As children, we look to our parents, caretakers, or guardians to protect us. There’s a certain fear when you’re a kid that an adult won’t believe you when you need them the most. And that feeling is exactly what Madison Wolfe’s (The Conjuring 2) character, Annie Williams, is going through in Collider’s exclusive sneak peek at The Man in the White Van. In the teaser, audiences will witness a troubling conversation going down between Annie and her parents, William (Sean Astin) and Helen (Ali Larter), during which the young girl is trying to make them understand why she’s feeling so unsafe about said white van. Explaining that she keeps seeing the unmarked vehicle everywhere she goes - from school, to the country roads around her home, and even outside the family’s house - Annie’s parents downplay the severity of the situation, attempting to talk her out of her bad gut feeling and even going so far as to punish her for it.
Although this conversation is the entirety of the sneak peek, we know that Annie’s gut is pointing her in the right direction. As audiences will see when The Man in the White Van arrives in cinemas on December 13, the teenager is unfortunately on-point with her unsettled feelings surrounding the strange vehicle. The movie centers on Annie’s continued run-ins with the van, and her countless pleas for help and attention from the adults in her life, until she’s eventually abducted on Halloween night. Filling out the rest of the film’s main cast are Brec Bassinger (Stargirl) and Gavin Warren (Nightswim).
Terror Grounded In Reality
Set in Florida in the 1970s, the film takes an even more harrowing turn when you find out that it’s based on a true story. Director
Warren Skeels
(
Siesta Key
) was inspired by the very much real-life tale of serial killer
Billy Mansfield
, who would eventually be convicted of the murders of five women and girls in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The idea of grounding his latest project in a bit of reality was incredibly intriguing to Skeels who,
earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con, told Collider’s Therese Lacson
,
“The whole thing is based on real events.
I’m a fan of true crime thrillers
, some of the iconic thrillers of the ‘70s,
Jaws
,
Psycho
,
Rear Window
, [
Alfred
]
Hitchcock
. A producer friend of mine and his wife were out to dinner, and we were talking about a story I was working on at the time, a serial killer story on Phoenix. He looked at me and said, ‘if you want to hear a really good serial killer story, you ought to talk to her.’
She has a first hand account of these experiences
. We started chatting, and she unraveled and unpacked this incredible story that happened back in 1975 in Brooksville, Florida. After a few coffee chats, I sunk my teeth in. I said, ‘I've got to tell this story.’”
Check out our latest sneak peek of The Man in the White Van above, and check it out in cinemas on December 13.
Based on true events. In 1975 Florida, a series of violent disappearances go unnoticed, and young Annie (Madison Wolfe) is targeted by an ominous white van that stalks her every move. As the menace escalates, her parents dismiss her fears, and Annie is soon plunged into a terrifying nightmare that shatters her world. Also starring Brec Bassinger, Skai Jackson, Ali Larter, and Sean Astin. Directed by Warren Skeels.
Release Date October 14, 2023
Director Warren Skeels
Cast Madison Wolfe , Brec Bassinger , Skai Jackson , Gavin Warren , Noah Lomax , Addison Riecke , Julianne Arrieta , Darrius Thomas , Dylan Summerall , Stacy Ann Rose , Patrick Kirton , John F. Daniel , Brooke Hyland , Ryan Whitney , Brighton Sharbino , Helena Kompothecras , Andy Sibley , Blake Drivas , Amanda Marie Miller , Dennis Mallen , Ali Larter , Sean Astin Writers Warren Skeels , Sharon Y. Cobb
Studio(s) Legion M , Brooksville Project , Garrison Film Company
Distributor(s) Relativity
Character(s) Annie , Margaret , Patty , Daniel , Mark , Joanna , Charlie , Kyle , Patty's Mom , Jim , Telephone Installer , Teen Girl , Young Mother , Swimmer , Skirt Girl , The Man , Babysitter , Teen girl's dad
English (US) ·