The Man in the White Van

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The Man in the White Van
The Man in the White Van 2023 movie poster.jpeg
Film poster
Directed byWarren Skeels
Written by
  • Sharon Y. Cobb
  • Warren Skeels
Produced by
  • Anne Marie Gillen
  • Terri Lubaroff
  • Michael Nole
  • Paul Scanlan
  • Warren Skeels
Starring
CinematographyGareth Paul Cox
Edited byBilly Gaggins
Music byScott Borland
Production
companies
Distributed by Relativity Media
Release dates
  • October 14, 2023 (2023-10-14)(Newport Beach Film Festival)
  • December 13, 2024 (2024-12-13)
Running time
105 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$529,879 [2]

The Man in the White Van is a 2023 American thriller film [3] [4] directed by Warren Skeels. The film stars Madison Wolfe, Brec Bassinger, Skai Jackson, Gavin Warren, Ali Larter and Sean Astin.

Contents

It premiered at the 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival [5] and was released by Relativity Media in theaters on December 13, 2024. [6]

Premise

In the early 1970s, teenager Annie (Madison Wolfe), who is having problems living with her sister and brother, reports to her parents that she has seen a white van following her a few times, but her parents disagree with her complaints stating that it is paranoia. [5] The movie is loosely based on the cases of Billy Mansfield Jr. who was a serial killer in Florida.

Plot

The story is set in Florida in the mid-1970s. A teenager named Annie Williams lives with her older sister Margaret, her younger brother Daniel, and their parents. Annie enjoys horseback riding (her horse is named “Rebel”) and often ventures out into nature. 

Annie begins to notice a white van appearing in places she frequents: while riding her horse, on her way home, in the woods. The van seems to follow or observe her. She reports the strange van to her parents, but they dismiss her fears as paranoia. Her older sister Margaret and friends are initially skeptical. Annie’s best friend Patty (played by Skai Jackson), however, believes her. 

Interspersed with Annie’s storyline are flashback sequences showing earlier victims: young women abducted by the same or similar “man in the white van”. These provide backstory for the killer’s pattern. These earlier abductions go largely unnoticed or unconnected at the time. 

Annie’s fear intensifies: the van’s presence becomes more threatening, she becomes increasingly isolated, and the margin of safety shrinks. On Halloween night, her worst fears begin to materialize: the stalking culminates in an abduction.

Annie gets captured and finds herself in the back of the white van. She awakens, fights back, opens the van door and jumps out as it approaches her home. She bangs on her front door; her sister Margaret finally hears and pulls her inside just as the man approaches the house. The man breaks in; Annie and Margaret flee through a window, fall to the ground, locate the van, hop inside and attempt to get away. The man pursues them. 

Annie reverses the van when the man tries to snatch Margaret, backing into a bush to stop the vehicle, and then drives forward, hitting the man who’s lying on the ground. A police officer arrives (thanks to Patty’s help) but when they look for the man, he is nowhere to be found. 

One month later, Annie and her family appear to have attempted to move on: they have dinner together, and life seems superficially normal. Annie’s horse “Rebel” is gone (either sold or given away). 

The film’s climax reveals that the man in the white van escapes. A mid-credits scene shows a family on a camping trip; the daughter finds a white van parked nearby, implying that the predator is still out there. 

Cast

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 56% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. [7]

In his review on Film Threat , Alan Ng rated it an 8.5/10 saying that "is the perfect primer for someone thinking about getting into horror films." [5] Jeffrey M. Anderson rated it 1/5 on Common Sense Media saying that "this extremely poor, lumbering thriller, which barely has enough ideas to sustain a 20-minute short, borrows most of its supposedly tense moments from dozens of other, better movies." [8]

See also

References

  1. "The Man In The White Van[M]". Australian Classification Board . 18 June 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  2. "The Man in the White Van". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  3. Ntim, Zac (2024-10-31). "Madison Wolfe Thriller 'The Man In The White Van' Picked Up For International Sales By Film Bridge — AFM". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  4. Billington, Alex (2024-10-15). "Florida Thriller 'The Man in the White Van' Trailer with Madison Wolfe | FirstShowing.net". www.firstshowing.net. Retrieved 2024-12-11.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Man in the White Van". Film Threat. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  6. "Movies'The Man in the White Van' Trailer Introduces Creepy True Crime Thriller and New Release Date". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  7. "The Man in the White Van". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  8. "The Man in the White Van". Common Sense Media. Retrieved January 30, 2025.