Batman: The Animated Series: 10 Most Disturbing Episodes

Yes, it's time to talk about the walking mudslide once again. After all, if ever a Batman villain has encapsulated the essence of body horror, then it has to be Clayface.

This two-parter, which depicts actor Matt Hagen's transformation into a lumbering mass of putty, is notorious for its disturbing imagery, with two scenes in particular standing out.

Firstly, we have Hagen's gruesome transformation, where Roland Daggett's henchmen pin him to the ground and pour a vat of Renuyu down his throat. This scene is unbelievably horrifying and really pushes the limits of what can be shown in a children's cartoon. The actions aren't shown directly, mainly being conveyed through shadows on the wall, but that makes the scene even more terrifying as our imaginations fill in the blanks.

By far the most disturbing part comes near the end, when Batman figures out how to defeat Clayface. Surrounding him with TV monitors depicting his numerous movie roles, Hagen begins to involuntarily shift between different forms, imitating those displayed on the screens. He quickly becomes overwhelmed, with the transformations becoming more rapid and gruesome as his body becomes unstable, taking on numerous features almost simultaneously, before stumbling and electrocuting himself and finally collapsing to the ground in an unstable heap.

This scene is insanely grotesque, as Hagen's liquefied body morphs and splatters all over the place, shifting from one gruesome look of agony to another. It is without a doubt one of THE most visually disturbing moments in the entire DCAU, capped off by the reveal that Clayface survived the ordeal shortly afterwards.