The tenth anniversary edition of “Ozone” has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from Tempe DVD. That’s nothing out of the ordinary, as all its anniversary collections are chock full of excellent extras. What is different, however, is the film. This is actually better than a lot of the movies this company turns out. It has its moments of B-movie badness (and not the good kind), but overall it’s a very entertaining, moody feature.
Eddie Boone (James Black) is a cop who has been injected with a new street drug called Ozone (as, in a moment of the aforementioned B-movie badness, the vials it comes in are so labeled). To make matters worse, he has to find his missing partner (Tom Hoover, in a surprisingly subdued role — or at least subdued for him). What follows is a dream-like descent into madness as the effects of the drug kick in and attempt to make Boone one of the New Order.
“Ozone,” which also went under the title of “Street Zombies,” shows some originality and has special effects that are above the standard Tempe fare. Director J.R. Bookwalter has every right to be proud of it, as it is a good independent film that treats its subject matter seriously and isn’t afraid to call itself a horror film. Those who have had any doubts about Tempe’s films should see this movie and put those feelings to rest. This is the one that proves what Tempe and its crew is capable of achieving when working with the right script and actors. For a company that has had its share of misses, this is a solid hit.
