Imagine Superman arriving on Earth with absolutely no interest in saving humanity. Or Doctor Strange discovering that the most dangerous monster in the multiverse is someone he once considered a friend. Superpowers can be terrifying when filmmakers stop treating them as gifts and start exploring what happens when they fall into the wrong hands.
DC’s Clayface, arriving in theaters October 23, takes that idea into particularly disturbing territory. Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film follows a disfigured actor whose attempts to restore his appearance lead to a horrifying physical transformation. It’s a welcome reminder that comic book adaptations can have ambitions beyond spectacular battles and world-ending threats.
Of course, superhero horror has a considerably longer history than DC’s latest release. Sam Raimi explored the grotesque consequences of a superhero origin story decades before directing Spider-Man, while Guillermo del Toro brought his unmistakable fascination with monsters to Marvel’s vampire-hunting universe.
Even the MCU has embraced horror, with Raimi incorporating elements of his Evil Dead films into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As demonstrated by superhero horror movies worth watching before Clayface, the two genres have been crossing paths for decades, sometimes with surprisingly gruesome results.
The following eight films stand out for making horror essential to their superhero stories. Some feature familiar heroes confronting extraordinary monsters, while others suggest that the heroes themselves might be the real threat. Ranked by how successfully they combine the genres, these movies demonstrate that a cape can be every bit as frightening as a monster’s claws.
8
The New Mutants
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Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, and Charlie Heaton star in The New Mutants, a 2020 X-Men spin-off that attempted something considerably different from the franchise’s usual blockbuster formula. Five young mutants find themselves confined to a mysterious medical facility, where their supposed treatment begins to resemble imprisonment. As supernatural disturbances intensify, the teenagers discover that their deepest fears are manifesting around them.
Director Josh Boone leans into haunted-house conventions, creating an atmosphere of psychological terror that occasionally makes the film resemble A Nightmare on Elm Street more than X-Men. The Smiling Men and enormous Demon Bear are memorable creations, although the horror elements never become quite as effective as the premise promises. Still, the movie deserves recognition for attempting to make mutant abilities genuinely frightening.
7
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
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Sam Raimi’s arrival in the MCU brought a welcome dose of supernatural horror to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the titular sorcerer, whose attempts to protect America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) draw him into a terrifying confrontation with Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). Consumed by grief and corrupted by the Darkhold, Wanda becomes an almost unstoppable force.
The movie’s most memorable sequences owe considerably more to Raimi’s horror background than conventional superhero spectacle. Wanda’s pursuit of the Illuminati is unexpectedly brutal, while the director incorporates numerous references to classic horror films. Even Doctor Strange’s decision to possess his alternate self’s corpse feels borrowed from Evil Dead. The MCU rarely allows its heroes to become this frightening, making Wanda’s transformation particularly memorable.
6
Hellboy
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Guillermo del Toro was already fascinated by monsters when he directed Hellboy in 2004, adapting Mike Mignola’s supernatural comic book series. Ron Perlman stars as the enormous red-skinned demon who fights paranormal threats for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Despite his intimidating appearance and demonic origins, Hellboy frequently proves more human than the creatures he’s sent to destroy.
The film combines superhero action with occult horror, introducing undead assassins, ancient supernatural entities, and grotesque creatures capable of multiplying after death. Del Toro’s extraordinary practical effects give these monsters a tangible presence, especially the murderous clockwork assassin Karl Ruprecht Kroenen. While the movie frequently embraces humor and adventure, its Lovecraftian influences remain unmistakable. Among the various Hellboy movies, del Toro’s original remains a particularly satisfying marriage of supernatural horror and comic book spectacle.
5
Darkman
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Before Sam Raimi helped redefine superhero cinema with Spider-Man, he created an entirely original vigilante in 1990’s Darkman. Liam Neeson plays Dr. Peyton Westlake, a scientist whose experimental work is destroyed during a brutal attack that leaves him horribly disfigured. Unable to return to his former life, Westlake begins using synthetic skin to assume different identities while seeking revenge against the criminals responsible.
Raimi approaches the material like a collision between The Phantom of the Opera and a superhero origin story. Westlake’s injuries leave him physically and psychologically unstable, transforming what might have been a conventional revenge thriller into something considerably more grotesque. As explored in the origins of Raimi’s unusual superhero creation, Darkman emerged from the director’s fascination with comic book storytelling. Its tragic protagonist makes the film an especially appropriate companion to DC’s Clayface.
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Constantine
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Keanu Reeves plays a particularly reluctant hero in Francis Lawrence’s 2005 adaptation of DC’s Hellblazer comics. John Constantine is a cynical supernatural investigator capable of perceiving the demonic forces operating among ordinary humans. Having already experienced Hell firsthand, he spends much of his life attempting to escape the consequences of his past while confronting increasingly dangerous supernatural threats.
The film’s opening exorcism immediately establishes an atmosphere closer to The Exorcist than a traditional superhero adventure. Possessed bodies, demonic creatures, and horrifying visions of Hell give Constantine’s investigations a genuinely oppressive quality. As demonstrated by how well Reeves’ supernatural thriller has aged, its distinctive interpretation of DC mythology remains compelling. Peter Stormare’s wonderfully unsettling portrayal of Lucifer provides an especially memorable conclusion to a movie in which the supernatural consequences are terrifyingly personal.
3
The Crow
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Brandon Lee delivered his final performance in Alex Proyas’ 1994 adaptation of James O’Barr’s The Crow, playing a musician brutally murdered alongside his fiancée. One year later, Eric Draven returns from the grave, guided by a mysterious crow and determined to avenge their deaths. His supernatural resurrection grants him extraordinary abilities, although his motivations remain rooted in grief rather than conventional heroism.
The film’s rain-soaked city, gothic imagery, and relentless atmosphere make it one of the most distinctive comic book adaptations ever produced. Proyas combines violent revenge with supernatural tragedy, creating a world that feels haunted long before Eric begins hunting his killers. The film’s unforgettable alternative-rock soundtrack reinforces its gothic identity, helping establish The Crow as a defining cult favorite. Beneath the violence lies an unusually affecting story about love surviving beyond death.
2
Blade II
Wesley Snipes returned as Marvel’s vampire-hunting antihero in Blade II, the 2002 sequel directed by Guillermo del Toro. This time, Blade must reluctantly collaborate with a team of elite vampires to confront the Reapers, a terrifying new breed capable of infecting both humans and vampires. The uneasy alliance introduces an intriguing complication, but it’s the monsters themselves that transform the sequel into a genuine horror experience.
Del Toro’s Reapers are among the most disturbing creatures ever featured in a Marvel adaptation, particularly when their jaws split apart to reveal grotesque feeding mechanisms. The film’s claustrophobic sewer sequences and practical creature effects would feel at home in a conventional monster movie. Among the most unforgettable moments in Wesley Snipes’ Blade trilogy, the Reaper encounters remain especially effective. Few superhero sequels have embraced body horror with such enthusiasm.
1
Brightburn
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What if Superman had arrived on Earth with the instincts of a serial killer? That’s the wonderfully disturbing premise behind David Yarovesky’s Brightburn, a 2019 superhero horror film produced by James Gunn. Jackson A. Dunn stars as Brandon Breyer, an apparently ordinary boy adopted by a Kansas couple who discover him inside a crashed spacecraft. As Brandon approaches adolescence, his extraordinary abilities begin manifesting alongside increasingly violent impulses.
The familiar superhero origin story becomes a nightmare once Brandon realizes that ordinary humans are virtually powerless against him. Flight becomes a means of stalking victims, superhuman strength makes violence horrifyingly effortless, and his ability to see through objects allows for disturbing invasions of privacy. Elizabeth Banks is particularly effective as a mother desperate to believe her son remains innocent. Despite some narrative shortcomings, Brightburn earns the top spot because it transforms the Superman archetype into genuine horror, making the very idea of an all-powerful superhero fundamentally terrifying.
Brightburn
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