‘Clayface’ a doomed romance with body horror trappings
“Clayface” ― 2.5 stars (out of 4)
In order to find the best comparison to “Clayface” — the new Warner Bros. DC Universe installment — we have to go back to 1990, to Sam Raimi’s “Darkman,” starring Liam Neeson. Both films are about men who are attacked by mobsters and brutally disfigured. They both engage in risky treatment in hopes of recovering, but embark on quests of vengeance that turn them into monsters.
But one might also think about “Venom” when it comes to “Clayface,” in terms of how the movies themselves function, industrially and creatively. Both films feature deep-cut comic book characters whom average moviegoers have likely never heard of, in character studies that engage with the silly side effects of newfound superpowers that can turn a man into a hero or a villain. Both films are self-aware about their intentional cheesiness, disguising an actually good movie that lurks around the edges. In the case of “Venom,” a great buddy comedy emerges, while “Clayface” reveals itself to be a deeply affecting doomed romance wrapped in a body horror package, like “Darkman,” but even more so like David Cronenberg’s “The Fly.”
Horror kingpin Mike Flanagan dreamed up the concept for “Clayface” and presented the idea to DC Studios boss James Gunn; Flanagan co-wrote the script with Hossein Amini, while James Watkins, known for his horror films like “Speak No Evil,” directs. The tale follows an Oscar nominated actor, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), on the cusp of superstardom, who falls from grace after a dalliance with a dangerous woman, Mia Torrez (Ruby Sear). Her Gotham City gangster boyfriend, Markos Szabo (David Dencik), takes a blade to Matt’s pretty mug in revenge, and the rising star, now disfigured, finds himself destitute, back in his rough neighborhood of the Narrows.
Desperate, Matt turns to a doctor experimenting with nanocell technology, Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie), and while she’s treating him with her artificially intelligent (and not entirely safe) nanocell injections, he falls in love. His face heals beautifully — for a time. The cells respond to his emotions, and when he’s upset or stressed, his flesh melts off, so he secretly overdoses on the nanocells and powers up his already supercharged AI cell technology, granting him with the power to shape-shift — a nice perk for an actor.
“Clayface” takes its time ramping up its villain origin story; Watkins revels in the special effects, showing us Harries’ uncommonly pretty face torn, scarred and melted beyond recognition. The makeup design and digital effects are remarkable, but taking his time in these moments is also important for the character’s emotional journey. If you watch a man snip his eyelids open with nail scissors in a turbulent airplane bathroom, you understand why he turns to revenge, and why the comfort he receives from the only person who understands him, Caitlyn, turns to love.
Ackie and Harries have genuine chemistry onscreen, creating a soft and tender center to this story, which is otherwise populated by cartoonishly evil friends and foes. Caitlyn is engaged to a police officer, John Borelli (Max Minghella), investigating the mysterious deaths around Matt, who is getting closer and closer to Szabo and Mia. The gangster and his moll inhabit a druggy, neon, disco-infused nightclub world that’s straight out of “Scarface,” and Watkins delivers a 1970s-style Gotham City here: dangerous, gritty and soulful.
Eventually, the sorrowful romance, so much like “The Fly,” transforms into something akin to “The Substance.” Movie star Matt, seeing how his fortunes are tied to his good looks, tries so desperately to hold onto his appearance, his vanity and hubris pushing him to riskier and riskier behavior until the cells take over and turn him monstrous. Clayface and Monstro Elisasue are truly a match made in Hollywood hell — but they’d have a lot to commiserate over.
This is a film that rides a strange line between horror, humor and sincerity. There are some outrageously laughable moments (intentional or not), like when a sleeping Matt morphs into whatever he’s dreaming about, resulting in Naomi Ackie transforming into Eddie Marsan in front of our eyes (not a sentence one ever expects to write). The body horror is extreme and unrelenting, but the emotional love story is also deeply felt. The film is a lot weirder than your average comic book movie, and that’s a good thing. It doesn’t have the big scope and scale of CGI bombast we’ve come to expect — this is grounded and human, and Watkins shoots it like a 1970s crime picture. It’s outlandish, to be sure, but “Clayface” has more sincerity, and more gross-out horror, than one might expect. If you love “Darkman” and its ilk, “Clayface” might be for you.
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Rating: R for strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity and brief drug use
Running time: 1:48
How to watch: In theaters Oct. 23
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