Director James Watkins Details Body Horror Approach and Practical FX in New 'Clayface' Film

Director James Watkins brings Batman's classic shape-shifting foe to the screen in the new R-rated horror movie "Clayface," now playing in theaters. The film follows Matt Hagen, an A-list actor played by Tom Rhys Harries, who suffers severe disfigurement after a brutal attack by a gangster. Seeking a cure for his ruined face and destroyed career, Matt turns to an experimental procedure run by Dr. Caitlyn Corr, played by Naomi Ackie.

What Happened

The medical treatment heals Matt's face but slowly transforms his entire body into a clay-covered monster with blood cells that let him instantly reshape into other people. Losing control of his mind and body, Matt uses his new powers to seek bloody revenge on the mobsters who wronged him. He ultimately kills everyone who targeted him along with several innocent people, leaving him to live as a reclusive mud monster in the sewers.

Behind the Scenes

Director James Watkins and story writer Mike Flanagan chose the Matt Hagen version of the character over Basil Karlo to keep the story grounded in a modern, relatable idiom. The production team built Gotham City using inspiration from 1930s German expressionist cinema and gritty 1970s through 1990s New York street photography to give the city a heavy, dominant atmosphere. Many of the face-swapping scares and body transformations relied on practical camera tricks and old-school in-camera wipes rather than digital effects. Actor Aaron Paul makes a quick cameo appearance as Matt's father in one of the character's early transformations. The final monster look went through about 19 different iterations, focusing heavily on capturing human emotion and pain through the monster's left eye and voice.

Context

Clayface has a long history in Batman comics, animated series, and video games as a memorable shape-shifting adversary. This new film serves as the live-action origin story for the character and offers audiences their first look at Batman's home city within the rebooted DC Universe. While James Gunn's "Superman" previously showcased Metropolis, this movie expands the shared film universe into Gotham's darker corners.