Sputters, Then Stalls: ‘VAN LIFE’ (2026) Movie Review – PopHorror

Thor Moreno’s 2026 semi–found footage thriller Van Life presents a compelling premise that ultimately struggles to sustain its feature-length ambitions. The film follows Zoe (Kelsey Osborne), a law school dropout who abandons her conventional path to pursue solitude and self-discovery in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. When Zoe goes missing and an official search effort turns up empty, her brother (Adam Meirick) begins his own investigation. His discovery of Zoe’s abandoned cell phone offers a fragmented window into her final days — footage that gradually reveals her journey from quiet adventure to psychological and physical peril.

Drawing clear inspiration from the survivalist introspection of Into the Wild and the escalating dread of The Blair Witch Project, Van Life sets out to explore the dangers of isolation in an era where even solitude is mediated through digital self-documentation. Zoe’s travel vlog initially captures the beauty and tranquility of the Northern California wilderness, but as her recordings continue, the tone darkens, suggesting that something far more unsettling may be stalking her beyond the reach of her camera.

Osborne delivers a grounded performance that anchors much of the film’s early momentum, and the found-footage cinematography makes effective use of the region’s stark landscapes to create a persistent sense of unease. Unfortunately, the film’s pacing undermines these strengths. Much of the narrative unfolds at a languid pace, with genuine tension and horror elements not emerging until the final act. By the time the film’s more overt scares arrive, the earlier promise of its premise has largely dissipated. A post-credits scene offers little in the way of narrative or thematic resolution.

The film is also hampered by several distracting inconsistencies. Most notably, despite its title and repeated dialogue references to Zoe purchasing a van to facilitate her travels, she is instead shown driving a Subaru hatchback throughout the film. No van in the film. While this discrepancy does not directly impact the plot, it creates an avoidable disconnect between the film’s premise and its on-screen reality.

Additional logical gaps — including the improbable recovery of Zoe’s phone months after her disappearance in a snow-covered wilderness, and the apparent existence of an active vlog audience unknown to both her family and law enforcement — further strain the film’s credibility.

Van Life contains the foundations of an effective suspense narrative: a likable central character, an evocative setting, and a timely thematic focus on curated independence in the digital age. However, its execution rarely capitalizes on these elements in a way that justifies its runtime. The material might have been better served in a more concise format, where its atmospheric strengths could be emphasized without the burden of narrative sprawl.