for laughs, and I can’t say it isn’t fun. The problem is, Clayface wants to be a brooding body horror monster movie. It also wants to be a goofy comic book film with a charming anti-hero. Instead, it’s something in-between, a half-formed imitation like the title character. And the result is a muddy blob of tonal inconsistencies.
Featuring impressive effects, some cringey body horror, and one cheer-worthy kill, Clayface marks a step in the right direction for a studio looking to deliver outside-the-box comic book movies. But like any foray into rarely explored territory, it comes with quite a few growing pains. All the ingredients are here, yet improper mixing leaves the audience with a malformed hunk of clay that doesn’t know what it wants to be. Here’s hoping the filmmakers can figure it out for the (possible) sequel.
