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The Reel Review

B+

A 15-year-old girl in a mid-1970s small town in Florida is forced to fight for her survival when she is stalked by a man in a white van, only to have her family not believe her. Madison Wolfe, Ali Larter and Sean Astin star in this suspense thriller loosely based on the true story of convicted Florida serial killer Billy Mansfield Jr.

Madison Wolfe in The Man in the White Van

Co-writer/director Warren Skeels manages to give his taut, low budget thriller a uniquely 1970s vibe with an impressive attention to period detail. Wolfe is convincing as the teen badass who has a lot of fight in her, as flashbacks reveal the serial killer’s prior victims. Brec Bassinger is also infuriatingly good as the girl’s loathsome older sister, with Larter (Landman) and Astin as their parents.

Madison Wolfe and Gavin Warren in The Man in the White Van

Some will criticize the PG-13 thriller for not showing actual kills in the flashbacks but for those who appreciate tension and suspense over gore, The Man in the White Van is a stylish and gripping thriller, despite a not so strong fizzle of an ending.

REEL FACTS

Brothers Billy Jr., Gary and Terry Mansfield

The Man in the White Van is loosely based on Florida serial killer Billy Mansfield Jr., who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murdering five women and girls from 1975 to 1980.

Street level view of the Mansfield home in Spring Hill, Florida where several bodies were uncovered.

• Incredibly, the same property where four of the five bodies were uncovered in 1980 yielded more human remains when Billy Mansfield’s brother Gary, who along with their convicted child molester father had also sexually assaulted the victims but were released for cooperating with authorities, was arrested in 2020 on drug possession charges. Another brother, Terry, was arrested at the same Spring Hill, Florida house in July 2023, accused of raping a child.

• New Orleans native Madison Wolfe’s acting credits include Mayfair Witches, Malignant and The Conjuring 2.

 

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