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John Carl Buechler

SFX Legend John Carl Buechler Passes Away at 66

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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.

Halloween 4’s John Carl Buechler Is Battling Cancer & Needs Our Help

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From designing and supervising the special makeup effects for 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers to directing Kane Hodder in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (in which he delivered one of the more notable character makeups in that series history), John Carl Buechler has been instrumental in delivering to Halloween and horror fans alike some of horror cinema’s most iconic moments.

Unfortunately we’ve learned that the man is currently fighting Stage IV prostate cancer, and given the continuing costs of his treatment which have exhausted his savings, he needs our help.

From his wife Lynn Buechler (who has launched a GoFundMe page in order help him wage his battle):

“For many starting out in the movie business in the 80’s, John Carl Buechler was much more than the man who gave many of us our start. He was a hilarious and positive friend who believed in giving young people a chance, often keeping us on payroll even when he didn’t have work…and in some cases while we were still learning the craft itself.  His friendship, love and dedication has been unfaltering throughout the years to not only his friends, but to his family and fans.

We are sad to report that John has recently been diagnosed with Stage IV prostate cancer and he and his family desperately need help.  For months John has quietly been trying every treatment he can to turn his situation around and in the process has not only exhausted his insurance, but his personal savings.  There is still a glimmer of hope that a miracle will occur, and that John’s situation will get better, but regardless his wife and family are about to be hit with thousands of dollars-worth of medical bills and lost wages, due to the fact they spend much of their time with John at the hospital. Every penny the family has is going to John’s care and comfort. The bottom line is we desperately need to raise money for his continued treatment.

He is currently focusing on the best of both conventional and alternative medicine, as well as taking daily physical therapy. He is responding to his homeopathic treatment, but it’s an expensive process – all of this is tremendously taxing both physically and monetarily.

Although it was tough making the decision to go public with his situation – it’s time for his friends, family and the horror community to come together to do everything possible to help make him more comfortable and hopefully get him on the road to recovery.  John is a fighter and insists on not giving up. It is his hope to turn his situation around and get back to work.  More importantly his family is his main priority and he is fighting ferociously to get better and have the chance to spend more time with them.

We are raising 120k to pay off his past and much needed upcoming treatment bills.”

To assist John in his struggle, please donate to his GoFundMe page here.

From everyone at Trancas, we are sending our thoughts and prayers to you, John. You’ve got this.