It sounds as though DC's next movie will lean more into the horror genre in more ways than we first thought, as director James Watkins says Evil Dead helmer Sam Raimi was a huge influence on the upcoming DCU Chapter One film Clayface.
"There were definitely some Sam Raimi influences," said Watkins to Empire. "The way that Sam Raimi can push horror almost to ridiculousness, and humor. I mean ridiculousness in a good way. But pushing it where we're all walking that line of 'Oh man this is extreme, and we know it's extreme and we're in it together.' The boldness of what he does."
Raimi is best known for his gory and wacky Evil Dead franchise, which pushes the boundaries of horror and heavily impacted the comedy-horror subgenre we know today. However, much like Watkins, Raimi did move from horror to the superhero genre, directing the beloved '00s Spider-Man trilogy.
Batman villain Clayface is the perfect subject for this kind of "extreme" body horror. So far in the trailers, we haven't yet seen Clayface go full on gloop, but it sounds as though it's coming. However, Watkins has previously confirmed that the full transformation won't be shown in any promotional material, so we will have to wait until release day for that. The most recent Clayface trailer does give us a glimpse of the titular character experiencing terrifying bodily changes, though, including his eyelids sticking together.
We already knew that Clayface would be an all-out horror movie. Aside from being directed by the See No Evil and The Woman in Black helmer, it is penned by horror legend Mike Flanagan. The film, which focuses on the Hollywood actor iteration of Clayface known as Matt Hagen, has been described as "violent" and "highly disturbing" by members of the press who were able to view footage early.
However, Watkins went on to say that another "massive inspiration" is Brian De Palma. "When you see the movie, you'll see," said Watkins. De Palma is best known for his crime movies such as Scarface and The Untouchables, but he also helmed the original 1976 Carrie adaptation.
Clayface is set to hit theaters on October 23. For more, check out our guides to upcoming DC movies and shows as well as our breakdown of how to watch the DC movies in order.
