Secure, contain, protect. It’s the motto that theSCP Foundationlives by, as they attempt to lock away phenomena that defies all known logic and science from the public. A collaborative horror project founded in 2008, the SCP Foundation is a series of thousands of short stories that span multiple genres, showcasing some of the most imaginative pieces of horror fiction you’re able to find on the internet. Ranging from chuckle-worthy concepts to genuinely terrifying monstrosities, the SCP Foundation has inspired a slew of fan-made projects to celebrate its contributors' creativity.
With the recent announcement of afeature film adaptation ofThe Backrooms, a similar internet-based horror series, some are left wondering why the SCP Foundation hasn’t gotten a similar treatment. While you could primarily chalk it up to licensing restrictions and an overall lack of interest, it’s hard to deny that the SCP Foundation has a significant prominence in internet culture. Accompanying a growth in popularity for experimental horror and unconventional stories, there’s no better time for an SCP Foundation film to hit theaters.
An SCP Film Would Make Sense
For those who are unaware, a synopsis of what the SCP Foundation is and does might be beneficial. If you’ve seenMen in Black, the following might sound pretty familiar. The SCP Foundation is an international secret society tasked with locating, securing, and studying “anomalies” — or “SCPs” — that defy the known laws of nature. This is accomplished through paramilitary operations, drugs that induce amnesia for witnesses, and containment centers personalized for every anomaly based on their level of threat to mankind. Of course, the Foundation isn’t the only organization aware of anomalies. Competing groups that want to either weaponize, sell, or liberate anomalies also exist.
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A typical story on the SCP Foundation site is often presented as an empirical document classifying a single anomaly. you may typically predict what kind of story will be told based on the anomaly’s containment class. Every anomaly usually falls into one of three categories: “safe” anomalies pose hardly any threat, often being used to tellhumorous or surreal stories; “euclid” anomalies pose a moderate risk, and often veer into unsettling territory; and lastly, “keter” anomalies are considered to be extremely dangerous, requiring constant effort to seal away due to the risk they pose to humanity. You’ll often find a list of the anomaly’s characteristics, a description of its containment procedures, and documented interactions with various SCP Foundation staff.
There are few, if any, overarching stories that take place throughout the SCP Foundation due to how each one is written. While some authors may collaborate to create reoccurring characters and locations, most opt to have their SCP entriesstand alone as independent stories. Essentially, as long as each entry matches the criteria for submission, it can be accepted as part of the SCP Foundation universe. It allows for an immense amount of freedom when it comes to adapting these stories to other mediums.
Multiple Adaptations Already Exist
The SCP Foundation has been the source material for a handful of popular games, short films, and animations. They present a variety of stories either loosely adapting existing material or telling wholly original stories, which all provide a basis for how a feature film adaptation could work.
For example, one of the most well-known SCP Foundation adaptations,SCP: Containment Breach,is a survival-horror game that showcases a haunted house-style collection ofthe most terrifying anomalies. As a lowly test subject of the foundation, you’re tasked with escaping the facility after the Foundation’s most famous anomalies, SCP-173, kicks off an escalating series of escaped anomalies. From a ghostly specter that is attracted to pained screams, to a creature that hunts down anything that sees its face, it’s an excellent showcase of the darker aspects of the SCP Foundation while giving a simple setup for a feature film.
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Multiple creators have taken a shot at bringing the SCP Foundation to life through short films as well.096, created by Klay Abele, brings a short story based around the titular anomaly to life. It follows a creature that, when seen, will enter a murderous rage, going so far as to travel across the entire planet just to kill what saw them. Conversely, theConfinementanimated series by Lord Bung takes a moredarkly comedic approachin representing the SCP Foundation and its operations, often playing its horrifying creatures and scenarios for laughs instead of scares. Given that a popular anomaly is an infinite IKEA store, it only makes sense to have a sense of humor along with the madness.
Simply put, there’s a lot that a feature film could do with the SCP Foundation. It could bestructured in an anthology formatsimilar to theV/H/S/series, where a series of anomalies are cataloged via analog tapes. It could be a bona fide creature feature with all the SCP Foundation’s most popular monstrosities. A feature film could even pull aFrom Dusk Till Dawntwist, starting as one movie and ending as something completely different once an anomaly comes into play.
There are ample opportunities to tell an amazing story with the material provided by the SCP Foundation.ShouldThe Backroomsfilm prove to be a successful venture, it’s possible that we’ll not only see other internet-based horror series get adapted for the silver screen but possibly our favorite secret agency as well. Until then, there’ll always be a plethora of wonderful fan projects to tide you over.
