There exist, in this world, anomalies and phenomena that defy easy categorization, not to mention conventional attempts to capture, contain, and study them. While some of these phenomena may be harmless and perhaps even whimsical, there are plenty that are far more ominous and dangerous. Some even possess the power to bring about the end of the world as we know it.
Standard government agencies simply don’t have the manpower, resources, or resolve to deal with these phenomena. Which is where the SCP Foundation comes in. Its origins shrouded in mystery, its methods often venturing on brutal, extreme, and inhumane, the SCP Foundation is all that stands between humanity and oblivion.
Or… maybe the SCP Foundation is actually just an extremely popular and acclaimed online collaborative fiction project where people can submit stories of the bizarre and outlandish that make The X-Files pale in comparison. All SCP stories are written in the style of scientific reports and internal documents, and some of them are quite chilling in their mundane language and clinical descriptions.
In SCP: Overlord, a Kickstarter-funded fan film written by Evan Muir and directed by Stephen Hancock, an elite SCP force investigates the compound of a cult suspected of criminal activities. Of course, the SCP is only called in when things get really bizarre, which means the SCP operatives soon find themselves facing unseen and malevolent forces.
What I appreciate most about SCP: Overlord is that it really puts the emphasis on atmosphere and tension, from the operatives slowly winding their way through a fog-enshrouded forest, to encountering a site of the cult’s ceremonies, to getting their first glimpse of the cult’s normal-looking rural cabin headquarters… and the people floating high overhead.
Considering its minimal budget — the Kickstarter campaign raised a little over $23,000 — SCP: Overlord looks fantastic, with appropriately moody cinematography, solid production design, and some well-placed effects. My only complaint (for lack of a better term) is that it ends on a definite cliffhanger. But hopefully, that just means a sequel’s in the works.
SCP: Overlord is currently streaming on YouTube.