Roger Corman has called him "...the
best in the business," and that is doubtlessly why FX-Wizard/Filmmaker
John Carl Buechler was drafted to provide the astounding dinosaur effects
for Corman's Carnasaur.
It was in fact, a bit of a reunion when Buechler and Corman joined forces for the prehistoric drama: Buechler headed the make-up special effects division of New World pictures in the early '80s, providing his trademark "brilliance on a budget" wizardry for such Corman produced films as Android, Deathstalker, Forbidden World, and Sorceress.
Buechler's early Corman creature features were his first break in Hollywood. He moved on to join forces with Charles Band's ambitious Empire Films in the mid-80s, designing and supervising the FX for a multitude of high-concept and critically acclaimed box-office hits, including Ghoulies (which spawned two sequels), Trancers (which rated two more sequels)!), From Beyond and Re-animator.
During this period Buechler became the first
motion picture director to emerge from a make-up effects background.
Cutting his teeth on modestly-budgeted fantasy films like Troll, Cellar Dweller and Dungeonmaster, Buechler soon was tapped to helm the seventh installment of Paramount's fright filled Jason series, Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Buechler not only directed that picture, he also created the startling effects for it; his ghastly interpretation of the disintigrating, corpse-like anti-hero has been hailed as the definitive Jason of the long-running series. Buechler's installment of Friday The 13th was one of the most successful of the series.
In addition to Buechler's Friday The 13th film in 1988, Nightmare On Elm Street came back strong that year. The fourth segment of the Freddy series. The Dream Master, earned more box-office dollars than any installment of that series to date. Another top dollar-earning fright film of that year was Halloween 4.
One man - John Carl Buechler - provided eye-popping
make-up effects for all three of those horror hits! In fact, Buchler is
the only make-up effects designer to have worked with all three of the great
"horror franchises" (series) of the 80s: Jason, Michael, and Freddy
from, respectively, Friday The 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare
On Elm Street.
When New Line decided to close out their Freddy franchise with Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare last year, Buchler's Magical Media Industries (MMI) crew were once again on hand to thrill film-goers, providing Freddy's astounding 3-D demise.
In the '90s, Buechler has expanded his work in the entertainment industry to include developing and writing motion picture projects, as well as branching out into television.
Mindful of Buechler's unique ability to combine
complex FX work and work effectively with actors on short shooting schedules,
Sid and Marty Kroftt Productions signed him up to direct three segments
of their popular ABC-TV Saturday Morning series Land Of The Lost.
Most recently, Buechler provided imaginative effects for such notable Cinemafantastique as Lawnmower Man, Indiana Jones And The Lost Crusade, Bride Of Re-animator, Scanner Cop, Ghoulies Go To College (which he also directed) and the new Robert Englund-starring version of the classic tale of Phantom Of The Opera.
A rising star in the new wave of mainstream excitement, Buechler currently is developing numerous original projects which will incorporate both his special effects expertise and extensive experience as both a film designer and feature film director.
