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Director of ‘The Man in the White Van’ Shares the True Story Behind the Film
- True crime fans unite! Dive into the chilling world of The Man in the White Van with a cast led by Brec Bassinger and Sean Astin.
- Warren Skeels brings a real-life horror story to the big screen, focusing on the victim’s experience rather than the killer’s background.
- Get ready to be on the edge of your seat as this compelling tale of stalking and assault unfolds on October 11 in cinemas.
If you’re a fan of true crime, you’ve likely caught heat from someone in your life for what many consider to be a taboo interest. But, as those of us who read Ann Rule books, listen to Last Podcast On The Left and My Favorite Murderer, and watch Forensic Files will know — people have always been obsessed with the stories of true crime. Whether it be considered a morbid curiosity or something else entirely, we as humans just lean towards trying to understand what would make a person turn into a serial killer and commit atrocious acts against another human.
One of these tales will be the centerpiece of Warren Skeels’ upcoming feature-length project, The Man in the White Van. The movie, which is based on a true story, will follow a young woman as she’s stalked, harassed, and then assaulted by the titular killer. Leaning more into the story of the victim, the movie shies away from sharing too much about the perpetrator’s backstory or childhood and instead keeps the spotlight on the women whose lives he forever changed.
During a Collider Studio at San Diego Comic-Con led by Therese Lacson, Skeels opened up about how he settled on this specific case for his production. Sharing where his fascination for the story began to sprout, Skeels said,
“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.’”
Helping transform this important story from the pages of true crime history to the big screen is a call sheet that includes Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Madison Wolfe (The Conjuring 2), Sean Astin (Stranger Things), Skai Jackson (Bunk’d), Ali Larter (Final Destination), Julianne Arrieta (Reagan), and more.
Stay tuned for more updates about The Man in the White Van and see it when it drives into cinemas on October 11.
Source: Collider
