Stranger Danger!

I'm afraid I'll have to forego the VHS format today, as I really wanted to do a Halloween title. I'm also breaking tradition in that I'm talking about a recent release, but it is at least set in the seventies. That film is Warren Skeels' 2023 film The Man in the White Van.

Bright young Annie (Madison Wolfe) tries to navigate high school, her overbearing mother, entitled sister and also the feeling she is being stalked by a mysterious man in an old white van.

I have been waiting a long time to watch this movie. For some reason, I was never able to find it anywhere and frankly forgot about it until my friend Serena was gracious enough to let me know it was actually on YouTube. You know, even though I use it daily, I continue to underestimate YT's reach as a resource for lesser known horror titles.

The Man in the White Van is a solid piece of work. I think it would make a great double bill with the similarly-themed Woman of the Hour (also from '23), as both are inspired by true stories from the 1970s, have narratives that span several years & victims and center on strong female protagonists. This film really creates a good mix of coming-of-age tale, retro slasher and clinical true crime story. 

The title is very telling in that is what we often only see the vehicle of our assailant. It stalks its victims waiting for the right time to pounce and is just as menacing as the glimpses we do get of the killer. His infactuation with Annie, plays out very much like the middle of John Carpenter's Halloween. She can sense someone is watching her, but is dismissed by her peers when she speaks of it.

The cast of The Man in the White Van is strong, headed by Madison Wolfe who is no stranger to crime stories having played Woody Harrelson's daughter in True Detective. She plays the role well, demure, yet struggling to get out from under her restrictions. I also thought Annie's strained relationship with her sister Margaret (Brec Bassinger) felt true. Her parents are played by veterans Ali Larter and Sean Astin, who also served as producers. I have to tip my hat to Astin who often manages to hook up with beautiful women - let's not forget his time as Winona Ryder's beau in Stranger Things. It gives hope to the rest of us ;)

Madison Wolfe as Annie in The Man in the White Van.

I consume a lot of content that takes place in the seventies (whether literal or manufactured) and this is one of the more authentic ones I've seen in a while. It really nails how isolating the lack of modern technology can be, namely cell phones. It made me think about how many lives have been saved due to mobile phones, or even just call waiting.

Get off the phone, Margaret!!

The climax of this movie, seeing the resilient sisters battling the killer to survive in the absense of their parents and the police was quite intense. I was expecting this movie to devolve into your average slasher tropes, but it didn't. You never really get a good look at the killer, which I assumed was going to lead to a big reveal that he was the town priest or a school teacher, but no, just some crazy dude that walks away Myers style - it does take place during Halloween after all. There was also a throwaway sequence during one of the flashbacks where it seemed like there may be more than one, Sawyer family style, but that too was left hanging. 

Then it occured to me. The Man in the White Van isn't a slasher, it's emulating real life where killers aren't caught and there aren't enough telephone poles in the world for all the missing person flyers. This was a solid film and it sucks it didn't get a better release - at least outside of the US. I could've watched it properly instead of squinting through a 480p rip on YT. Anyway, I bid you all a Happy Halloween, and most importantly, stay safe kiddies!