54 year old horror fan. I've seen it all. Nothing scares me anymore, and I'm mainly interesting in how the setup, the acting, the killings, the suspense etc. is done. More analyzing than living my self into it. Boy have I seen a lot of crab. Yes we have seen it all before, nothing new to horror movies since Samara arose from the well. However this little flick is well executed. Nice directing, nice location, good music, well acting. What is real and what is not. Taking the lead actors background into consideration it sure is a messed up mind. Yes the mirror trick is well exposed, and the killer moving from one location to another in 1 minute is unrealistic. All horror movies are unrealistic. Bear that in mind, and watch it anyway. I was entertained and didn't felt bored for a minute.
126 Reviews
Just an Ok slasher for fans
danielcereto14 September 2020
Only if you love slashers you're going to find some substance watching this movie. It has several nice deaths and the setting is pretty cool.
On the other hand weak script, acting and storyline. So, overall just an OK b type slasher.
"You dont have to do this..."
elle-six26 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It is just me or horror films that has that line is just not worth my time.
Telling the killer "you dont have to do this." and every single time the killer WILL DO THIS.
Another stupid line is asking killer "What are you gonna do with me?"
This film has both these lines...
And a serial killer who killed 35 girls.... they put him in a minimum security prison. So minimum, he could get a red carpet out or prison with guards clapping, cheering, passing him a raincoat, sledgehammer and other killing tools. Thats what i would imagine how the killer gets out.
As for the film production. Few locations... mostly in the gas station where most of the action takes place. And its has the guy from Uwe Boll's Rampage trilogy. Production value is fine. Story could be ok for a horror flick if it wasnt for some dumb parts (which is common horror formula or else how do you get people to die, right?)
One more thing that annoys me. Ninjas... no one ever get the feeling that someone appears behind them (especially a trained cop), which is also a horror film formula. Well, not me... i can sense it even when a little roach runs behind me.
You dont have to do this....
And a serial killer who killed 35 girls.... they put him in a minimum security prison. So minimum, he could get a red carpet out or prison with guards clapping, cheering, passing him a raincoat, sledgehammer and other killing tools. Thats what i would imagine how the killer gets out.
As for the film production. Few locations... mostly in the gas station where most of the action takes place. And its has the guy from Uwe Boll's Rampage trilogy. Production value is fine. Story could be ok for a horror flick if it wasnt for some dumb parts (which is common horror formula or else how do you get people to die, right?)
One more thing that annoys me. Ninjas... no one ever get the feeling that someone appears behind them (especially a trained cop), which is also a horror film formula. Well, not me... i can sense it even when a little roach runs behind me.
You dont have to do this....
Stupid Girl
timitron18 January 2021
I'm sorry, but why is it that many lead women in horror films being chased always have to run INTO buildings as opposed to run out of them and keep running? I was yelling at this girl lead several times out of frustration. Towards the end I just wanted her to die and get it over with. It had potential and I will say the photography and sets were good. The director also did a good job with creating a creepy mood. I just can't get over some of the dumb decisions made by this girl. For that reason I give it 5 out of 10.
Gets pass marks in most areas
jtindahouse24 August 2020
I'm a sucker for a realistic (as far as horror movies go at least) horror movie set in a very creepy location almost exclusively. 'Open 24 Hours' checked those boxes. A deserted gas station on a cold, stormy night will do just nicely. That's a great place to start from, but then you have to have an interesting premise with some remotely likeable characters that I will give a damn about. The film gets pass marks on those points narrowly. The premise was a stretch, but if you buy into it it works well enough. The characters were surprisingly strong. The main character 'Mary' was supposed to have just come out of prison, and she was nowhere near hardened enough to have done that, however I think that was important because it kept her likeable enough that I cared what her fate would be. The supporting cast were serviceable too.
There are a lot of hallucination/dream scenes in the film and it can have you asking yourself exactly what type of movie you're watching. Are you watching a girl lose her mind, or is there a genuine threat? Or is it both? Until the movie clears that up it can be a little hard to settle into exactly what you're watching for a while there.
The film's finale is its biggest strength. It was a surprisingly well put together sequence. There is some very heavy violence later in the film too, so be prepared for that if you need to be. I had a better time with 'Open 24 Hours' than I expected to. I would call it a pleasant surprise and say it is worth a look.
There are a lot of hallucination/dream scenes in the film and it can have you asking yourself exactly what type of movie you're watching. Are you watching a girl lose her mind, or is there a genuine threat? Or is it both? Until the movie clears that up it can be a little hard to settle into exactly what you're watching for a while there.
The film's finale is its biggest strength. It was a surprisingly well put together sequence. There is some very heavy violence later in the film too, so be prepared for that if you need to be. I had a better time with 'Open 24 Hours' than I expected to. I would call it a pleasant surprise and say it is worth a look.
What the hell did I just watch?
sucraf21 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I had to write a review just because this movie was so stupid.
1 star for the gore.
Does anyone check the script of movies anymore? This movie had so many plot holes, it made this movie horrible. The only good thing about this movie was the gore.
The stupid girl is so mental, but she is let out into public. Give her some drugs and she'll be ok? Not!. If you see things that are not there, you should check yourself in an institution and get help. She has a best friend but she does nothing to really help her. And why would you stay in the same city. I would move far far away so no one would know her. But not stupid girl.
The stupid girl's wounds suddenly disappear from the killer mom. How did the killer mom find out where the stupid girl works?
After killing someone, the parole officer doesn't call the police or even check on the wounded stupid girl. Again the wounds disappeared. And how did the parole officer know the killer mom?
A storm cause power outage and the killer escaped prison. OK? I guess jails doesn't have a back up generator? Of all the prison escapes, I never heard of this kind of escape. Then of course the killer can find where the stupid girl is working, when she just got the job on the same day.
When running away from the killer, make sure you run back into the gas station where he can trap you, instead of running, pretty much anywhere else where he can't find you.
When you tell the police that there is a killer in the gas station, both you and he get into the car and start to drive away? I guess the police wouldn't actually check the gas station? And then the killer can somehow warp from inside the gas station to the other side of the police car and shoot the cop?
The killer "dies" and the stupid girl just falls asleep? When stupid girl wakes up, all the bodies are gone. And it's the morning. No other cops came or no other customers. No explanation.
Then it just jumps to the stupid girl working in another place and somehow the killer is behind her in one room. Again it could be her imagination, but since there were no explanation of the disappearing bodies, nothing makes sense.
I guess they don't care if any of this crap is plausible anymore?
1 star for the gore.
Does anyone check the script of movies anymore? This movie had so many plot holes, it made this movie horrible. The only good thing about this movie was the gore.
The stupid girl is so mental, but she is let out into public. Give her some drugs and she'll be ok? Not!. If you see things that are not there, you should check yourself in an institution and get help. She has a best friend but she does nothing to really help her. And why would you stay in the same city. I would move far far away so no one would know her. But not stupid girl.
The stupid girl's wounds suddenly disappear from the killer mom. How did the killer mom find out where the stupid girl works?
After killing someone, the parole officer doesn't call the police or even check on the wounded stupid girl. Again the wounds disappeared. And how did the parole officer know the killer mom?
A storm cause power outage and the killer escaped prison. OK? I guess jails doesn't have a back up generator? Of all the prison escapes, I never heard of this kind of escape. Then of course the killer can find where the stupid girl is working, when she just got the job on the same day.
When running away from the killer, make sure you run back into the gas station where he can trap you, instead of running, pretty much anywhere else where he can't find you.
When you tell the police that there is a killer in the gas station, both you and he get into the car and start to drive away? I guess the police wouldn't actually check the gas station? And then the killer can somehow warp from inside the gas station to the other side of the police car and shoot the cop?
The killer "dies" and the stupid girl just falls asleep? When stupid girl wakes up, all the bodies are gone. And it's the morning. No other cops came or no other customers. No explanation.
Then it just jumps to the stupid girl working in another place and somehow the killer is behind her in one room. Again it could be her imagination, but since there were no explanation of the disappearing bodies, nothing makes sense.
I guess they don't care if any of this crap is plausible anymore?
Not too shabby.
frances_farmer020 August 2020
I think this deserves better than a 5. Okay, so it's not the most original movie I've ever seen, but it was still done pretty well. The acting was great (Brendan Fletcher is terribly underrated IMHO) and it kept me entertained. Also some really good gore, if that's your thing.
Another one for the gas station bargain bin
horrorgasm30 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This has some of the most obnoxious sound design I've heard in a while. Typical generic horror movie where they massively overuse the emotional music cues and constantly beat you over the head with cheap overly loud jumpscare sounds and music. Honestly, if you didn't have the music telling you how you were supposed to feel, the lead actresses attempts at looking scared would probably make you think this was a parody. She goes full on Italian Spider-Man sometimes.
They also try to take the easy way out of explaining all the absolutely insane characters decisions and plotholes by slapping on what was very clearly a thrown together at the last minute "ambiguous" ending. Not sure what the point is because there are only two possibilities, the killer was real (but also had unexplained magic powers) or it was all in her head and she was the killer. Neither are original enough that dropping an ambiguous ending suddenly makes it clever and neither makes much sense because why is she not back in prison again either way and etc. Judging by some of the reviews it looks like it tricked some people into thinking it really was deep though, because apparently it really is that easy...
I've seen much, much worse, but it's still not a good movie. Just another forgettable bargain bin horror that's not even worth sitting through once. 4/10
They also try to take the easy way out of explaining all the absolutely insane characters decisions and plotholes by slapping on what was very clearly a thrown together at the last minute "ambiguous" ending. Not sure what the point is because there are only two possibilities, the killer was real (but also had unexplained magic powers) or it was all in her head and she was the killer. Neither are original enough that dropping an ambiguous ending suddenly makes it clever and neither makes much sense because why is she not back in prison again either way and etc. Judging by some of the reviews it looks like it tricked some people into thinking it really was deep though, because apparently it really is that easy...
I've seen much, much worse, but it's still not a good movie. Just another forgettable bargain bin horror that's not even worth sitting through once. 4/10
Well Made Indie Horror Starting Out Stronger Than It Ends
TwistedContent21 July 2020
"Open 24 Hours" is a gory one-location, slasher-like, mystery-in-delusion indie horror, working decreasingly well on those levels in that order. Overall, it proved to be an all-around okay fourth horror feature from Padraig Reynolds, an indie director who seems to love the genre and his role in it.
Mary (Vanessa Grasse) has been through a lot, having escaped from the life together with a serial killer, and is now trying to start anew, still fighting trauma, paranoia and delusions. She lands a well necessary job in a remote gas station as a nightshift clerk, a place where all that can go wrong, will go wrong. The story, written to twist and turn, in the end turns out rather conventional as most of theories that came to mind took a turn to nowhere. The line between Mary's delusion and reality is continuously tried to be blurred, and everything ends in as much conclusion as in ambiguity, but in either case feeling a little underwhelming. In other words, "Open 24 Hours" 'fizzles out' towards the end as the second half gradually favors simpler tropes and actionable filler.
On the other hand, all is well in the horrors taking place in the gas station, for the entire cast provides rather nifty little performances, with the highlight inarguably belonging to Vanessa Grasse. Another satisfying and consistently good aspect of "Open 24 Hours" is its aesthetic coating, built from creative, handsome cinematography and a solid effort by the FX and make-up team. Though perhaps not in excessive amounts, gore hounds will find their desert served extra bloody. On the matters of sound, in my opinion the original score didn't really have an extraordinary touches, as it reminded lot of the musical palette used in a multitude of genre flicks. If musical scores can be described as cliché, this one kind of is.
While the set bar of technical qualities of "Open 24 Hours" never seem to diminish, the substance, or story, on a certain level, does. All in all Padraig Reynold's newest hooray in horror is an entertaining (enough) and effortful indie piece, flaws and some lesser turns included. My rating: 5/10.
Mary (Vanessa Grasse) has been through a lot, having escaped from the life together with a serial killer, and is now trying to start anew, still fighting trauma, paranoia and delusions. She lands a well necessary job in a remote gas station as a nightshift clerk, a place where all that can go wrong, will go wrong. The story, written to twist and turn, in the end turns out rather conventional as most of theories that came to mind took a turn to nowhere. The line between Mary's delusion and reality is continuously tried to be blurred, and everything ends in as much conclusion as in ambiguity, but in either case feeling a little underwhelming. In other words, "Open 24 Hours" 'fizzles out' towards the end as the second half gradually favors simpler tropes and actionable filler.
On the other hand, all is well in the horrors taking place in the gas station, for the entire cast provides rather nifty little performances, with the highlight inarguably belonging to Vanessa Grasse. Another satisfying and consistently good aspect of "Open 24 Hours" is its aesthetic coating, built from creative, handsome cinematography and a solid effort by the FX and make-up team. Though perhaps not in excessive amounts, gore hounds will find their desert served extra bloody. On the matters of sound, in my opinion the original score didn't really have an extraordinary touches, as it reminded lot of the musical palette used in a multitude of genre flicks. If musical scores can be described as cliché, this one kind of is.
While the set bar of technical qualities of "Open 24 Hours" never seem to diminish, the substance, or story, on a certain level, does. All in all Padraig Reynold's newest hooray in horror is an entertaining (enough) and effortful indie piece, flaws and some lesser turns included. My rating: 5/10.
Don't let the wrong one in
kosmasp27 January 2019
Decent horror is not that easy to make. So when a small (budget) movie like this comes along, some will probably cherish it more than others. Horror is always something that is fascinating, whether you are appalled by it or drawn to it. You experience something through the eyes of the protagonist and depending on your level of attachment, you go for the fuill ride or just lean back and enjoy whatever happens on screen.
Although enjoy might be the wrong word in some cases. And this is one of them. There is more than a bit of suspense here. And there is some brutal killings. For a slasher normal and obviously since this is a movie, you can't hold it against it. If that floats your boat, you will get what you bargained for. The movie is more than decent overall
Although enjoy might be the wrong word in some cases. And this is one of them. There is more than a bit of suspense here. And there is some brutal killings. For a slasher normal and obviously since this is a movie, you can't hold it against it. If that floats your boat, you will get what you bargained for. The movie is more than decent overall
Im not crazy....
Dodge-Zombie11 June 2022
Says the girl 5 minutes after hallucinating and taking tablets that stop said hallucinations immediately. A girl who has apparently spent time in prison yet looks and acts like a 16 year old. A parole officer who walks in to someones house and shoves them around. All in the first 15 minutes. Off.
This nifty lil thriller has ample amount of suspense n tension throughout with some brutal kills.
Fella_shibby22 July 2020
The director did a fantastic job with a simple screenplay. Its very rare to come across a decent thriller or horror nowadays.
The best part is the suspense n tension throughout. Cinematography is also commendable.
Inspite of the low budget, the filmmakers didn't resort to the annoying darkly lit scenes. There is no shaky cam stuff n absolutely no flickering lights.
Brendan Fletcher did a decent job n has become synonym with horror films.
While watching this, High Tension, I Know what u did last Summer n Adam Green's Spiral came to mind.
I am very generous with a 9 cos i enjoyed it, simple. Aint no wannabe critic.
A fine 90ties slasher made 28 years late
kuarinofu16 October 2020
Open 24 Hours is a fine little slasher based on a really old script (or a really old concept).
It is listed as a horror but it really isn't. While it has some good gory kills it would've benefited more from in-your-face brutality, just a little more bloody mess.
While small in scale, the film is mostly well done, nothing stands out in a bad way, except for probably pacing and run time. The first 40-45 minutes are just setting things up (which gets repetitive) and it takes them quite a long time to get to the ending.
Some of the supposedly scary scenes border on being hilariously funny, like almost satire level. But it's such a thin line I can't really tell if those were made funny intentionally or by mistake.
The film is mostly ok but besides some memorable funny lines nothing really stands out.
Good for a one-time watch if there is nothing else to see.
It is listed as a horror but it really isn't. While it has some good gory kills it would've benefited more from in-your-face brutality, just a little more bloody mess.
While small in scale, the film is mostly well done, nothing stands out in a bad way, except for probably pacing and run time. The first 40-45 minutes are just setting things up (which gets repetitive) and it takes them quite a long time to get to the ending.
Some of the supposedly scary scenes border on being hilariously funny, like almost satire level. But it's such a thin line I can't really tell if those were made funny intentionally or by mistake.
The film is mostly ok but besides some memorable funny lines nothing really stands out.
Good for a one-time watch if there is nothing else to see.
Stick to a theme
rigger-8755625 July 2020
There were a few good things to like about this movie but the plot was laughable due to multiple thriller themes going on. Instead of haunting scenes, schizophrenia scenes and actual apparent real scenes going on, the story should've just stuck with one. Tried way too hard to do too much. Disappointed
Asking too much...
dongillette23 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm all for suspension of disbelief in a horror flick, but this one asked just a little too much. The sequences of events were insane (if you're a male hunter and you and a girl are being stalked by a madman, and you know all about shotguns, why would you not take it away from the girl who doesn't even know how to load it?) and the way some characters acted were too much to handle (a cop shows up to rescue the unarmed girl, then orders her into the passenger seat of his car at gunpoint, goes to the driver's side, puts his gun away, and gets in the car next to her.)
Aside from several more of these ham-handed scenes, this could have been a pretty good scare and I'm assuming if you don't over-analyze what's going on, you could enjoy it.
The finale is hilarious, so even if you have to fast forward, don't miss it.
The finale is hilarious, so even if you have to fast forward, don't miss it.
Better than expected
sdot878720 January 2021
Boring & unrealistic👎👎
Draysan-Jennings22 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I waited a long time to finally watch this film. I was thoroughly disappointed. No matter how hard I tried, the movie just couldn't keep my attention. Tacky special effects and the story didn't add up. Apparently the leads boyfriend killed 35 women while she watched. She does a short time in prison and upon release takes a job at a gas station. How the hell did she get out of jail so quickly? This girl must of been in her early twenties. How long was she with this guy? Was she with him during every murder? None of it made sense and was extremely unrealistic. I'm not sure why this film took so long to be released. It definitely wasn't worth the wait. I wouldn't say it was a terrible movie. I wouldn't say it was any good either. Two thumbs down for me.👎👎
Not too bad
s20109876517 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Okay the ending leaves you a little confused. The whole movie she keeps seeing things that aren't there. I think at the end there are a couple of things that show she did it all herself and her bf was not really there the whole time.
First, when she wakes up, he's not there. Second, the front doors are just fine, when the bf had broke them down. Third, in the end, she sees him again. I think she was again imagining him the entire movie and she killed all those people.
Solid indie effort
aeongale22 July 2020
Does well blurring the lines between what is a ptsd hallucination and what is happening in reality. Good pacing with the main character's history slowly being unravelled throughout the first half. Some surprises along the way plot wise were great. Nothing too creative with the gore and some of the fighting scenes are very nonsensical. Not a fan of open-ended endings but overall a fine production and engaging horror film.
Cliche slasher film
lindseyebranch6 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Terribly cliche: jogging instead of running away from killer, drops bullets because of shaky hands, doesn't use anything as a weapon when there are numerous options everywhere, only hits killer once just so the he can get back up and chase after her again, trips on her own feet, crawls on floor even though her legs are fine. No creativity or originality. Not even close to being realistic which I guess is the point for entertaining purposes. I think she killed all of those people but I wish I could have had more closure, bad ending.
Tense from start to finish
duncanbrockwell-5551114 August 2023
Very surprised at just how good this was. Didn't have much expectation beforehand if I'm honest. This is an edge of your seat, foreboding kind of movie, where you know something awful is about to happen and the anticipation is almost too much. Lol.
Great performances and a really creepy setting. The gas station is almost a character all its own. Highly recommend this film.
It's not overly original, but the characters are. I've seen movies like this one not made half as well. I love the fact it's not another teen slasher; they've been done to death, if you'll excuse the pun.
If you're in the mood for a decent slasher movie, pick this one. You won't regret it.
Great performances and a really creepy setting. The gas station is almost a character all its own. Highly recommend this film.
It's not overly original, but the characters are. I've seen movies like this one not made half as well. I love the fact it's not another teen slasher; they've been done to death, if you'll excuse the pun.
If you're in the mood for a decent slasher movie, pick this one. You won't regret it.
Not a bad little horror flick
ten-thousand-marbles21 November 2021
I don't usually have high expectations for horror flicks these days. It's seems quantity reigns over quality. This movie was a pleasant surprise. It certainly doesn't break any new ground and the first half was slow, but I found it watchable. The psycho villian James is sufficiently twisted and creepy and there's a few scares and enough gore for anyone. I won't be hoping for a sequel (that would be a waste of time) but it was worth a watch.
Girl has a felony charge for killing a murderer??
uaretoast330 December 2020
Wow, what an unimaginative cliché fest
foxtografo31 July 2020
Seriously, why writers and directors even bother making such boring loop of clichés? Even the music and sound are, seems to be made with low cost stock, not because of the quality but because you heard every bit a million times before, where's your creativity guys??!! The theme's been done a thousand times before and here they don't even bother to be imaginative with the killer (this one was beyond pathetic in terms of originality) or the killings (seen the first one? they're all the same!! Where's the fun? Where's the meaning of this movie, did you enjoy making something so mediocre and stupid?
Two stars and I'm being generous, they go towards the photography which is definitely the strongest point and some of the acting.
I'd honestly be ashamed only to present a script like this to anyone. Low budget should push indie directors/writers to use their brains, not just copy-paste mediocre scripts and go film.
What a waste of a production. What a lack of creativity. I'll mark this director/writer to avoid in the future.
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