“The Man in the White Van” Misses Exit

The Man in the White Van (Warren Skeels, 2023) 2 out of 5 stars

What is it with white vans? Not the shoe of social-media fame, but the actual vehicles? Why is it that they are often associated with being driven by violent murderers or predators? Is there a correlation?

If the plan, back in the day, was that a white van would be commonplace and unsuspecting, the complete opposite is true now. In modern times, everyone looks out for the creepy van that might follow you just a tad too long. It’s funny how we live and learn in society. However, perhaps a white van was much less suspicious in the 1970s.

In director Warren Skeels’ The Man in the White Van, Annie Williams (Madison Wolfe, Malignant) lives in a small rural town in 1974. An outcast in both her family and at school, Annie is not your typical nice girl. Due to what many believe is her vivid imagination, she is rarely believed when she speaks of something incredible.

One day, Annie sees a white van parked outside her family’s barn. She tells this to her relatives and begins to see the van more and more around town. At the same time, a string of disappearances shocks the community as young girls seem to vanish year after year.

Firstly, before I get into this review, I must admit that I’m no expert on time periods or history. However, The Man in the White Van plays out much more like a ‘90s teen drama than a ‘70s horror film. The film is based on true events that happened in Florida in the 1970s, but the characters seem far too modern in both appearance and personality.

Frankly, the only elements in the film that scream 1970s are the cars that the characters drive. Honestly, if it weren’t for these, this film could take place today and no one would know it. There are techniques many filmmakers use to transport the audience back to a specific period but, sadly, there is very little of that on display here from Skeels and his team as the visuals presented and the editing style feel far too modern, as well.

It should also be noted that The Man in the White Van is not really a thriller as it is described, but rather a high-school drama with a few suspense elements. In this regard, as a drama, the film is at its strongest, as there is an intriguing family dynamic present and some quality character growth over the course of the narrative. The characters are intriguing for the most part, even if the performances aren’t the most believable and some of the dialogue is generic and shallow.

What hurts the viewer’s engagement with the characters, however, are time jumps that happen seemingly every 20 minutes or so. For some reason, Skeels decides to quite often break up the film with title cards to show the year changing. Suddenly, a character looks and acts quite different than what they did just a few minutes ago, and it’s a bit jarring. These title cards also don’t always make sense, as at least one of them has the year change mid-scene when it is supposedly October in the film.

In terms of what most folks would likely flock to this film for—the thriller elements—The Man in the White Van overpromises and underdelivers. I will give credit where credit is due and mention that the van is treated like a character itself rather than who is in the van, which is an intriguing approach. Skeels does do a good job with the framing of the van in certain shots and the reveals of it in specific situations, but there is little suspense to be had and no scares whatsoever. 

The white van becomes almost an afterthought midway through the film as we focus on Annie and her somewhat enticing high-school drama. Near the conclusion, there are some solid, suspenseful scenes involving Annie and her family and friends. However, by then it’s too little, too late, and we barely know anything about the man in the white van, what he wants, or why he’s doing what he’s doing. Some say it’s scarier when you don’t know the motive, and I agree to a certain point, but unfortunately the film isn’t scary at all, so the vagueness is to no avail.

Overall, The Man in the White Van offers some nostalgia, even if it’s oddly ‘90s-reminiscent, and has some occasionally fine performances, though there are others that disappoint. In terms of horror/thriller elements, though, it falls short. In the end, The Man in the White Van misses the exit it’s looking for, set in the wrong time period and the wrong genre.

[The Man in the White Van is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital from 29th September.]