J.R. Bookwalter turned out 1993’s Ozone for only $3,500. That, in and of itself, is not what is impressive. I mean, it is impressive, but what makes the movie a true wonder is that, despite its meager budget, Ozone is so damn good!
Detectives Eddie Boone (James Black) and Mike Weitz (Tom Hoover) are on a nighttime stake-out, hoping to catch drug dealer Richter (Bill Morrison) in the act. When things go south, Eddie and Mike give chase. Eddie eventually catches up with Richter, who, during the melee, injects the detective with a new narcotic called “ozone”.
As Eddie soon discovers, Ozone has some severe side effects, turning a good many addicts into mindless zombies. Eddie continues his investigation into the trafficking of Ozone, even as he begins to change, both physically and mentally, leaving him to wonder if the drug’s effects will eventually wear off, or if they are permanent.
Ozone is, first and foremost, a body horror film, and it’s an outstanding body horror film. From the exploding head that kicks off the movie to the many transformations to follow, the make-up and effects are beyond impressive. In one of the film’s best scenes, Eddie meets Justine (Lori Scarlett), who is addicted to ozone. During their brief encounter, the two undergo a metamorphosis that completely alters their appearance, resulting in a scene that is as gross as it is amazing.
Bookwalter also made the interesting choice of having each Ozone addict experience different side effects to the drug; not everyone becomes a zombie. During his investigation, Eddie encounters a bloodthirsty mob of Ozone addicts that force him to fight a cage match against a much bigger opponent; and later goes toe-to-toe with a trio of cannibals that corner him in a darkened alley. Keeping the effects of the drug random not only made for a more interesting film, but kept things moving at a brisk pace (the film’s 81-minute runtime feels half that long).
With performances better than you’d find in most low-budget direct-to-video productions (James Black does an amazing job in the lead role) and special effects that are shockingly good, Bookwalter managed to take $3,500 and turn out a movie as entertaining as any $200 million Hollywood production.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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