‘Clayface’ Final Trailer Turns DC’s Batman Villain Into a Body-Horror Nightmare

Superhero fans have seen Gotham’s rogues gallery in plenty of forms, but few have looked as unsettling as what DC Studios is about to unleash. The studio is stepping into new territory with its first-ever horror film, and the latest footage makes clear it isn’t holding back. If earlier previews left you curious about ‘Clayface‘, the final trailer is more likely to leave you squirming.

DC Studios and Warner Bros. released the last trailer for the film on Thursday, a 1-minute, 38-second preview that was shared by DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. The movie hits theaters in North America on October 23, with an international rollout beginning October 21. It is rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity, and brief drug use, making it the DCU’s first R-rated movie.

The new footage focuses less on how Matt Hagen becomes Clayface and more on the violent, tragic aftermath. GamesRadar noted that the trailer evokes ‘Joker’, painting Hagen as a victim of a cruel Gotham whose shapeshifting ability pushes him toward murderous villainy. It also offers the best look yet at the character’s final form.

I can't wait to share this wonderful movie so lovingly crafted by James Watkins in four short weeks. #ClayfaceMovie – only in theaters October 23. pic.twitter.com/SPfo9nElnP

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) September 24, 2026

Body horror is the star. One sequence shows Hagen preparing to cut open his eye flaps with a pair of nail scissors on a bumpy flight, and ComicBook.com described the trailer as the most gruesome yet. It includes the moment his face is cut into and multiple scenes of his drooping, changing skin after a procedure meant to undo the damage.

The official synopsis frames it as a tragedy. Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is cut short when a crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team, he seeks out a cutting-edge treatment that returns him to his former self but erodes his grip on reality, spiraling him toward all-consuming revenge.

Tom Rhys Harries stars as Hagen, alongside Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, with Nancy Carroll and Joshua James also in the cast.

The film is directed by James Watkins, whose credits include ‘Eden Lake’, ‘The Woman in Black’ and the ‘Speak No Evil’ remake, along with the ‘Black Mirror’ episode ‘Shut Up and Dance’. The screenplay comes from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, from a story by Flanagan. Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran produce.

Gunn has said he never planned to make a Clayface movie until Flanagan pitched the idea. The first draft impressed him, and the second was even better, so DC found a place for it. In his post sharing the trailer, he said he can’t wait to share a movie so lovingly crafted by Watkins.

The film will exist within the DCU, unlike Reeves’s ‘The Batman’ or Todd Phillips’s ‘Joker’ films, and it is part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Production shot from the end of August to the start of November 2025 on location in Liverpool and on soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.

Compared with recent DC releases, the financial stakes are modest. The budget is reported at around $40 million, and one analysis put the break-even point between $80 million and $100 million worldwide. Tracking has pointed to an opening in the $20 million to $26 million range, and an earlier NRG projection had the film near $23.5 million.

That matters because the DCU needs a win. ‘Superman’ was a success but not quite at the level DC hoped, and ‘Supergirl’ finished its theatrical run with just $125.8 million worldwide. A tight, lower-cost horror release could reset the conversation.

Not everyone is convinced yet. World of Reel noted that the marketing has leaned heavily on mood and gross-out moments, so it remains unclear whether there is depth beneath the body horror, which a tragic-villain origin story needs. Reviews will show whether Watkins and Flanagan have delivered more than shocks.

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