Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds, Open 24 Hours follows a paranoid delusional woman, Mary White, played by Vanessa Grasse.  Recently released from a mental hospital, the poor woman was smart enough to get out of that place. Making matters worse, she sets her serial killer boyfriend on fire.

Because of the abuse of the mental hospital, Mary suffers from severe paranoia and hallucinations. Her boyfriend, James Lincoln Fields, played by Cole Vigue, is a brutal serial killer known as The Rain Ripper. He enjoyed murdering people and making Mary watch.

The moment after being released from the hospital, Mary’s vulnerable demeanor aids her in obtaining employment at an all-night gas station. However, left alone to her own devices, her paranoia and hallucinations return with furious consequences. This is where the most gruesome images play out on film.

If you are into horrific stuff like hammering heads and such, then these things take a gruesome turn when customers and friends suddenly start turning up dead and mutilated all around her.  It a tough movie to watch and enjoy.

Reynold’s inspiration for this movie came to him while filming Rites of Spring in Mississippi.  “We were scouting locations for the movie and came across this time-worn Gas Station on a lonely rural road. This gas station was a character in itself, and I knew that it would make a great self-contained horror movie.”

The idea would not leave his mind, “I went back to my hotel room and began writing the script. I knew I wanted a strong female protagonist to be as lonely as our main location. Mary is a damaged doll in a thrift store dress. She is desperately trying to put her life back together after years of abuse from her serial killer boyfriend who made her watch while killing people. She gets a job and feels that her haunted past is finally behind her. But on a cold rainy night, the past returns with a vengeance.”

The rest of the cast includes Brendan Fletcher as Bobby, Emily Tennant as Debbie and Daniel O’Meara as Tom Doogan.