It’s with a heavy heart that we must report that SFX legend John Carl Buechler has passed away at the age of 66.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his wife Lynn last month, Buechler died early this morning after a battle with Stage IV prostate cancer.
From designing and supervising the special makeup effects for 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and 1995’s Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers to directing Kane Hodder in Paramount Pictures’ Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (in which he also delivered one of the more notable character makeups in that series’ history), Buechler is additionally well known for his special effects work on such genre films as Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), Dolls (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) and Adam Green’s Hatchet (2006), among many others.
The first person in history (according to his IMDB bio) to make his way into the director’s chair by way of make-up effects superstardom, Buechler told HorrorNews.net in a 2010 interview, “I’ve always loved writing and I’ve always loved directing – makeup effects are part of the tools that I use.”
“His family is absolutely devastated as are many of his fans and friends,” reads the updated GoFundMe page, which was originally created to assist in Buechler’s mounting medical bills. “His wife who works for the school system has been left with thousands of dollars worth of bills and the position to care for three children. Please donate to this newly captioned memorial fund (to) help them get through this terrible tough time. To all of you who sent good wishes and love please know that your communication really lifted his spirits.”
From everyone at Trancas, we offer our sincere condolences to Buechler’s wife Lynn and surviving family.
