The White Vault is an audio drama based on the found-footage format that is common in horror films. The podcast follows the tale of a rescue team sent to the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard. These five people include a doctor, a technology specialist, a geologist, a survival expert, and an observer. They go to an Arctic research station named Outpost Fristed after it sends a distress signal. The crew operating the distant station has not responded since the alert. As a result, these five people get tasked to go and explore the situation.
The podcast's characters have a rough road ahead of them. First, there is a massive storm that prohibits them from going outside the Outpost. If they do, they might die from hypothermia. However, in the station itself, there are also things to worry about. There's a hatch leading to a hidden cavern underground. It appears to be an ancient village with suspicious artifacts. There is also a wide range of animals lurking around, threatening the team's safety.
The narrator of The White Vault is an unnamed British woman. She is a documentarian who collected every material she could find on the Outpost and by its crew. That includes various recordings from people's phones and cameras, as well as letters and journals. The documentarian organized everything in chronological order. By doing so, she hoped to reveal the circumstances leading to the team's disappearance. The narrator helps move the plot forward by describing the footage from the missing crew. Listeners hear the rest of the evidence in the voice of each fascinating character.
The White Vault presents a diverse group of people, which helps to create intrigue. The crew includes individuals from Mexico, Iceland, the UK, Germany, and Russia. As such, the dialog is in several languages, with an English translation on top. The sound design in the production adds to its realistic tone. Listeners can both enjoy and feel terrified by polar bears, condors, and snow storms. It's an icy adventure with surprising and frightening consequences.
Season 6
Season 5