Clayface is now showing at Ster-Kinekor in South Africa. The cinema chain lists 23 October 2026 as its local release date, making DC Studios’ horror thriller a new option for this weekend’s cinema trip.

This is not a conventional superhero outing. Director James Watkins puts Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, at the centre of a story about an actor whose career is shattered by an attack. According to the official DC synopsis, an experimental treatment offers a way back, but its consequences take him somewhere much darker.

A horror film set in DC’s world

The screenplay comes from Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, with a story by Flanagan. Naomi Ackie joins Harries alongside David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. Warner Bros. Pictures distributes the film.

The creative team has also been talking about the world surrounding Hagen. In a DC interview published on 19 October, Watkins and production designer James Price discuss contrasting sunny Coast City with Gotham’s more intimidating architecture. Their references include German expressionist cinema and buildings that make the people underneath them feel small.

That gives the film a different visual starting point from simply putting a familiar comic-book name into a horror story. The setting is part of the character’s predicament, rather than just a recognisable backdrop. That is the filmmakers’ stated approach, not a verdict from a TGR review.

The person behind the monster

In a separate 23 October interview with DC, Harries describes working with dialect coach Sonia Fields on how Hagen changes his voice between different parts of his life. The performance connects that voice to his Gotham background. Ackie plays Dr Caitlyn Corr, another central figure in his story.

Those details are worth keeping in mind if the comic-book connection is what first caught your attention. The official material is selling a character-led horror thriller, not a promise of a wider superhero crossover.

South African cinema details

Ster-Kinekor lists a running time of 1 hour 48 minutes and a “No Under 16’s” classification, with L, V and PPS advisories. Select your cinema on its booking page to check current screenings; sessions and formats can differ by location.

The official trailer below contains horror imagery. It is included as a look at the film, not as a newly released trailer or a spoiler-free preview.

Featured image: DC / Warner Bros. Pictures. © & ™ DC.