The Man in The White Van (2023) Review
The Man in The White Van (2023) Review
Delving into the eerie underbelly of a seemingly idyllic 1974 Florida town, this creepy suspense thriller follows the harrowing experience of young Annie Williams (Madison Wolfe), a spirited girl whose carefree existence is turned upside down as she becomes stalked by an ominous man in a white van. Known for her wild imagination, her parents dismiss her fears, plunging Annie into a terrifying Halloween nightmare that shatters her world.
A tension-packed thrill ride, inspired by a series of true crimes that shook the southern states of America, this is the extraordinary true story of one girl’s unimaginable ordeal with a serial killer. THE MAN IN THE WHITE VAN stars Madison Wolfe (THE CONJURING 2, I KILL GIANTS), Ali Larter (FINAL DESTINATION Franchise, LEGALLY BLONDE), and Sean Astin (THE GOONIES, STRANGER THINGS, THE LORD OF THE RINGS Franchise).
Marking the feature debut of director Warren Skeels THE MAN IN THE WHITE VAN is hoisted by escalating and electrifying tension which elevates this shocker above the competition. Although the narrative onscreen is loosely based on Seventies serial killer Billy Mansfield Jr, the tale told here is entirely fictional. Some online reviews are unfairly damning of THE MAN IN THE WHITE VAN, which surprised me, as this was better acted, better put together and refreshingly grubbier than I would have anticipated.
Madison Wolfe as Annie makes for an engaging lead character and an easy character to route for and emphasis with. Quite why Annie’s family choose not to believe her when she tells them direct that there’s someone stalking her is never fully explained and feels like it is there simply to keep the story going. After all, if the family took onboard Annie’s claims, the police would become involved with immediate effect and consequently the story would run out of juice and end quicker.
I do have a couple of minor quibbles, the story’s young woman/stalker theme evokes John Carpenter’s original HALLOWEEN movie, more so given that the story is set in the same period of the Seventies, and it takes a while to figure out that certain kill scenes are past history rather than in the moment. Aside from the niggles THE MAN IN THE WHITE VAN makes for a pleasing and thrilling couple of hours entertainment and to top it all off we get to see actor Sean Astin in a role that matches his often underused and overlooked talent.
THE MAN IN THE WHITE VAN will be available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital from 1st September
