5 Dark, Twisted Movies to Watch If You Like DC’s Clayface

By the time audiences leave Clayface, many will be eager to dissect what they have seen. Conversations may center on standout scenes, memorable performances, or the Easter eggs only devoted DC fans caught. Others will be asking the obvious follow-up question: what should they watch next? By introducing body horror into Gotham City and the DC Universe, Clayface is likely to leave viewers searching for more frightening films in every imaginable form.

Fortunately, genre cinema offers plenty of options. The five best movies to watch after Clayface are not limited to other DC adaptations; each one connects with a different part of the film’s appeal. Some dive deeper into body horror, proving that Matt Hagen’s transformation into a gooey Gotham menace is only one entry in a much larger tradition. Others come from major creative figures associated with Clayface, including director James Watkins and writer Mike Flanagan.

Clayface opens the door to a remarkably varied selection of horror movies. From grotesque physical transformations to comic-book terror and bleak psychological nightmares, these five films make ideal follow-up viewing. Just be prepared for some unsettling journeys.

Body horror has become increasingly prominent in mainstream cinema throughout the 2020s. Perhaps the global pandemic made audiences more aware of the body’s fragility. Maybe the genre’s resurgence reflects renewed interest in the classic work of filmmakers such as David Cronenberg. It may simply be part of horror’s broader rise in popularity, which has lifted each of its subgenres. Whatever the reason, DC Studios making a body horror film like Clayface signals just how far this once-niche style has moved into the cultural spotlight.

The defining film of this modern wave may be Titane, the horror sensation that reportedly caused theatergoers to faint. Written and directed by Julia Ducournau, it follows Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), a troubled woman drawn to murder and possessed by an unusual attraction to cars. When her crimes begin to catch up with her, she assumes the identity of a missing teenage boy. More than one of 2021’s finest horror films, Titane is an audacious plunge into psychosexual body horror. Yet Ducournau balances its extremity with genuine tenderness, giving the film an unexpectedly affecting emotional core.

The movie moves in astonishing directions while maintaining an unwavering artistic vision. Anyone who finishes Clayface wanting a more intense dose of contemporary body horror should take the plunge into Titane.

Horror directors have a long history of making successful superhero films. Sam Raimi’s transition from grimy genre filmmaking to the original Spider-Man trilogy helped establish a path later followed by filmmakers such as James Wan, James Gunn, and David F. Sandberg. Even so, genuinely horror-driven superhero movies remain relatively uncommon. Films including Clayface, Spawn, and The New Mutants belong to that limited group. The standout may be Guillermo del Toro’s Blade II, a sequel that improved on an already entertaining original.

Wesley Snipes returns as Blade, once again battling supernatural enemies. This time, however, the vampire hunter must form an uneasy alliance with several vampires to stop the Reapers, a threat capable of wiping out both humans and their undead adversaries. Blade II delivers expertly staged scares alongside the kinetic action, demonstrating del Toro’s command of horror within a large-scale English-language comic-book production. Its ominous atmosphere is matched by wild set pieces and Snipes’ magnetic performance.

Part horror movie and part action spectacle, Blade II is an exhilarating reminder of how much untapped potential remains in straight-up horror adaptations of comic-book characters.

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For viewers deciding what to watch after Clayface, James Watkins’ earlier work is an obvious destination. His feature-film career began with 2008’s Eden Lake, a stark British thriller about Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender), who visit an isolated lake and encounter a hostile group of teenagers led by Brett (Jack O’Connell). As the confrontation escalates, the young men turn their harassment into a brutal fight for survival.

Eden Lake was prophetic in one especially grim respect: before Sinners and 28 Years Later, it featured Jack O’Connell as the leader of a bloodthirsty cult. More importantly, the film anticipates themes Watkins would revisit in Clayface, particularly the terrifying capacity for violence hidden beneath respectable appearances. Matt Hagen and the seemingly rowdy but initially nonviolent teenagers both reveal themselves to be far more dangerous than expected. Each film also concludes on a bleak note, sending viewers away disturbed rather than comforted by catharsis or a clear sequel hook.

Eden Lake remains a significant entry in Watkins’ filmography and an early showcase for the talents of Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender. Its relentless bleakness will not appeal to everyone, but for many Clayface fans, it could be the ideal companion film.

James Gunn’s DC Universe makes room for horror in Clayface, a concept that originated with Mike Flanagan. The acclaimed horror filmmaker initially pitched DC Studios on a standalone Clayface movie and wrote the first draft. Although the finished film was rewritten and directed by James Watkins, Flanagan’s influence remains part of its history. Audiences looking for more films connected to Clayface‘s creative DNA should explore Flanagan’s work, beginning with the underrated 2019 Warner Bros. release Doctor Sleep.

A sequel to The Shining and an adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 novel, Doctor Sleep follows an adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) as he struggles with alcoholism and the supernatural abilities known as the shining. His life changes when he encounters Abra (Kyliegh Curran), a young girl with the same gift, and is drawn back into a world he thought he had escaped. Flanagan balances genuine scares with a reflective story about confronting trauma, reckoning with the past, and building a different future. The film’s measured pace and subdued atmosphere reveal his considerable skill as a filmmaker.

McGregor gives one of his strongest performances as Danny, while Rebecca Ferguson is memorably sinister as the predatory Rose the Hat. Anyone inspired by Clayface to seek out more of Flanagan’s horror should find Doctor Sleep a particularly rewarding next choice.

Titles such as The Bad Sleep Well, Sinners, and The Night of the Hunter carry the weight of cinematic history. Yet even those celebrated names seem modest beside the instantly unforgettable Frankenhooker. In a genre overflowing with variations on Frankenstein, Frank Henenlotter’s title announces its twisted intentions immediately. Its fixation on body parts, grotesque reconstruction, and gruesome deaths makes it a natural match for Clayface. The connection becomes even more amusing when you consider that James Gunn referenced Henenlotter in Slither years before taking charge of DC Studios.

This outrageous New Jersey-set story follows Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz), who is devastated when his fiancée, Elizabeth (Patty Mullen), dies in a freak accident. Determined to bring her back, he assembles a new body from the parts of New York sex workers and uses a substance known as “super-crack.” Elizabeth returns as Frankenhooker, a bizarre figure who roams New York with warped expressions and a lethal response to anyone who gets in her way. Packed with vengeful slime, flying plastic heads, and Patty Mullen’s fearless commitment to the role, Frankenhooker is gleefully deranged.

If Gotham City finds Matt Hagen and Clayface difficult to handle, imagine living somewhere Frankenhooker is an everyday presence. True to its remarkable name, the film delivers a singular blend of body horror, black comedy, and nightmare fuel—making it a fittingly wild final stop after Clayface.