The final trailer for Clayface has arrived, and it gives us our best look yet at the upcoming DCU horror, including a glimpse of his final form.
The latest trailer focuses less on how Hagen becomes Clayface, and more on the violent, tragic aftermath. Evoking the likes of Joker, it’s clear that Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) is a victim of tragic circumstances in a cruel and unforgiving Gotham, as his ability to change his appearance pushes him towards murderous villainy. Plenty of gnarly body horror too; if you don’t wince at the sight of Hagen about to cut open his eye flaps (gross) with a pair of nail scissors on a bumpy flight, you’re made of sterner stuff than us.
Clayface is the next film in the DCU Chapter One, and stars Tom Rhys Harries as the movie star turned shapeshifting gloop monster. In extended DC media, Clayface is typically depicted as a Batman villain, though the DCU could be doing things a little differently, as Hagen has already popped up in the canon DC animated series Creature Commandos (and, yes, they are the same character).
Clayface is something a little different for the DCU, as it’s smaller scale and, by the looks of it, a great deal more unsettling than any DCU feature or show to date. Director James Watkins (who helmed the excellent Eden Lake, and the recent Speak No Evil remake) has cited Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies as an inspiration, which is all we really need to hear.
While the trailer gives us our best look yet at Hagen’s gloopy final form, don’t expect a clear shot of Clayface to sneak out before release, as Watkins confirmed a couple of months back it won’t appear in marketing materials. “You don’t want to show the shark,” Watkins said. “I think people give away too much… I believe in the power of mystery and the power of suggestion and the power of people putting two and two together. I think it’s more fun.” Harries, however, has confirmed that it indeed looks “fucking sick”.
Clayface hits cinemas on October 23. For more, check out our guide on how to watch DC movies in order, and keep up with upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.