I’m not 100% opposed to CGI work, in fact it can be a great tool when used to fix an unsolvable problem (on set or in the budget), but it drives me insane when studios toss aside physical product for a fully CGI feature. It’s just plain lazy, and cheap. Case in point, Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend, which was a pretty solid movie sans the gag-inducing computer generated vampires.

But did you know there were make-up tests for practical bloodsuckers? I didn’t. Makeup FX artist Steve Johnson just pulled a major “cool” by posting video footage from the early I Am Legend makeup tests — and they’re AWESOME. Had these creatures been on Will Smith’s ass, I think we may have had something quite different in theaters.

This is some mind-blowing footage. It’s frustrating as a fan to know that we could have (should have) seen this beautiful work in action. You’ll find even more behind-the-scenes goodies, like the unused suit from Tim Burton’s Superman, by clicking here.

