When I put together my list of the best SCPs of all time, I didn’t explore Series V as deeply as other, earlier series. And yet, many of the Series V SCPs I read, I came to truly enjoy.
In Series V, however, the SCP-Wiki saw a return to its horror roots. Many Series V SCPs would once again center on horrible and ghastly creatures. It’s here we can find one of the most popular and best horror SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki.
What I noticed, especially in Series V, was the writing, which was absolutely outstanding. Many of my all-time favorite writers have produced some of the most well-written SCPs of all time in Series V.
For this article, I want to present you with my eleven favorite Series IV SCPs.
Notice: All articles cited here are licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Table of Contents
- SCP-4001 – Alexandria Eternal by GentleGifts
- SCP-4005 – The Holy and Heavenly City of Fabled China by Tufto
- SCP-4205 – In The Eyes of the Beholder by Woedenaz
- SCP-4231 – The Montauk House by thefriendlyvandal
- SCP-4485 – Such Black Light by Woedenaz
- SCP-4498 – The Plurality of Jack Bright by djkaktus
- SCP-4511 – SWINE GOD. by DrAnnoyingDog and Rounderhouse
- SCP-4666 – The Yule Man by Hercules Rockefeller
- SCP-4774 – The Ninth Planet by MaliceAforethought
- SCP-4833 – The Syncope Symphony by Tufto
- SCP-4840 – The Demon Lancelot and the Flying City of Audapaupadopolis by djkaktus
SCP-4001 – Alexandria Eternal by GentleGifts
Alexandria Eternal is yet another SCP concerning a library. It’s, however, not just any library. It’s a library which holds a book about the life of every human being that ever existed. The prose here is one of the most enjoyable parts about this Series V SCP. What’s interesting is that it’s not an SCP about a monster, not a dangerous entity, but merely about a mysterious place. And yet, the library has also a high potential of causing trouble as we can see in the many experimentation logs. What’s even more interesting is that the library seems to be a living place, one that judges people for their deeds.
SCP-4005 – The Holy and Heavenly City of Fabled China by Tufto
The Holy and Heavenly City of Fabled China was the first SCP I ever read by Tufto and I was blown away by it. It might be one of the most well-written and best SCPs on the entire SCP-Wiki. It’s all about a strange, mysterious city, a dream city that’s shown to people who stare at an old glass lamp. People who saw it can’t help but grow obsessed about it and before long they go on their way to find it. What I loved the most about it, however, were the diary entries of Omar Ibn Rashid, an Egyptian novelist who went in search of inspiration and eventually stumbled upon the glass lamp. I guess, I love the diary entries so much because I’m a writer and the story resonated with me in many ways. It’s one of the best Series V SCPs, one which describes a different type of apocalypse.
SCP-4205 – In The Eyes of the Beholder by Woedenaz
In the Eyes of the Beholder is one of the most popular Series V SCPs out there and one of the best format screws I’ve come upon. It’s a really long, strange SCP, and you might wonder multiple times what exactly is going on. Once you reach the ending, however, everything becomes clear. What makes this one stand out among many other Series V SCPs is definitely the presentation. It’s, however, also a fantastic read.
SCP-4231 – The Montauk House by thefriendlyvandal
The Montauk House is another format screw and more a tale than an SCP. Those who are familiar with procedure 110-montauk might know what this one’s about right away. Without saying too much, though, it’s an origin story, one of the most complex on the entire SCP-Wiki. It’s one of the most well-written Series V SCPs, but it can drag on a bit because of its length. Still, it’s very worth reading.
SCP-4485 – Such Black Light by Woedenaz
Such Black Light is another extremely long and very ambitious Series V SCP. I really like the idea behind it and I especially loved the many pieces of art that were part of it. What I truly came to love, however, was the ending. While it felt overblown compared to other Series V SCPs, it’s still a fantastic SCP.
SCP-4498 – The Plurality of Jack Bright by djkaktus
The Plurality of Jack Bright is a comedy SCP, one reminiscent of the many lolFoundation SCPs that were popular in the SCP-Wiki’s earlier days. Those familiar with the SCP Foundation’s more prominent characters might know that Jack Bright is a rather complicated character. Now imagine what would happen, if there’s more than one Jack Bright and the chaos that would reign. That’s exactly what this Series V SCP’s about and it’s absolutely hilarious.
SCP-4511 – SWINE GOD. by DrAnnoyingDog and Rounderhouse
SWINE GOD is one of the weirder Series V SCPs and reminiscent of the Wiki’s old horror SCPs. It’s all about a mechanical construction resembling a pig, which is in the basement of a meatpacking factory. It contains its fair share of fucked up details and imagery, especially in the form of experiments and tests. And yet, there’s something more about this object, something we learn near the end. SWINE GOD is one of the best Series V SCPs and a fantastic horror SCP.
SCP-4666 – The Yule Man by Hercules Rockefeller
The Yule Man might be the best, most twisted of the many Series V SCPs. It’s pure and absolute nightmare fuel. It’s about a strange entity which shows up around Christmas time. The entity’s targets are families. It either kidnaps one of their children and murders everyone else or leaves them strange, disgusting toys. And yet, as horrible as these visitations are, as horrible as the things the entity does to the families are, there’s even more to this Series V SCP. It’s the ending, the last interview which reveals its true horror. It’s probably the most twisted and fucked up of all the Series V SCPs.
SCP-4774 – The Ninth Planet by MaliceAforethought
The Ninth Planet is one of the most interesting and clever Series V SCPs out there. It’s all about a planet, one that might exist or might not exist. And yet, this Series V SCP is about the observation of this planet and what this observation could mean. It’s quite an interesting concept, one to ponder on. I also think the last line of this Series V SCP is amongst the best last lines of all the Series V SCPs.
SCP-4833 – The Syncope Symphony by Tufto
The Syncope Symphony is another one of Tufto’s Series V SCPs. It’s a long read, but again, an extremely well-written one. The SCP itself seems to be connected to the class-of-76 which I’m unfortunately not too well-versed about. And yet, this Series V SCP works fairly well on its own. As I said, the writing’s top-notch and amongst the best of all the Series V SCPs out there. Overall, this one’s very well worth reading, even if one’s not too familiar with the rest of the class-of-76.
SCP-4840 – The Demon Lancelot and the Flying City of Audapaupadopolis by djkaktus
This Series V SCP concerning the Flying City of Audapaupadopolis is another part of the djkaktus’ bigger universe and Project Paragon. While I’m not too big a fan of Project Paragon, I can’t deny that this is a fantastically grand piece of world-building. One probably is, that it can be rather dense and one needs to know about djkaktus’ universe. Overall, though, I truly enjoyed the world-building and imagery in this one, but one can’t help one’s reading a fantasy prologue, or a creation myth. I guess the biggest problem I have is that I see the universe of the SCP Foundation as a Lovecraftian. One in which humanity’s essentially meaningless and preyed upon by the anomalous. In djkaktus greater universe, however, as we learn in this SCP, the very first human was the most powerful being of all time. Now, while I’ve mixed feelings about this, it’s an extremely well-written Series V SCP and I’m sure many people will truly enjoy it.