The Man in the White Van (2023)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A teenager's fears about a stalking white van turn into a terrifying reality on Halloween night.
The story
Set in Florida during the mid-1970s, the story follows Annie Williams, a teenager who enjoys horseback riding. Annie begins to notice a mysterious white van appearing in the woods and other places she frequents. Despite her growing fear and reports to her parents, they dismiss her concerns as paranoia. While her best friend Patty believes her, her sister and friends remain skeptical. As the van's presence becomes increasingly threatening and Annie becomes more isolated, the margin of safety shrinks, leading to a tense atmosphere of dread.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In mid-1970s Florida, teenager Annie Williams notices a white van following her while she rides her horse, Rebel. Her parents dismiss her fears as paranoia, though her friend Patty believes her. The film includes flashback sequences of previous victims abducted by the same predator. On Halloween night, Annie is abducted and finds herself in the back of the van. She manages to jump out near her home, where her sister Margaret pulls her inside. The man breaks in, and the sisters flee through a window, eventually hopping into the van to escape. Annie reverses the vehicle to hit the man, who is then struck by a police officer's arrival (facilitated by Patty). A month later, the family appears to have moved on, though Annie's horse is gone. The climax reveals the man escaped, and a mid-credits scene shows a daughter finding the van parked near a campsite, implying the predator is still active.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 105
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Warren Skeels
- Writers
- Sharon Y. Cobb · writer; Warren Skeels · writer
- Cast and characters
- Madison Wolfe · Annie; Brec Bassinger · Margaret; Skai Jackson · Daniel; Gavin Warren; Ali Larter; Sean Astin
- Genres
- thriller
- Themes
- fear; trauma; paranoia
- Tone and mood
- tense; threatening
- Premise and plot tags
- loosely based on true crimes; victim perspective
- Source material / true-story basis
- The crimes of Billy Mansfield Jr.
- Reported review scores
- Common Sense Media · score: 1 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film is loosely based on the crimes of Billy Mansfield Jr.; Billy Mansfield Jr. is currently serving four life sentences in a California prison hospital.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…