"People covered their faces": A scene from "Clayface" was too gruesome even for the film crew

Director James Watkins expects to evoke the same reaction from viewers.

One of the scenes in the film "Clayface" made members of the film crew turn away from what was happening on set. This refers to an episode from the fresh trailer, in which Matt Hagen cuts the melting skin around his own eyes with scissors.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, lead actor Tom Rhys Harries and director James Watkins talked about how this episode was filmed. The filming took place in a pavilion where a plane toilet cabin was built and installed on a movable platform that simulated turbulence during the flight.

For safety, the team prepared several pairs of scissors, including real ones and rubber ones. During the scene, the tool was very close to Harries' eyes, so many members of the film crew sighed in disgust, covered their faces, or looked away.

James Watkins believes that such a reaction is due to the peculiarities of human perception, and he expects to evoke it in the audience:

"Clayface" will tell the story of aspiring actor Matt Hagen, whose face was disfigured by a crime boss. In search of healing, the hero turns to scientist Caitlin Corr, played by Naomi Ackie, but an experimental serum transforms his body into a mutable mass.

"Clayface" will premiere on October 23, 2026.