10 Recent Movie Effects You Thought Were CGI (But Weren't)

2. Polka-Dot Man's Transformation - The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad Polka Dot Man
Warner Bros.

James Gunn's The Suicide Squad cost a beefy $185 million and features creatively over-the-top VFX in basically every single scene, but one of its more grotesque effects was actually executed 100% for real.

The film makes an unlikely hero out of niche comic book character Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), who is stricken with an interdimensional virus and must purge his polka dots twice a day or grow glowing pustules all over his body.

We end up seeing the stomach-churning results of this in the movie, where Polka-Dot Man's face is covered with neon-coloured growths, and given the effects-heavy nature of the production, why wouldn't it simply have been added in post?

But shortly after the film's release, James Gunn posted behind-the-scenes photos confirming that Polka-Dot Man's glowing pustules were indeed totally practical, with a combination of makeup prosthetics and lighting effects employed to bring it to life on-set.

Ultimately Gunn decided to tone down the more elaborate original effect for the final film, but it was still executed without any additional VFX elements whatsoever.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.