Clayface review

Pop culture · Heat 2.4 / 10 · 2 shows · 37m airtime

DC Studios released Clayface on October 23, directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, starring Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan. The hosts call it DC's first attempt at a smaller-scale genre film and praise the body horror and some kills while faulting the tonal clash, the visual style and an overlong origin. The discussion stays on the film and where DC Films goes under James Gunn.

How 2 podcasts covered it

1. The Big Picture, 2026-10-23 (21:42 to 44:35)
   Reviews Clayface as a mixed body-horror swing
   Reviews DC Studios' Clayface as a mixed body-horror experiment: strong kills and a wild second half, but a tonal clash and an origin-heavy first hour. Frames it as DC's first small-scale genre swing and looks ahead to James Gunn's slate.
   New angle: Clayface is DC Studios' first attempt at a smaller-scale genre film.
2. Pop Culture Happy Hour, 2026-10-26 (1:52 to 7:01)
   Debates whether the body horror works
   Reviews the film's plot and debates whether the body horror works, with one host wanting more of it and another recoiling from the stabbings. Stays inside the review, adding only Watkins' horror credits and the AI-nanotech premise.
3. Pop Culture Happy Hour, 2026-10-26 (8:33 to 13:53)
   Digs into the film's vanity and aging themes
   Digs into the film's themes of vanity and aging, its heavy exposition and its Batman: The Animated Series Easter eggs, and notes it sits in the DCU rather than the Reeves-Pattinson universe. Analysis and reaction, staying inside the review conversation.
4. Pop Culture Happy Hour, 2026-10-26 (13:53 to 17:11)
   Wraps the review with the romance subplot
   Wraps the review with the romance subplot, a baffled read of the screening crowd's cheering, and speculation about a Gotham built on organized crime and the Royal Flush Gang. Reaction and forecast, staying inside the film's release.