RIP indie director/visual effects artist John Lechago (Killjoy series, Bio Slime)

Hope this isn't against the subreddit's rules, but this isn't the kind of passing that will get notice in the trades. Heck, I doubt horror sites like Bloody Disgusting or Fangoria will even mention it (but they damn well should!). Full Moon head Charles Band has acknowledged Lechago's sad passing on Twitter (sorry, can't link to it), so it is real.

John Lechago was a true indie filmmaker. His first feature, Blood Gnome (2004), was shot for just few thousand but ended up getting in Blockbuster. Not bad for a guy who was legit doing 90% of the work on the film (including filling in for a victim dressed in S&M gear when the actor no showed). His subsequent feature Bio Slime (2010) encapsulated his style so well - tiny budget but never letting that be a limitation with imagination in spades. It ended up getting picked up and distributed by Media Blasters.

I got to know John personally via his work at Full Moon while co-writing a book about the company. His first gig was doing some quick visual effects on Dead Man's Hand (2007) aka The Haunted Casino with Sid Haig. That led to him becoming Full Moon's go-to guy who could do just about anything for the company's low budget features.

It was at Full Moon that Lechago achieved perhaps his greatest success as he and Trent Haaga resurrected the killer clown Killjoy character. Those three films (Killjoy 3, Killjoy Goes to Hell, and Killjoy's Psycho Circus) showcased his ability to get the most out of every dollar, working with budgets probably less than what Tom Cruise's personal chef gets in a day. He also did a Puppet Master film for them in Blade: The Iron Cross (2020). His non-FM features Feast of Fear (2019) and Mortal Game (2024) showcased his talents. An amazing artist, I'm sad the world never got to see his talent on a bigger scale.

Sadly, John passed away this past week suddenly at the far-too-young age of 57. He leaves behind a wife, daughter, and son. He was also an avid martial artist and his dojo has started a fundraiser for the family if anyone cares to donate (you can find it by searching as r/horror won't allow links).

RIP to one of the good ones!