Editorials
Master of Monsters: Celebrating the Work of Horror Legend John Carl Buechler
It’s impossible to be an avid horror fan and not be familiar with the work of John Carl Buechler, even if you may not be familiar with the artist behind the work. His passion for genre and the filmmaking process meant that he delivered hundreds of great horror memories over the decades. A special effects and makeup artist that specialized in creature work and design, Buechler also wrote, directed, and acted in movies as well. From the late ‘70s to the present, only a devastating battle with cancer would slow him down from his prolific output in film. A friendly, enthusiastic voice that matched his extensive work ethic in spades, Buechler is gone too soon, but his lengthy filmography has left us with countless movie memories that shaped generations of horror lovers.
If you’re a regular reader of our It Came From the 80s column, then you already are aware of Buechler’s enduring relationship with producer Charles Band, especially during the era of Empire International Pictures. He’s the mind behind the monsters of Ghoulies, TerrorVision, Troll, Cellar Dweller, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, and Dolls. Many of which shaped my own love of horror as a child obsessed with monsters. He also worked on special effects on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Prison, Crawlspace, From Beyond, Re-Animator, Ghost Town, Trancers, and more throughout the years.
While Buechler directed a segment in the anthology The Dungeonmaster in ’84, Troll marked his feature directorial debut followed by Cellar Dweller. Often the productions of these films overlapped, meaning that Buechler was almost always juggling multiple projects at once. He somehow made it seem effortless, despite the insane scope of work involved.
Buechler also brought his expertise to all three major horror franchises in the ‘80s and ‘90s. A special effects artist on A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, in which he had a hand on Alice’s aged makeups, the impressive effect of Freddy’s chests of souls, and the humorously grotesque horror soul pizza, this ambitious special effect driven sequel was made all the better by his contributions. He handled the special effects design for Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare with his studio Magical Media Industries, Inc. Then there was Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, made more impressive by Buechler’s role as special makeup effects supervisor and designer. Though Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers has proven divisive, the kills can be downright gory, attributed in part to Buechler.
In Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Buechler stepped into the director’s seat. Having worked with stuntman and stunt coordinator Kane Hodder on previous films like Prison, Buechler wanted Hodder to don the mask of Jason Voorhees, a move that meant Hodder would irrevocably become intertwined with the character. While this sequel has a fun tone overall thanks to the telekinetic protagonist that would battle Voorhees, it was originally much, much bloodier. A lot of the gore and death scenes had to be trimmed to avoid an X-rating. Meaning that while the MPAA dampened Buechler’s vision, it’s clear he understood this series (thankfully a lot of the gore can be found in the deleted scenes of the boxed set).
Hodder and Buechler reteamed again in 2006 in Adam Green’s Hatchet. This time Buechler would be working on the great gore effects and playing the lovable Jack Cracker, while Hodder would assume the role of a modern horror icon in Victor Crowley. The character of Jack Cracker appeared again in Hatchet II, though for a brief, unforgettable scene.
These are just some of the highlights of Buechler’s expansive career. He was a classically trained filmmaker with a degree in fine art, cinema and theater. As much as he loved and gave himself to the art of film, he also gave freely to budding talent in the industry. Many other notable artists working in special effects were given their start by Buechler. All of this to say that Buechler was and is just as important to horror fandom as he is to the people working in horror films. The profound impact he’s had on the genre ripples out so far, and has touched so many, that his presence will forever be embedded in the DNA of horror cinema.
A master of monsters and a genuinely kind person with a contagious sense of humor, John Carl Buechler will be greatly missed.
From child-eating witches to village-burning dragons, fairy tales have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it makes sense that, for every The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, there are also darker and more adult-oriented stories about magical worlds inhabited by ravenous monsters and cruel villains.
Funnily enough, these sinister tales were precisely the ones that I gravitated towards back when I was a kid, and I was reminded of this while watching Netflix’s recently released I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s first ever feature-length stop-motion animation and one hell of an entertaining parable about the intersection between fiction and reality.
In honor of this special kind of horror-adjacent fairy tale, today I’d like to share this list recommending six Dark Fantasy films that horror fans might enjoy.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining Dark Fantasy as fantastical stories that don’t shy away from the more macabre elements that fuel classic fairy tales. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own grim favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
I’m fascinated by bizarre attempts at blockbuster filmmaking – especially when the resulting movies are somehow still fun despite their corporate-mandated origins. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is precisely one of these strangely compelling studio projects, as this surprisingly successful action-thriller boasts a lot of heart (and tongue-in-cheek humor) for a CGI-heavy creature feature.
Directed by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, Witch Hunters re-frames the classic fairy tale as an origin story for a duo of badass monster-slayers. Of course, it’s the flick’s anachronistic aesthetic and overall visual flair that make it stand out from other action-horror endeavors from around the same time.
5. The Wolf House (2018)
Made in the tradition of faux cursed films in the same vein as Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, the eerie backstory to 2018’s Chilean animated flick The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo in the original Spanish) already makes it a nightmarish experience before the flick even really begins.
After all, the movie is presented to us as a faux propaganda film produced by the leader of a death cult (heavily inspired by the real life Colonia Dignidad), with this hybrid animated feature using complex movie magic to simulate a single uninterrupted shot as it tells the story of a lazy young girl who runs away from an isolated colony and encounters a creepy old house in the woods.
4. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Out of all the Monty Python alumni, Terry Gilliam has had the most interesting career outside of the original comedy group. From fascinating canceled projects (such as his scrapped adaptation of Watchmen) to dystopian parodies that feel more relevant by the minute (1985’s Brazil), even his “lesser” films are still intriguing in their own way.
2005’s The Brothers Grimm is one such project, with this peculiar movie attempting to combine the comedian-turned-filmmaker’s unique visual style with a more blockbuster-oriented plot reimagining the titular brothers as con-artists rather than mere writers. The end result isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s still a legitimately fun ride with plenty of memorable monsters and wonderful performances by both the late, great Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
3. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
2010’s Dante’s Inferno game may have a reputation as something of an unapologetic God of War clone, but I’d argue that the now-obscure game was aesthetically unique enough to deserve a bigger fanbase. However, while the title remains trapped on the seventh console generation, its highly underrated anime adaptation is a lot easier to get a hold of!
Animated by 6 different studios in order to make the 9 circles of hell feel unique from each other, this may not be a completely faithful adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s poem, but it’s still one heck of a great (not to mention gory) time that I’d highly recommend to fans of Netflix’s take on Castlevania.
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
My personal favorite entry in the Underworld franchise, Rise of the Lycans, is a highly ambitious prequel that actually works better if you haven’t had the story spoiled to you by the previous Underworld films.
While the rest of the series features plenty of urban fantasy elements as the movies combine machine guns and modern environments with gothic storytelling, Patrick Tatopoulos’ prequel fully embraces its fantastical origins and tells a classic tale about a doomed romance between a werewolf and a vampire amid a medieval uprising.
And the best part is that we get a lot more Michael Sheen as the fan-favorite Lucian.
1. Solomon Kane (2011)
One of my personal favorite movies on this list, MJ Basset’s criminally underseen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s other iconic warrior is thoroughly steeped in horror ambience and features plenty of memorable monsters. However, it’s also a classic origin story for a swashbuckling hero that wouldn’t feel out of place in a tabletop RPG.
While I’ve already written about how the film deftly combines both horror and fantasy elements without breaking the bank, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to recommend the bizarre movie where James Purefoy expertly plays a puritan John Wick.
It’s just too bad that we never got the other films in this intended trilogy.
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