Clayface seen for first time in disturbing DC movie trailer about Batman villain

DC Studios has this week dropped the teaser trailer for its first-ever entry into the horror-thriller genre, Clayface.

Horror director James Watkins (Speak No Evil, The Woman in Black) is at the helm of the project, with Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the Gotham City villain.

The film, which will hit cinemas on October 22, is billed as “one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.”

The teaser trailer leans into the body horror that is Clayface’s origin story: He’s a rising actor whose face is horribly disfigured by a gangster.

In an effort to salvage his good looks, he seeks help from a scientist who transforms his body into clay.

The short trailer packs in several jump scares over Clayface’s grisly visage – and so far, DC fans seem excited to see the studio dabble in Substance-esque body horror in comparison to the comic book hero movies of recent years.

“This is what DC needs,” raved one fan on YouTube, where the teaser has already racked up more than three million views since its release yesterday.

“They don’t need to release another trailer after this one, the tone, horror, and mood has already caught my full intrigue,” wrote another viewer.

Another commenter praised DC for “finally showcasing a Batman villain that isn’t the Joker.”

Clayface is one of several films on DC Studios’ upcoming slate, wedged between Supergirl, set for release in June, and Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release in July next year.

DC releases have had mixed fortunes of late: Last year’s Superman reboot was a hit at the box office, raking in more than $600 million globally, while 2024’s critically panned Joker: Folie à Deux was a box-office flop, barely making back its $200 million budget.

One DC Film that’s still not seeing the light of day: 2022’s Batgirl, which was one of three films shelved by parent company Warner Bros in favour of a substantial tax write-off.

Batgirl had been finished and had even had some test screenings when the decision was made to block its release.

That decision has DC fans smarting all over again this week, as the first trailer drops for another of the three films Warner Bros axed.

The Looney Tunes caper Coyote vs. Acme will finally hit cinemas in September, more than three years after its original scheduled release, after Warner Bros allowed filmmakers to seek distribution from other outlets.

The other two finished films Warner Bros had canned, Batgirl and a Scooby Doo animated movie, were not given the same reprieve.