The Man in the White Van

The Man with the White Van (2023) is a film I caught in theaters last night. The storyline follows a serial killer in a white van wreaking havoc in the early 1970s. A young woman, struggling to be taken seriously by her family, becomes the killer's next target. Despite her repeated warnings about a mysterious van she keeps spotting, her family fails to take action-until it's too late.

Directed by Warren Skeels (Trespians), the film features a strong cast, including Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2), Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Ali Larter (Final Destination), Sean Astin (The Goonies), and Skai Jackson (The Smurfs).

The PG-13 rating is a noticeable limitation, as the kill scenes feel too restrained and lack impact. That's a shame because the film boasts fantastic performances that lend authenticity to each scene. The 1970s setting is beautifully crafted, with meticulous attention to attire, cars, and backdrops that perfectly capture the era. The gritty cinematography and smart camera angles further enhance the atmosphere.

While the kill sequences are underwhelming overall, one standout moment-the axe sequence-shows glimpses of what the film could have achieved with a stronger approach to its horror elements. The background sound design is top-notch, and there are a few well-executed jump scares to keep things engaging. However, the ending is disappointingly straightforward and lacks the punch needed to leave a lasting impression.

In conclusion, The Man with the White Van has some redeeming qualities, including strong performances and an authentic 70s vibe, but its PG-13 limitations prevent it from standing out in the genre. I'd score it a 5-5.5/10 and recommend it only with tempered expectations.

As a florida native,I hadn't heard of this movie or the plot line until recently. Very interesting! I'm not sure how I missed Skai Jackson being in this film as I remember watching her in the Disney Channel days. Read what the film is about and definitely give it a watch....

Without giving spoilers for the film. You could say The Man in the White Van story builds suspense and the performances and the mix of true events and fiction intrest me the most. I would recommend going ahead and taking a gamble and giving this film a chance . It's definitely one to consider if you're into suspenseful dramas....

The Man in the White Van is a Legion M production. For those who don't know, Legion M is a movie production company funded by fans - i.e., people like you or me. I bought into Legion M back during its first round of investments and have participated in multiple rounds since then. So it was cool to watch this film, knowing that my involvement helped make it possible (though to a small degree, of course). This is the third Legion M production I've seen, and it's loosely based on a real-life serial killer in Florida (from the mid/late 70s to the early 80s), but the story here is entirely fictional. It revolved around a character named Annie who is known for exaggerating and having a big imagination. So when she starts to notice a mysterious white van in the area doing things that creep her out, no one seems to believe her. What ends up happening feels like something out of the movie Halloween, with Annie being systematically stalked and terrorized by the mysterious man in the white van. The film does show flashbacks of the man's previous victims, but the main focus of this story is on Annie and her family. While there were multiple nitpicks I had about the film (most occur during the climactic showdown between Annie and The Man), it was still enjoyable enough that even though I had already screened it at home, I wanted to go see it again when it came to theaters, so my son and I went to see it last night (December 15th). The nitpicks remain, but it's still an enjoyable enough way to spend an hour and a half. Madison Wolfe is a good actor; I've liked her ever since being impressed by her performance in The Conjuring 2. Recommended. Video review is available on my YouTube channel.

This had so much potential, but the filmmakers failed it.

The pros Well they got Sean Astin to play the role of the father. So thats a huge plus for me. Actually it was the main reason I even picked the movie.

The acting wasn't entirely terrible so thats a pro.

And the set design was not bad. It does feel like the 70's.

The cons The storyline has so many plot holes and unbelievable human interactions. This was supposed to be set in a time where there has been a heightened fear of child kidnappings, so when daughter tells parents someone was stalking her, they choose to dismiss her fears, and when she tells father that she has seen a stranger outside the house in the middle of the night, he goes out and shoots a raccoon... Also the filmmakers need to try and get kicked by a horse and see if they can get up and walk around like nothing happened. Because a tiny spoiler here, this happens in the movie. A person gets kicked by a horse and walks away unharmed. Its very frustrating. Also the movie is slow. And i don't understand why the years pop up to mark the time moving but nothing actually changes to the chronological timeline of the characters in the movie.

At the end of it. It's just a frustrating watch. There was so much potential but they had the wrong filmmakers to work on this.

There is a book about these homicides that is more detailed than the movie. The movie was good but I enjoyed the book about the Mansfield homicides more. There's a book called "When Angels Weep: The Weeki Wachee Homicides" by WR Langston on Amazon that got into more specifics. I highly recommend the book for a better backstory and detail. The movie runtime wasn't too long and I would still recommend it to watch, but probably more as something to stream at home, not see in theaters. People local to the area are more familiar with what actually happened to Billy Mansfield since he was arrested recently, but the movie left it very open ended.