The horror world sadly lost another legend yesterday. Special effects master John Carl Buechler had been battling prostate cancer for some time, but eventually passed away at age 66.
Buechler is best known for his work on Re-Animator, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Trancers, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Ghoulies, and From Beyond, as well as being the director of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. When he ran the make-up effects department at New World Pictures, Roger Corman called him “the best in the business.” He then did similar duties on Charles Band’s Empire Pictures and after a while began to direct with the highly enjoyable cheapies Troll and Cellar Dweller to his credit. Sadly his Jason Voorhees film was mutilated by the censors and his directorial career thereafter never quite got off the ground due largely due to poor distribution and the tiny budgets he had to work with, though you have to admire his dedication to old school makeup and puppetry effects. And he did appear in the first two Hatchet films which reunited him with Kane Hodder.
RIP John.
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