Director – J. R. Bookwalter (The Dead Next Door, Robot Ninja)
Starring – James Black (Godzilla, The PJs), Tom Hoover (Polymorph, Galaxy of the Dinosaurs), and Bill Morrison (Robot Ninja, Skinned Alive)
Release Date – 1995
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 4/5
Tagline – “There’s a new drugs on the streets…”
When I was in high school I started collecting Anchor Bay releases. I had acquired a few prior to actually committing to collecting them. I had previously bought the three Evil Dead films on DVD and after buying Dead and Breakfast I decided to continue down the Anchor Bay rabbit hole. Around this time AB released the J. R. Bookwalter zombie film The Dead Next Door on DVD. That release turned me into a Tempe Video fan.
It was around that time that I became friends with another horror minded guy at my high school and he would show me another Tempe Video release. Skinned Alive was my second introduction into this indie horror world and I was hooked. Not long after this I won a VHS lot on eBay and among the tapes was Bookwalter’s Ozone. Honestly, I had no idea this was his film at the time and was not the reason I placed bids on the lot. I eventually watched and realized what I had and held on to it until I upgraded to DVD several years later. When Tempe announced a new blu release of the film I used it as an excuse to upgrade my DVD and revisit the film that I last watched some 10 years ago.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows two detectives that are trying to track down the source of a new drug on the streets called Ozone. One of them is kidnapped forcing the other to go to great lengths to free his partner while fighting for his life against the undead and disfigured that are addicted to the new drug. **Spoiler Alert**
Ozone, like many indie horror productions, is love it or leave it. I rarely meet someone who is in between. Some of my horror friends absolutely love the film while others really hate it. Personally, I love it. It’s not The Dead Next Door or Robot Ninja but it’s still a damn good flick.
The acting in this one is solid. The film has several generic but memorable characters that move the film along and over the top. I really liked the cast and though they mostly have little to no experience they still deliver solid performances.
The story for this one is one we had seen several times before even for a film from 1995. With that being said, this is done Bookwalter style. Drugs that kill people or turn them into mindless drones/zombies is nothing new, especially by the mid-90s, but once you throw in the Tempe Video style you get an oozing mess of sci-fi horror that genre fans of the video store age will truly appreciate.
Finally, if you want some great make-up effects and bloody kills then you turned to the right spot. Bookwalter is a genre fan himself so he knows exactly what his fans want. The kills are solid and the practical effects work for what they were intended for. Sure, there is a few times where the film’s budget shows but it’s not enough to turn the viewer off. Overall, Ozone is not for everyone. I’ll be completely honest about that. However, if you have a liking to films like The Dead Next Door, The Toxic Avenger, and other no budget indie productions then you will really enjoy yourself with this one. The blu looks great and Tempe Digital did a fantastic job giving fans an improved blu over the DVD. Check it out!
Special Features:
Commentaries
Bloopers and Outtakes
Production and Artwork Gallery
Promotional Gallery
1993 Channel 23 Segment
1993 Newstalk 29 TV Appearence
Paying for Your Past Sins: The Ozone Story
Into the Black: James Black and OZone
2003 Location Tour
Behind the Scenes Footage
Early Test Footage
Tempe Trailers
