2011’s The Vault made ingenious use of the web series format and delivered an intriguing tale with many mysteries, though sadly it did not get to wrap up its storylines.
What Is It?
This web series delivers a mock reality/competition series taking place in 2016 (several years in the future from when it was made) in which a group of college students are competing for a multi-million-dollar prize. The series is supposedly running on a network that has devoted its programming twenty-four hours a day for the seven days of the competition. Each of the participants is in a separate room, all of which are adjoined together in a grid, and each room has some item of interest. The items seem quite random and include such things as a stack of fortune cookies, an exercise bike, a marker board, a bunch of clocks, etc. Linking everybody together is Henry, in a room that has a switchboard that can connect with one or multiple rooms depending on which button(s) he presses. As the game starts out, he thinks there are only ten participants, but by the end of the first episode, he discovers the number is actually 150. He begins contacting each person to find out what item is in their room, and he has the girl with the marker board (Alex) keep track of these on the grid. The assumption is that they must somehow find out how to use all of the items properly to solve the puzzle of the game. However, a tremor rocks the complex, and one of the people, who claims to have been placed in the game as a mole, insists that something is wrong and that he no longer has contact with the outside world. Now, what started as a game may be turning into a life-and-death situation.
Aired: 2011-2014, 1 season Totaling 16 Episodes
Cast: Shane Spalione, Lilit Arakelyan, Omar Najam, Barry Warrick
Crew: Aaron Hann (Creator/Writer/Director), Mario Miscione (Creator/Writer/Director)
Legacy:
This web series arrived toward the end of the boom period for that format, and it ingeniously uses its minimalist setting and extensive cast to create an engaging mystery that keeps the viewer’s attention.
A Closer Look:
The Vault arrived in 2011 at the height of the web series boom, and its first season would run through 2014, about the time that the format was starting to fade. It offers an excellent example of what a web series can do, working with minimalist sets and almost no sfx, but utilizing a cast and storyline that help to carry the show. It delves into Lost-like territory with its mysteries upon mysteries, but it is not as epic in scope, at least at first. It may take the viewer a while to get into the show, as the first few episodes can be slow and offer more mysteries than answers, but by the time we get to the twist of the earthquake, you will likely find yourself engaged, and that ups the ante for the story.
Note that Episode 12 throws a twist at the audience, and you might even think you are watching the show out of order. But by the end of the episode, you realize what is going on (if you had not already figured it out), and the story continues on quite nicely from there. Some of the longer episodes that come at the end of the first season seem a bit plodding, as this series works best in short installments, but stick with it, as they do keep the story moving along.
The performances are mostly solid, though not spectacular, with Shane Spalione as Henry providing us with a strong and likable central figure and all of the other characters differentiating themselves well enough, even if they only have brief appearances. And the production values of the show are quite good as well, especially for a web series. It wisely does not rely on special effects, while the sets all look professional enough and make the setting believable. The Vault does what web series do best, building a story that can take advantage of its minimal production and also keep the viewer engaged.
Sadly, this one did not continue to a second season (more on that below), so it leaves the viewer hanging. But that was not uncommon with web series from this time, as they found it difficult to draw in enough funding to keep the production going. I still believe it is worth watching, especially if you like the web series format, because it provides an excellent example of that. Most episodes are around ten minutes, so overall it is a pretty quick watch. There were also some prologue episodes and three interstitial episodes that flesh out the story to a degree. And while it does have some warts, overall this is a rather enjoyable production.
Cancelled Too Soon?
I cannot find a lot of information on what the plans were for this series beyond its first season, but it certainly looks like it was designed to continue. My guess is that the second season would have explored the twist introduced in Episode 12, and that those two seasons could have converged into a third year to wrap things up or possibly take the story in a different direction. But at the rate they were putting out episodes, it would have been difficult to complete that three-season arc.
In addition, web series had not established a model that would have made them sustainable at that time (YouTube offered some income opportunities, but not quite like today), and The Vault succumbed to the reality of people working for little or no pay. The creators at least got to complete the first season, but that left the audience hanging, and there was certainly plenty more they could have done with the concept.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Yes, this is a property that is definitely ripe for a reboot, and it could work as an ongoing series on one of the streaming services. I would love to see them redo and flesh out the first season (sadly, the original actors have aged out of their roles, so a new cast would be required), then continue the story that was left unfinished. And depending on where they go with that, the show could potentially reboot itself every few years and start over with a new group of contestants. And seeing as this one could be made on a very modest budget, it would certainly appeal to execs at the streaming services who are looking for more cost-conscious projects after years of overspending on originals. I’m not certain what the original creators are doing now, but they should be putting some energy into pitching a reboot of this web series, as I believe it would draw plenty of interest.
Interesting Facts:
The entire concept—characters trapped in isolated white rooms—was partly creative, but also practical, as it relied on the “bottle concept” of production that allowed the show to be filmed in a single, simple location. That made it cheap to produce, easy to schedule, and scalable.
Mark Cuban is listed as one of the producers, and he did provide funding for the project. Allegedly, the creators sent him an email gauging his interest, and he decided to back the series.
The creators went on to produce the movie Circle in 2015, which had some similarities to The Vault and developed a cult following from its run on Netflix. Sadly, that one does not appear to be available anywhere at this point, including physical media, but in 2025 there was news that a sequel to the film was in the works, though it did not appear that Aaron Hann or Mario Miscione would be involved with that. You can see the trailer for the original movie at this link.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series is available to stream at the show’s YouTube channel. That includes all sixteen episodes plus the prologue and interstitial eps.
Read More About the Show:
If you produced an independent sci fi/fantasy web series during the 2000s and/or 2010s, please contact us at cultscifi.com@gmail.com with the information about the show. Or if you know of productions from that time, please pass along that information as I am working on a project documenting the rise and fall of this format.
