The Man in the White Van Review – A Haunting Psychological Thriller, Spellbinding, A Must See

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Friday, 26 September 2025 12:38

Written by Janet Walker

The Man in the White Van, from Kaleidoscope Entertainment, presents a true crime drama that delivers heightened, intense, suspense, as a serial killer relentlessly stalks a teenage girl hunting her even as her family and friends become aware.

The film begins as a waitress, played by Deborah Ann Woll, has just finished her shift and is walking through a darkened alley to her car. Once she gets into her car, the headlights of a van that has been sitting idle in the alley turn on. We understand the waitress has just had a breakup in her relationship. What she doesn't see is she is being followed. She pulls into a parking lot and just begins to sob uncontrollably. What she doesn't see is a man approaching her car, opening the door, and attempts to pull her out. She struggles and fights and when it looks like she has escaped him, he grabs her from the passenger side. She disappears. It is 1970.

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The film then moves into present day. It is 1975, in Brookline, Florida, a small town near citrus orchards and cotton fields, which is where we meet Annie, played by Madison Wolfe, who is riding her horse Rebel, through her family's farm. The horse gets spooked, rears and she falls off. On the ground she sees a snake slithering through the grass.

This night we meet the entire Williams family, Richard Williams, played by Sean Astin, his wife, Helen, played by Ali Larter, Annie's sister Margaret, played by Brec Bassinger, and their brother Daniel, played by Gavin Warren. As they have a sinner guest everyone is on their best and most proper behavior. As their guests begins talking with Margaret we realize she is a debutant and looking to be presented as a proper young Southern lady. Annie jumps in and tries to best her sister's story with one of her own, even if it was somewhat embellished.

Then the film returns to 1971. And we see a single mom, played by Ryan Whitney, who has just got the children to sleep. She tell the sitter, played by Amanda Marie Miller, that she will be home before midnight. We see her walking down the street, and behind her the white van is creeping along. She turns down a street, and in an instant she is pulled from the street into the van.

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The film then returns to the present day and as it is Sunday, the Williams family is off to church. On the way home, the stop for gas, and Annie and Daniel walk into the store. On the way out, they pass the white van. As they drive back home, we see the van following them.

This begins the hunting of Annie. Tonight, after Annie has put Rebel down for the night, she is walking back to the house. The van is parked on the road. She doesn't approach the van, and as she attempts to walk, the van turns on its headlights, and guns the engine, and inches forward to block her. She screams at him to leave, that he is on private property.

Annie runs home to try and tell her mother. Unfortunately, she has to not only break past her sister's aura for her mother to hear her, but she has to get past her belief that everything she says has been embellished.

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Now the serial killer is in a psychological game with her. Soon she sees the van showing up at her school, and as she and her best friend Patty, played by Skai Jackson, who walk home through the farmlands, he follows her and slows, taunting her.

As Halloween nears, for some reason the serial killer is becoming more bold, and also his victims are becoming younger, as we see a 1974 abduction of a child. So now, Annie is his target, which leads to a dramatic and intense fight for survival as the killer attempts to kidnap her, as she and Patty are returning home from a party.

This leads to the powerful and unbelievable ending that will cause viewers to verbally react in fright, shock, and surprise.

The Man in the White Van is a spine tingling, riveting, true crime drama. With amplified tension, this real life account is an exciting, attention-grabbing thrill ride.

The ensemble cast is impressive, and even through the smallest gestures, present a cohesive family unit of the 1970s, complete the internal dynamics among the children as each struggle to find their place. With the perfect 1970s soundtrack and set design, the feel of the film perfectly aligns with the times.  Director Warren Skeels, through the use of suspense and tension, delivers a gripping, engrossing, must see mystery. After what seems like the ending of the film, the actual remains are found and the voice over gives details of the victims of the man in the white van.

The Man in the White Van is available September 29, 2025 DVD, Blu-ray and Digital. It is a must see! 

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Country: UK.

Language: English.

Runtime: 105 minutes.

Director: Warren Skeels.

Producer: Anne Marie Gillen, Terri Lubaroff, Paul Scanlan, Warren Skeels.

Executive Producer: Jeff Annison, Joe Arancio, David Baxter, Amad Elia, Gary Kompothecras, Lawrence Najam.

Writer: Sharon Y. Cobb, Warren Skeels,

Cast: Madison Wolfe, Ali Larter, Sean Astin, Brec Bassinger, Skai Jackson, Gavin Warren, Noah Lomax, Addison Riecke, Deborah Ann Woll, Julianne Arrieta, Darrius Thomas, Dylan Summerall, Tom Gillen, Patrick Kirton, Brooke Butler, John F. Daniel, Brooke Hyland, Ryan Whitney, Brighton Sharbino, Andy Sibley, Blake Drivas, Vincent Piemonte, Amanda Marie Miller, Stephen Maddocks, Thomas E. Parnell.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has completed the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," are available on Amazon. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.