Filmmaker and legendary FX artist John Carl Buechler (FRIDAY THE 13TH VII, HATCHET) passed away of prostate cancer earlier this morning. He was 66 years old. From directing the films CELLAR DWELLER, TROLL, and GHOULIES III: GHOULIES GO TO COLLEGE to designing special make-up effects for films in almost every slasher franchise including A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and HATCHET, John is also the man who put Kane Hodder behind “Jason’s” hockey mask and helped turn the character into a truly legendary icon. He gave many FX artists their start in the industry.
John Carl Buechler on the set of HATCHET (May 2005)
Adam Green: “John took HATCHET (and all of us) seriously at a point when we really had no way of proving that we actually knew what we were doing or how to make a feature film. When producer Sarah Elbert and I approached John and his shop foreman Robert Pendergraft to help us create images of “Young Victor Crowley” for our mock trailer, he immediately signed on. He believed in us and in “Victor Crowley” at a time when only we did. His involvement in HATCHET gave the project legitimacy within the horror genre and his mere presence on our team helped make veteran icons like Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, and Robert Englund take the film seriously enough to sign on before we had all of our funding in place.”
John Carl Buechler putting the finishing touches on “Young Victor Crowley.”
Adam Green: “There was a night on HATCHET that turned into a complete weather disaster. We were shooting the opening scene of the film between “Sampson” (Robert Englund) and “Ainsley” (Joshua Leonard) and we only had Robert Englund for a night and a half. As luck would have it, immediately after Robert was wrapped a thunder storm rolled in and torrential rain began to pummel our set. We still needed to shoot all of Josh’s coverage in the scene but now it was pouring rain and it was Josh’s last night with us. While the crew was at lunch, Will Barratt (director of photography) and I were in a full-on panic. We were standing under a tree looking at each other saying, “what are we gonna do now?” John sauntered over to us out of the dark. He had his hands in the pockets of his signature blue shorts and was wearing his usual flip flops (even though there was a strict rule of “no open toed shoes allowed on set”). He asked me what was wrong and I pointed at the sky and said, “What’s wrong?? It’s pouring rain! None of the shots are going to match now and we can’t afford to re-shoot any of it! What are we gonna do?” John laughed and said, “Just shoot it. It will all work out.” He began whistling a happy tune and he sauntered away into the dark again. It may sound like such a small thing but John’s confidence in me and his eternally calm guidance about controlling what you can control and just going with the flow with whatever you can’t… it kept me believing that I could pull it off despite the budgetary limitations and the constant hurdles that my crew and I were facing almost every night. In the end, we just shot it. In post-production we added the sound of rain and some overlapping thunder claps between the shots of Robert Englund and Joshua Leonard along with a few digital rain drops and you know what? No one ever knew the difference.”
“Just shoot it.” Filming HATCHET (May 2005).
Adam Green: “John not only had decades of experience on me but also an uncanny way of staying calm no matter what was going wrong. I leaned on him throughout that entire production. While it was surreal to watch one of my favorite FX artists bring a character to life that I had dreamed of for over 20 years, it was John’s unwavering belief in me that got me through the production. He truly believed that the sequels I had planned would happen and he believed that “Victor Crowley” would become an icon in the slasher genre long before any of us ever thought it could happen. There is no way to ever express how grateful I am to have known and worked with John. He was a friend, a teacher, and an inspiration.”
Adam Green looking to John Carl Buechler for advice on the set of HATCHET (May 2005).
ArieScope mourns the loss of a legend in the horror genre, a friend, a husband, a father, and a man that played a pivotal role in the legacy of “Victor Crowley” and the HATCHET series. John is survived by his wife Lynn and three children who are devastated by his loss and now facing insurmountable hospital bills. Please consider lending a hand by donating here.
John Carl Buechler’s very first sketch of “Young Victor Crowley” based on Adam Green’s description.
Alison Haislip, Laura Ortiz, and Rati Gupta
