Table of Contents
Three Key Takeaways
- Zach Lona’s SCP: Containment Breach is a fan-driven proof-of-concept short film adapting the iconic SCP Foundation universe, blending horror, sci-fi, and dark humor.
- Lona embraced a highly regimented, cinematic production style with extensive CGI and practical effects, a sharp pivot from his previous improvised work.
- The film showcases independent filmmaking innovation through DIY roles and cutting-edge free software, spotlighting the creative possibilities outside of Hollywood’s traditional model.
Filmmaker Zach Lona brings the cult internet horror phenomenon SCP Foundation to life with SCP: Containment Breach, selected for the prestigious FilmQuest 2025 festival.
With a talented crew including producer August Gibson and cinematographer Dominic Udell, and a cast featuring Charlie Bain as SCP-181 and William Ryder as Senator Cunningham, Lona’s short film plunges audiences into a secret paranormal facility on the brink of chaos.
The project serves as a bold proof-of-concept for a feature adaptation of the beloved SCP - Containment Breach video game, available now on YouTube via KeterLabs.
What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?
So I’ve been a huge fan of the SCP Foundation for years - it’s an incredibly popular IP with 9000 original stories and counting, created by its own community. If you aren’t familiar with it, you’ve probably seen memes of it. And other fans and I are constantly dreaming of studio-produced SCP films on the r/SCP subreddit and elsewhere.
But it’s been around for almost 20 years and it just hasn’t happened. The reason why we’re able to adapt it in our short is the same reason Hollywood won’t touch it: All SCP content requires licensing under the Creative Commons. That makes it really, really difficult to fit it into a studio business model.
But we think the desire is high enough that if someone presented a viable path to independently producing an industry-standard SCP movie, the fans could finally get one. That’s why we made this short: as a proof of-concept to finance a feature-length adaptation of the iconic SCP - Containment Breach video game (and hopefully distribute it theatrically, too).
"If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed."
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?
I did a complete 180 on my process for this film compared to my last one: a feature mockumentary called He Who Lives In Hidden Lakes, where I designed the process to capture serendipity and Herzog's concept of 'ecstatic truth.' Run-and-gun camerawork under natural light, no formal script, improvised performances, found objects for set design, skeleton crew. It's a film about the collective unconscious, so it demanded such a loose process and I'm very happy with those results.
But SCP required a much more regimented approach: it was CGI- and FX-heavy, and I wanted a much more traditionally cinematic shoot with only a slightly bigger budget than my entire no-budget feature had. I did extensive storyboarding and previz in Unreal Engine, and it matches pretty much exactly with what you see in the final film. Discrete concepts aside, I found out I like this regimented approach better.
Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?
The whole thing feels like that, honestly. Whether it's actually good or not isn't for me to decide. But it feels 100% true to my personal vision under the constraints we had, and devoid of major compromises. If I had to choose one piece, it'd probably be the miniature we used for the SCP-173 entity. It's known as 'The Sculpture' so I got to put a little bit of my art school education to work in making it.
There's another person who I think had a huge personal mark on the film: the artist Brad Cahill, who sculpted the SCP-689 entity out of real soapstone. Brad's own work often concerns esoterica and ancient art styles, which lines up perfectly with the original SCP-689 article and what I wanted to capture for the practical piece. Search him up and take a look at his work. It's really serendipitous that we found each other over here in northern Illinois and were able to work together.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?
Probably to take on so many roles on my own. Writer, director, co-lead actor, production designer (solo - no team), editor, VFX supervisor, CG artist, sound designer, graphic designer. Probably more. We didn't have enough money to pull this off by hiring out most of those roles, so if there was something I felt I could already do, or could reasonably learn how to do, I did it. I even tried color grading it too, but it became obvious I was in over my head; our cinematographer Dom was able to step in and give it the absolutely stunning grade you see in the film.
I guess that's not explicitly a 'creative' decision but it did affect the process and allowed me to execute exactly what I had in my head most of the time. There's this notion that it's corny and amateur for a filmmaker to credit themselves in so many roles, but people need to realize that I actually fucking did all of that. It got especially tough in post-production, just from a lifestyle perspective. Again, decide for yourself if it's any good!
What do you hope audiences take away from your film?
I hope that people see this film and come to the same conclusion that we did: that a high-quality, full length SCP Foundation movie is totally possible and way overdue. I hope it just turns a key in the collective imagination and makes people say 'oh, well, this is a no-brainer' when they look at our upcoming feature fundraising efforts. This film should be a demonstration that SCP is way too cool NOT to see on the big screen.
"This film should be a demonstration that SCP is way too cool NOT to see on the big screen."
How has this film shaped or shifted the kind of stories you want to tell next?
I have a lot of original completed spec scripts I want to produce, but I think this film really opened me up to the idea of adaptations. I used to be uninterested or even opposed to them personally, but Stanley Kubrick's filmography is mostly adapted work, and of course he was no fool. Not only is a lot of the story groundwork laid out for you to focus on the images and sounds, but often there's an audience or at least some name recognition built-in for you. So in the attention economy it's no wonder why studios have focused on adaptations in the past 2 decades. I'd like to take more shots at it.
What’s a tool, technique, or resource that really helped you during production?
Blender. And Unreal Engine. These VFX tools have come a long way in the past decade and they're cheap or free, and highly learnable. 3D camera tracking is very easy now. If you have a discerning eye and elbow grease, you can have really sellable CGI in your indie film for little to no money. And if you throw just a little more money in it, you can even get it looking better than the CGI in some of the big superhero tentpoles. I hope more indie filmmakers cotton on to this. You aren't limited to mumblecore any more!
Some of the CG scenes early in our film are deliberately left fake-looking (simply because we ran out of time and money - hey, it's a proof-of-concept!), but other shots you might find it harder to tell what's practical and what's CGI.
Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project?
I once again invoke Kubrick: 'If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.' This is even more true now than when he said it. There is always a way to get your shot. It is always accessible, it's just a matter of how badly it's trying to burst out from your chest. Invent an entirely new technique, if you need to. But it has to be in service of birthing the image. At the level of independent film, compromises to your vision should only come from acts of God. If they start to come from elsewhere, you should try on a different vision.
What does it mean to you to have your film selected for FilmQuest, one of the world’s top reviewed genre film festivals?
To be honest, I was ready to swear off the circuit save for one or two fests who I know like my work. But we decided to submit Containment Breach to just 4 of the biggest genre festivals that we knew would really move the needle if we were selected. We got into two—one of them being FilmQuest. So yeah, it's a total honor!
As 2025 is my first year exhibiting at FilmQuest, the deep care and attention that goes into this entire event was obvious from the very first email. I can tell there's a reason why it's so consistently well reviewed, and it's not just the top-shelf programming; they really strive & succeed to make it an industry destination that's fun and worthwhile for everyone who comes to participate. Can't wait to land in Provo!
"I actually fucking did all of that."
FilmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking across fantasy, horror, sci-fi, action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and beyond. How does your film fit within—or push the boundaries of—genre storytelling?
I mean the SCP Foundation is the quintessential internet horror IP, up there with Slenderman and Five Nights at Freddy's. And the thing is, it's not just horror; there are so many stories that encompass hard sci-fi, character drama, avant-garde, even comedy and more. All of these genre storytelling styles have always been integral to SCP, even since its founding in 2008. We wanted to make a film that balances the horror, the sci-fi, the humor—things that I personally like—and strikes a unique tone that's immediately recognizable as the SCP Foundation. This is one way ours differs from the original 'Containment Breach' video game, which is a really terrifying thing to play through. There will be plenty of that intense horror in the full film, but I also want to expand the scope to include elements of the greater SCP wiki.
Where do you see this film going next?
We're going to premiere it on our YouTube channel after FilmQuest as a rallying point going into our feature Kickstarter campaign launching next year. I hope SCP fans and general audiences alike find it enjoyable and exciting!
“At the core of all my work is a desire to earn my provisions as a footsoldier of cinema: steal fire from the gods, supply adequate images. Visuals."
Cast & Crew
- Zack Lewand — Composer
- Elio Vigil — D-01138
- Glenn Darby — D-60896
- Shante Reese — D-72921
- Joseph Kyler — D-12549
