Sunday Scaries: ‘Clayface’ is Finally Here and…It’s Fine?

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! Today, we’re talking one last time about a horror film we never thought we’d actually see…

I sort of can’t believe Clayface actually came out. For years, I spoke and wrote about how Clayface was the Batman villain I most wanted to see on the big screen. Initially, it was just wishful thinking. Then, it was hope that the rumors of the character either being in The Batman: Part II or having his own movie turned out to be true. Finally, it was the promise that the trailer for the film had once it actually was being produced. Now, the flick is in theaters, I saw it last week, and it’s, well…fine.

To begin, I’ll refer you back to a Sunday Scaries four years ago where I said how much I wanted to see this movie. I wrote here about my enjoyment of the character, including this bit:

My favorite Batman villain is Clayface. Alter ego Basil Karlo, or more often, Matt Hagen, this member of the rogue’s gallery has always captivated me. In particular, the version from Batman: The Animated Series, which combined Karlo elements on to the Hagen character, just captured my attention. I’ve long wanted to see Clayface in a live action project, and apparently, there’s a chance that now could happen.

Recently, it came out that horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan had pitched DC a Clayface movie. Those same reports also speculate that the character could be some part of the plans for Matt Reeves‘ The Batman: Part Two. Both prospects are quite intriguing. Both could happen, too, and that makes them the most exciting potential DC projects out there.

Then, once Clayface had a trailer, I expressed optimism about it here:

A few days ago, the official trailer for Clayface was released. The initial teaser trailer was promising, but this full look has really given me hope that DC and Warner Bros. are actually going to be making a Clayface horror flick. With a screenplay from Mike Flanagan (and Hossein Amini), there’s some high quality writing hopefully on display, which a generation ago would not have been the case for this title. So, between that pedigree, the looks of the trailer, and my hopes for the character, it does seem like body horror is going to be the name of the game here, and that’s exciting.

From the looks of the trailer, they’re going to give us the Clayface we’ve wanted to see. Of course, there will be a lot of Matt Hagen, but there appears to be at least some of a giant monster in this, which is the joy of the character’s full form. Plus, there’s likely some real gore, giving the body horror vibe more than just lip service, presumably. There’s a lot still to be seen here, but what I’ve seen so far, I very much like.

Fast forward to a few days ago and my review here was published, beginning like so:

I’ve wanted to see the character of Clayface on the big screen ever since I first saw the Batman villain show up in 1992 on Batman: The Animated Series. The idea of a Clayface film always seemed very hard to pull off and do right, yet hope remained. Then, when Mike Flanagan was pitching his take on the character, things got exciting. Now, we have an actual Clayface movie, based on Flanagan’s script, and it’s…just fine. While not a disappointment, there’s a sense here that we’re only getting some of what we could have. The end result is a flick that does more right than wrong, yet clearly is leaving some meat on the bone.

Clayface has bold elements to it, especially considering that this is a studio film, yet it also plays it very safe overall. It’s a strange mix, considering the substantial gore, hard R rating, and body horror genre that it’s working in. There’s a two steps forward, one step back, sense to things that allows you to appreciate the quality, while always noticing the shortcomings. There’s enough here to recommend, though obviously with expectations kept somewhat in check.

The more Clayface leaned into body horror, the better things were. When it gets into more of its plot, it feels like simply a better version of those Spider-Man free Sony films like Kraven the Hunter and Morbius. The lack of a Batman here is noticable when we’re dealing with Gotham City mobsters and the like. The Hollywood story element? That works on its own and is where Clayface should have focused more. Again, I don’t dislike the movie at all. It’s just fine, when I had my hopes up for more.

Ultimately, I’m glad we got a Clayface flick, even if it’s only good (at best), and not great like it could have been. Maybe a sequel will improve things? Perhaps the character will show up again in another DC project? Even if that’s not the case, this initial wish of mine did somewhat come true, and I’ll take that as a win. If nothing else, now I can let this particular hope go and find another project to champion in repeated Sunday Scaries posts. Sit tight to see what that might be…

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!