Interviewed by Maggie Roberge
John Buechler is a well-known special effects artist as well as an accomplished director and actor in the movie industry. He has worked on many famous horror movies, most notably Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (which he directed as well as providing special effects). John has also acted in some notable films such as Troll, Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust, and more recently both Hatchet movies. John has also worked with some other pretty big names in the industry, such as Robert Englund, director/producer Charles Band, and Kane Hodder (whom he put in his iconic role as Jason Voorhees).
Was being a special effects artist his first choice?
Originally John did want to go into filmmaking. He studied film in high school and college, and eventually started working with an Illinois film crew. Still, according to his experience, when one moves to Hollywood, a career in movies depends mostly on how valuable you are in a certain department. His talent for effects was highly developed, he had a good working portfolio, so he broke into Hollywood movies making special effects, and his directing and acting jobs followed.
Did he take any special classes?
John studied all aspects of artistry and filmmaking. He studied theater history, aesthetics, practical application, all sorts of classes throughout high school and college which ultimately led to his career in special effects, directing and acting.
Which aspect of filmmaking does he prefer or have the most fun with?
John finds it hard to separate the different aspects of filmmaking that he’s been involved in. he believes all the elements he’s worked on are all part of telling the story of a film. Whether it’s making creatures, directing the actors, or acting it’s still telling a story. John looks at it as being a police sketch artist; he has to imagine every aspect of what is being filmed. When making a monster, he has to form an image in his head from what he reads in the script that details the monster’s appearance, how it moves, how it breathes, everything right down to its backstory. After these details are worked out and the creature is built, he has to work out what angles to use when filming it, create storyboards, how to make the creature move and live. Even in the post-production stage, he has to work out which cuts of film work best to really make the creature come to life in a believable manner. So essentially, even when he’s mainly working on special effects, all aspects of filmmaking are involved.
What made him choose Kane Hodder for the role of Jason in Friday the 13th Part VII?
John had admired Kane’s work when filming Prison for Empire Pictures the year before they started work on Friday the 13th. Prison was the first American film directed by Renny Harlin, who afterwards went on to direct Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. For Prison, Kane had been stunt coordinator, and did a large-scale stunt at the end of the movie, and John was impressed by both Kane’s performance and his acting potential, so when they were casting for Friday the 13th, naturally John suggested Kane to be Jason.
Would he do more work for Charles Band?
John has worked on a few movies that Charles Band has been involved in. He’s enjoyed working with Charles Band on each project because of the work that can go into each film. John believes there’s more room for creative control when making the type of smaller budget films that Charles Band produces and directs.
What has he done on the Hatchet movies and will he be involved in Hatchet III?
On the first Hatchet movie, John did all the special effects; the gore, the prosthetics, the make-up. John also portrayed the character Jack Cracker, the old hermit who lives in the swamp and keeps other people out of it. He reprised this role in Hatchet II, this time with more lines and a longer scene with lead actress Danielle Harris, however that time he wasn’t involved with the special effects. John had more fun with Hatchet II, because there he could show more of his character and got to have a death scene. For Hatchet III, there has been rumor of Jack Cracker coming back, so he looks forward to hopefully getting the opportunity to reprise the role yet again.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0119106/
