Open 24 Hours

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.

This film dragged out so long.... It was really stretched out to fit a feature film format but without the script to last the distance..... the cinematography was good though and the acting was only inconsistent due to the script probably.

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.

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.

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.