Here are 4 Major Reasons Audiences Aren't Feeling DCU's 'Clayface'

DC Studios has spent months positioning DCU’s ‘Clayface‘ as a bold swing, the first full-fledged horror film in a universe built around Batman, Superman and company. It was a risky pick from the start, since the shape-shifting villain is hardly a household name next to the Joker or the Penguin.

The pitch leaned hard on prestige body horror. Studio co-chief Peter Safran said the film would skip a campy tone and instead aim for the feel of ‘The Fly’, and the early premiere buzz seemed to back that up, with the first reactions suggesting genre fans would be very happy.

That glow has faded quickly. A later round of press screenings produced noticeably more mixed reactions than the first wave, and the first review on Rotten Tomatoes is a rotten 2.5 out of 5. Four complaints keep surfacing.

The biggest gripe is how little of the iconic clay monster fans actually get. Leaked details claim the comic-accurate Clayface gets roughly 60 seconds of screen time, with the film ending as the monstrous Matt Hagen retreats into Gotham’s sewers.

A word of caution is warranted, because these details are unconfirmed leaks. One Forbes contributor argued that fake spoilers and hateful captions have been circulating alongside real reactions, so the exact number should be treated carefully until the movie is in theaters.

#ClayfaceMovie does NOT look like it’s boding well: -Clayface’s true form is only on screen for 60 secs -No Batman or Bruce Wayne mention -CGI isn’t good -Lacks the charm to The Fly and The Substance Man of Tomorrow is the last beacon of hope. DCU is a dying brand. https://t.co/dBPoCYqEsN
— Pocket280Broken (@pocket280broken) October 20, 2026

Gotham is the setting, yet the Dark Knight himself stays out of frame. Director James Watkins told Entertainment Weekly the story belongs to Matt Hagen, and the film is not bringing Batman into it.

The marketing didn’t help calm the speculation. Star Tom Rhys Harries teased that the production has footage related to Batman’s presence in Gotham, though he wouldn’t say more, and Watkins has only promised that the shadow of the Bat is felt inherently. A shadow is a tough sell for viewers who came for a Batman villain.

For a movie sold on gruesome transformations, the digital work is drawing criticism. One reviewer wrote that the transformation effects are mostly covered up by CGI, which bothered them more than anything else.

Another reaction pointed to the problem outside the monster too. That critic found some daylight scenes generic and said there were too many CGI environments and backgrounds. That is a letdown after trailers that suggested a blend of digital imagery, prosthetics and plenty of flesh-colored goop.

Watch the first trailer for #Clayface. The new DC horror film is in theaters October 23. https://t.co/gqrrtJSou5
— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) April 22, 2026

The comparisons were baked in from the start. Viewers of the early trailer drew parallels to ‘Darkman,’ ‘The Substance’ and ‘The Fly’, which set a very high bar for charm, craft and shock value.

Some viewers say the film doesn’t clear it. One critic felt the body horror was too limited for an 18-rated film, while the first Rotten Tomatoes review argued that the horror is too thin and the comic book personality is missing. The stakes for that genre are real, as ‘The Substance’ turned a $17.5 million budget into $77.3 million worldwide, while ‘Clayface’ reportedly cost around $40 million to make.

It would be unfair to call the reaction one-sided. The film debuted on Letterboxd with a 3.7 average out of 5, and even the mixed screenings still praised the lead performances and the practical gore effects.

Skepticism around the project isn’t new either. James Gunn pushed back on a fan who asked who wanted a ‘Clayface’ movie, arguing that Hollywood doesn’t have to rely on public votes for familiar IP. The full critic reviews arrive on October 21, so the verdict is still being written.