Matt Hagen has worked his way from the streets of Gotham City to a promising career as a Hollywood actor. His future appears secure until a violent encounter with a crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured, threatening both his career and his sense of identity.
Desperate to restore his appearance, Matt turns to Dr. Caitlyn Corr, a scientist developing an experimental treatment capable of repairing damaged tissue. The procedure initially appears successful, restoring his face and offering him a chance to reclaim his former life.
Unfortunately, the treatment has some unexpected consequences.
Matt discovers that his body has become unstable, giving him the ability to reshape his appearance and transform into other forms. As the changes progress, he struggles to maintain control over his body and his increasingly fragile sense of reality.
His desire to recover what he has lost gradually develops into an obsession with revenge, placing him on a path toward becoming the monstrous figure known as Clayface.
Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, with Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlyn Corr, David Dencik as crime boss Markos Szabo, Max Minghella as detective John Borrelli, and Eddie Marsan as Matt’s manager, Frank Fitzpatrick.
Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, Clayface brings the DC Comics character into a body horror story. Rather than focusing on traditional superhero battles, the film explores physical transformation, identity, revenge, and the consequences of experimental science.
Released in 2026, the film combines psychological horror, science fiction, and comic-book mythology within Gotham City’s criminal underworld.
Why Clayface Is on Love of Gothic
Clayface draws heavily from body horror, using grotesque physical transformation and the loss of bodily control as central elements of its story. Matt Hagen’s changing appearance raises questions about identity, humanity, obsession, and the psychological consequences of becoming something unfamiliar.
The film also shares themes with classic gothic horror, particularly stories about scientific experiments that produce monstrous results. Its exploration of physical disfigurement, revenge, unstable identity, and the consequences of attempting to alter the human body connects it to traditions found in works such as Frankenstein.
Combined with its horror classification, disturbing transformations, and origins in DC’s darker comic-book mythology, Clayface has a clear place within the darker cinema represented on Love of Gothic.