Ozone: The Attack of the Redneck Mutants (1986) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Matt Devlen
STARRING: Scott Davis, Janice Williams, Blue Thompson
RATED: UR/Region: O/1:33/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Visual Vengeance
Ozone: The Attack of the Redneck Mutants – Super 8, Super Gross, Super Why?
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if a camcorder, a fog machine, and a group of deeply committed weirdos decided to declare war on good taste, Ozone: The Attack of the Redneck Mutants has your answer. And it is… sticky.
Directed by Matt Devlen and shot back-to-back with The Abomination (because when inspiration strikes, you apparently don’t sleep), this 1986 regional horror oddity feels less like a movie and more like a dare that went too far.
The plot — and I use that word generously — involves toxic chemicals, mutant rednecks, and a lot of wandering around while things ooze in the background. There’s enough padding here to insulate a small house. Scenes stretch. Characters linger. Conversations continue long after any sane editor would have hit “stop.” You can practically hear the runtime wheezing, “Just ten more minutes… we can make it to feature length…”
But here’s the thing: when the movie stops killing time and starts killing people, it kind of delivers.
The gore effects are… impressive-ish. Not “convincing,” not “polished,” but enthusiastically disgusting. We’re talking thick, gloppy, Super 8 slime that looks like it smells. The effects aren’t good in a technical sense — they’re good in a “someone poured their heart and possibly expired yogurt into this” sense. It’s more gross than good, which honestly feels like the entire mission statement.
Everything about Ozone feels handmade in the most chaotic way possible. The acting ranges from “community theater rehearsal” to “did they just grab someone from behind the camera?” The lighting is optional. The pacing is a suggestion. And yet… there’s a scrappy, DIY charm that’s hard to completely dismiss. It’s outsider horror in its purest form — made because it could be, not because it should be.
Now, let’s talk about the Visual Vengeance Blu-ray. Like most of their releases, the movie looks rough. Very rough. But that’s less the label’s fault and more the unavoidable reality of a film shot on Super 8 in the mid-’80s with what appears to be the budget of a moderately priced pizza. The image is grainy, soft, and occasionally looks like it was rescued from the bottom of a swamp — but it probably looks as good as it ever will. You’re not watching this for pristine cinematography. You’re watching it for mutant goo and regional madness.
And to their credit, Visual Vengeance packs in some genuinely solid extras. Interviews, context, archival love — the kind of material that makes you appreciate the chaotic ambition behind the project. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a loving documentary about someone’s extremely messy garage band.
Is Ozone: The Attack of the Redneck Mutants a good movie? Absolutely not. Is it fascinating, gross, padded to the heavens, and weirdly admirable? Yes. It’s the kind of film that makes you question your life choices — and then immediately start googling more shot-on-video horror from the ’80s.
Bring a strong stomach. And maybe a fast-forward button.
Extras
- New director-approved SD master from original tape elements
- Commentary with producer Bret McCormick and star Blue Thompson
- Commentary with Sam Panico of B&S About Movies and Bill Van Ryn of Drive-In Asylum
- Actress Blue Thompson interview
- Ozone & The Abomination location visit
- Deleted scenes from producer Matt Devlen’s personal archives
- Ozone 0uttakes from producer Matt Devlen’s personal archives
- Ozone special effects outtakes
- Muther Video – original VHS intros reel
- Director Matt Devlen – Cinema Wasteland interview
- Director Matt Devlen – producer trailer reel
- Short film: Babies
- Actress Barbara Dow – acting reel
- Director Mark Pirro – Ozone interview
- Archival public access TV review: Hollywood Unseen
- Let’s Watch Movies podcast: Matt Devlen interview
- Ozone image gallery
- Tabloid (1989) trailer
- Visual Vengeance trailers
- ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS sticker set
- Reversible sleeve featuring original VHS art
- Folded mini-poster
- Optional English subtitles
- Limited Edition O-Card with alternate art by The Dude – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
- 12-page Mini Comic Book – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
- Ozone Mutant Puke Bag – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
- Muther Video Logo Sticker – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
