Horror movies are made to achieve one thing: unsettle–often with the intention of getting their audience teetering between two options. The first is to sit on the edge of their seats because they’d hate to miss any plot point. The second is to bury themselves in their seats in a futile attempt to get as far away from the “plot point” (read: horror) as they possibly can.
With the applause that came at the closing title card, director James Watkins has undeniably achieved yet another success with Clayface.
The movie starts light and warm, quite literally with a stunning golden-hour scene, as we follow Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, at what seems to be the pinnacle of his acting career. Everything seems to be going well for the humble actor until a single, foolish line sends his life plummeting.
Not tonight, apparently.
Despite all the lore within the DC Universe, Clayface acts as its own, independent film. There’s no reliance on pre-existing content, whether comics or movies, to deter horror fans from enjoying a good story. Relatively tame as far as body horror goes, but still disturbing (in the best way possible), the effects in this movie do not disappoint…at least based on what I had seen through the gaps between my fingers.
Clayface is a simple plot to follow, with clear motivations set for each character and an even clearer storyline. Though, perhaps, a little too clear.
No less than five times throughout the movie, I heard fellow watchers verbalise their guesses about what was to happen next (all of which were theories already in my head), only for them to wholly manifest on screen. It’s uncertain if this was a deliberate move on Watkins’ part, but the lack of brain rewiring required definitely made the movie all the more digestible.
My only nitpick with the plot was the lack of a clear timeline, but the movie does just fine with insinuations of duration.
What was difficult to predict, however, was how these foreshadowed outcomes came to be. For the sake of ambiguity, let’s say I’m now equipped with the knowledge of at least three interesting and creative ways of using Matt’s newfound ability. Not that I would ever act on them… obviously. Matt did, though, and Rhys Harries portrayed the whole “rags to riches to frighteningly obsessive” progression beautifully.
When it comes to casting, it’s not hard to see why Rhys Harries fits the mould (ha!) so perfectly, with a “pretty face” that would surely drive anyone insane over having to lose. Especially so in an industry as superficially driven as Hollywood.
Alongside actress Naomi Ackie’s wonderfully conflicted doctor, other supporting actors like Eddie Marsan, Ruby Sear and Joshua James deliver a convincing story that takes its audience through a whirlwind of emotions, leaving you questioning the line between righteous vengeance and becoming a monster yourself. After all, it should get harder to root for a character slowly descending the moral spiral.
As someone more familiar with the horror genre than the DC Universe, I can safely say Clayface is easy to enjoy for most… provided you have the stomach and tolerance for gore.
That said, Clayface is a worthy watch for anyone looking to get their body-horror fix, or simply take a step into the greater DC Universe. With the film’s early critical success, dare I say, it has received the universal ac-clay-m that it rightfully deserves (haha!).
– Review by Alson Koh