DC Studios Releases Teaser Trailer for Horror Film Clayface

DC Studios released a teaser trailer this week for Clayface, described as the studio's first entry into the horror-thriller genre. The film is directed by James Watkins, known for works including Speak No Evil and The Woman in Black. Tom Rhys Harries stars in the title role as the Gotham City villain.

The movie is set to premiere in cinemas on October 22. It follows a rising Hollywood actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster, leading him to seek help from a scientist who transforms his body into clay. The story addresses themes of identity loss, humanity, corrosive love, and scientific ambition.

The teaser trailer emphasizes body horror elements from the character's origin story and includes jump scares.

The trailer, released yesterday, has accumulated more than three million views on YouTube. One viewer commented, "This is what DC needs," while another stated, "They don’t need to release another trailer after this one, the tone, horror, and mood has already caught my full intrigue." A third commenter noted that the film showcases a Batman villain other than the Joker.

and Recent Performance Clayface

is part of DC Studios' slate, positioned between Supergirl, scheduled for June release, and the Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow, set for July next year. Last year's Superman reboot earned more than $600 million globally at the box office. In contrast, the 2024 film Joker: Folie à Deux recovered just its $200 million budget.

company Warner Bros previously shelved three completed films in 2022 for tax write-offs, including Batgirl, which had undergone test screenings. This week, Warner Bros allowed filmmakers of one of those films, Coyote vs. Acme, to seek distribution elsewhere.

The Looney Tunes film is now scheduled for cinema release in September, over three years after its original planned date. The other two shelved films, Batgirl and a Scooby Doo animated movie, did not receive similar opportunities for release.