DC Studios co-chairs and co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are shaking up the superhero formula. Their goal is to ensure every movie, TV show, and gaming project under the DC banner delivers a completely unique experience—including stepping boldly into the realm of body horror.
“We want to make sure that everything feels different,” shares Safran. “The idea of doing a horror movie under the DC banner is something that audiences have never seen before and are not expecting… The fact that we can make a true R-rated horror movie for DC Studios, that’s just a dream come true. Clayface is one of the great Batman villains, and he’s never had his time in the sun. And so along with this, we’re getting an opportunity to tell his origin story.”
From Hollywood Star to Tragic Monster
Clayface serves as DC Studios’ inaugural horror thriller and stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a cult-favorite villain from Gotham’s rogues gallery. Written by acclaimed horror creator Mike Flanagan (Oculus, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Hill House), the story follows Hagen’s meteoric rise from a Gotham street kid to a Hollywood leading man.
His life is tragically derailed when a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured. Abandoned and desperate, Matt undergoes a cutting-edge treatment that restores his appearance, but at a terrible cost—shattering his grip on reality and plunging him into a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.
Tapping into Primal Fears
According to director James Watkins, the film leans heavily into universal anxieties rather than standard cheap thrills.
“We all have those anxieties. Fears of losing our ability to work, our reputations, our identity. These are horrors we can all really identify with—likewise, fears of our bodies going wrong,” Watkins explains. He adds that he prefers psychological and body horror over conventional jump scares to create a lasting impact: “I want to have scares that get under your skin and that speak to anxieties we all share, so when you leave the theater, they stick with you more than just a jump scare.”
The film also explores the dark side of retribution. Watkins notes, “I find the dangers of revenge fascinating, because it’s also such a primal human instinct to want to right wrongs… to make the film ask whether we can control our emotions, or do they control us.”
A Love for the Horror Community
For James Gunn, branching out into horror is also a celebration of the genre’s passionate fanbase. “I love making horror movies. It is a lot of fun. And I think horror fans are probably the nicest fans in the world,” Gunn says. “There’s something about the vibe of people who like to watch this really crazy, scary stuff, who have this other side that’s just so nice.”
Get ready to look fear in the face. Clayface opens in cinemas on October 21, rated R-18 by the MTRCB.