What Is SCP-106? Everything We Know About The Old Man

In the SCP universe, it doesn’t get much scarier than SCP-106, or the Old Man. This creepy, slimy creature can drag people into a different dimension, leaving behind a thick black sludge that corrodes anything it touches. We talked to horror content creator Sydney Bermudez to help us break down everything there is to know about SCP-106, including what it is, how it hunts, and how the SCP Foundation keeps it contained. Let’s get started—if you dare!

SCP-106: An Overview

Horror content creator Sydney Bermudez says that SCP-106 is a decaying, elderly humanoid also known as The Old Man. SCP-106 is covered in corrosive black slime, and it takes its prey into a “pocket dimension,” where it stalks, tortures, and kills them.

Section 1 of 7:

What is SCP-106?

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SCP-106 is a fictional entity that resembles a decomposing old man. The story of SCP-106 (or “The Old Man”) first appeared on the SCP Foundation wiki. Bermudez says, “SCP-106 is about a decaying, elderly humanoid known as ‘The Old Man.’ It can walk through walls [and] corrode anything it touches.”^{[1]
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Sydney Bermudez
Horror Expert

Expert Interview} SCP-106 appears in various states of decay. It’s typically covered in a slimy black sludge that it leaves on any walls, floors, or ceilings it passes through.^{[2]
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- The mucus secreted by SCP-106 is extremely corrosive. It can rust metal and cause other surfaces to rot or crack, and it’s especially harmful to living tissue. This corrosive effect lasts for about 6 hours after contact.
- In addition to SCP stories, SCP-106 also appears in video games like SCP: Containment Breach and SCP: Secret Laboratory (where he’s actually a playable character).
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Sydney Bermudez is an urban legends expert and horror content creator that explores paranormal cases, internet mysteries, and psychological horror. She shares content on TikTok and Instagram to over 400k followers.
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SCP-106 can vanish into a “pocket dimension.” SCP-106 can exit the pocket dimension through any point that touches the entry point. For instance, it can enter through one side of a wall and exit through the other side—meaning it can effectively travel through any solid surface.
- No one is exactly sure what this dimension looks like or what happens there—only that it’s a place filled with rooms and hallways. SCP researchers have attempted to obtain recordings and transmissions from the pocket dimension, but the files always come back degraded.
- A few victims have escaped from 106’s pocket dimension, but none have lived long enough to describe what they saw.

Section 2 of 7:

What does SCP-106 do to you?

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SCP-106 pulls its prey into a pocket universe. SCP-106 is a scary hunter that prefers young human prey between 10 and 25 years old. Once SCP-106 catches its prey, it incapacitates them by damaging their bones, major muscles, tendons, or organs. Its corrosive black mucus also causes severe tissue damage. Then, according to Bermudez, SCP-106 drags its victims “into a personal pocket dimension.”^{[3]
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Sydney Bermudez
Horror Expert

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- Bermudez says that inside the pocket dimension, “time, space, and suffering are completely distorted.”^{[4]
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- SCP-106 sometimes lets people live for weeks in the pocket dimension—apparently for the enjoyment of hunting them—or sometimes even allows them to escape, just to capture them again.
- It’s thought that SCP-106 hunts for sport, as it doesn’t seem to require food. Once it chooses a target, 106 stalks the person relentlessly until it catches them. Because SCP-106 can travel through walls, there’s no way to hide from it.^{[5]
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- SCP-106 can go into a dormant state where it lies motionless for days or even months, waiting for prey to get near enough to catch it. Do not assume that SCP-106 is docile during this time—it will be extremely aggressive when it comes out of this state.

Section 3 of 7:

How is SCP-106 contained?

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SCP-106 must be kept in a suspended, lead-lined container. It’s almost impossible to permanently contain SCP-106, which is why it’s classified as a “Keter Class” object. Its containment protocol specifies that it should be kept in a container made of 40 layers of lead-lined steel with 36 cm (14 in) of space between each layer and randomly-spaced support beams. The container should be suspended via electromagnets.^{[6]
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- There’s also a secondary containment area made of 16 sphere-shaped cells filled with various liquids and a random arrangement of surfaces. There’s also a lighting system that can fill the containment space with 80,000 lumens because 106 seems to avoid direct sunlight.
- These measures may help slow 106 down in the event of an attempted breach, since it seems to travel more slowly through lead or liquid, and to be confused by complex or random structures.
- The entire assembly is monitored 24 hours by SCP personnel, with any corrosion being reported immediately. If any personnel come into contact with SCP-106, they’re considered MIA or KIA and there are to be no recovery efforts.
- If SCP-106 breaches containment, there’s an especially disturbing method for getting it back: Once its cell has been repaired, a “lure subject” is intentionally given an incapacitating injury. They’re then placed inside 106’s cell, and their cries of pain are broadcast on speakers until 106 returns to containment. Additional injuries or subjects are added as needed.

Section 4 of 7:

Where did SCP-106 come from?

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No one is exactly sure of its origin. SCP-106 does not cooperate with SCP staff, so attempts to learn more about it have been futile. However, there are some theories about where it may have come from:
- Corporal Lawrence: The SCP story “The Y oung Man” tells of an American corporal who fell into a hole filled with black sludge during World War I. Afterward, anyone who spent time around Lawrence died of a mysterious rotting disease, and he eventually disappeared. Some people believe the sludge turned Lawrence into SCP-106.
  - Because the original SCP-106 file links to this story, this is many people’s preferred theory of 106’s origin.
  - The connection to Corporal Lawrence is why some people call SCP-106 “Larry.”^{[7]
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- Dr. Robert Scranton: SCP-3001 tells the story of Dr. Robert Scranton, an SCP researcher who disappeared into a “non-dimension,” where he lived in a state of non-existence for about six years. He made dozens of attempts to kill himself, leaving his body mutilated. The follow-up story “Until Death” describes Dr. Scranton as SCP-106, returning to his wife Anna.^{[8]
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- Ancient being: The SCP story “Once But Not Now” describes 106 as an ancient creature that once hunted prey that resembled Neanderthals. It eventually transitioned to “a smaller, scrawnier sort of prey, with more stone teeth than the others”—presumably humans.

Section 5 of 7:

Is SCP-106 real?

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No, the SCP stories are part of a collaborative, fictional writing project. SCPs are spooky, but they aren’t meant to be taken seriously. The very first question on the FAQ page is “Is SCP real?”, and the answer is clear: “No. We are a creative writing website.”
- SCP stands for “Special Containment Procedures” (the steps the Foundation takes to keep SCPs contained) and “Secure. Contain. Protect.” (the SCP Foundation’s motto).^{[9]
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- SCP-106 was written by Dr. Gears, a founding member of the SCP wiki who has also created stories like SCP-682 (Hard-to-Destroy Reptile), The Black Queen series, and SCP-184 (The Architect).

Section 6 of 7:

What is SCP-106-KO?

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SCP-106-KO is a story about a hanging scroll that acts as a portal. SCP-106-KO is a hanging scroll. If someone attaches a painting or photograph to the scroll, the viewer can enter the picture. (They will take on a form that matches the style of the image.) However, no one who has ever entered an image has ever returned.
- SCP-106-KO is not directly related to SCP-106. There’s a slight similarity, since they both involve multi-dimensional travel, but otherwise the stories do not overlap.
- The -KO tag on the SCP number indicates that the story originated in the Korean branch of the SCP wiki.^{[10]
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Section 7 of 7:

Want more SCP content?

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Check out these other SCP articles and quizzes. SCPs are the perfect blend of creepy and creative. If you loved reading about SCP-106, be sure to check out some of our other SCP content, like: