The first trailer for DC Studios' Clayface already had people talking. Body horror, unsettling practical effects, and a genuinely creepy performance from Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen. But here's the thing: what you've seen so far is the tip of the iceberg, and director James Watkins is keeping it that way on purpose.
Watkins confirmed in a recent interview that Clayface's full transformation will not appear in any trailers or marketing materials before the film hits theaters. His reasoning is about as direct as it gets: “You don't want to show the shark.”
The Jaws reference is deliberate and telling. Spielberg's decision to hide the mechanical shark in Jaws (partly out of necessity, partly out of instinct) turned a technical limitation into one of cinema's most effective tension-building choices. Watkins is making the same call here, but entirely by design. "I think people give away too much," he added. “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.”
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A monster built to be experienced in the dark
This approach puts Clayface in a specific category of horror films that have leaned hard into withholding their central threat. Recent examples like Longlegs and The Wolf Man both kept their creature cards close to the chest during marketing, and Watkins specifically cited that trend as the playbook Clayface is following.
What makes this interesting for DC fans is the character itself. Clayface is one of Batman's oldest villains, a shapeshifting mass of sentient clay capable of taking on any form. The horror potential has always been there in the comics, but a full R-rated treatment with practical effects built out over the course of a production gives the creative team something genuinely worth protecting.
Harries confirmed as much when teasing his own reaction to seeing the finished monster. "It's been a year since I saw that thing being built out," he said. "I can't wait for people to see it. I'm constantly in awe of the huge creative machinery that goes into making a film like this."
That's not marketing speak. A lead actor being genuinely excited about a practical effect a year after seeing it built is a good sign.
Why the Arkham games matter here
Harries has spoken separately about drawing inspiration from the Batman Arkham game series for his portrayal of Matt Hagen, calling the games' depiction of Clayface "effective and psychologically jarring." That's a meaningful reference point. The Arkham version of Clayface leaned into the tragedy of a man losing his humanity piece by piece, which tracks with the body horror direction the film appears to be taking.
For gamers who grew up with those games, the Clayface reveal in Batman: Arkham City landed hard precisely because the game had built up Hagen's presence before showing the full monster. Watkins is applying the same logic to a two-hour theatrical experience.
Where this fits in the wider DCU
The film is set before Superman in the DCU timeline and has been described by James Gunn as "very connected" to the wider universe. Matt Hagen also connects back to Creature Commandos, with DC confirming the two versions of the character are the same person. So there's continuity weight here beyond just a standalone horror film.
Next up in the DC release schedule is Lanterns, arriving on HBO Max in August. Clayface follows later in 2026.
For players who want to revisit what made the character so compelling before the film drops, the Jeff the Land Shark complete guide is a fun reminder of how Marvel handles its own aquatic horror-adjacent characters in Marvel Rivals. Or if you want something closer to the DC villain space, browse our full gaming guides for more character deep dives across the biggest games right now.
The Clayface full reveal is coming. Just not before you're sitting in a dark theater with nowhere to go.
