ABSTRACT
The uncanny valley is a dip in the graph on which emotional response is plotted against similarity to real-life appearance and movement. To Freud, the uncanny has a very particular meaning; it is closely related to the concept of animism, discussed at length by Frazer. Specifically, Freud defines the uncanny as “that class of the frightening that leads back to what is known of old and long familiar”. Dolls, robots, puppets, and dummies often evoke uncanny sensations, especially when they unexpectedly begin to speak and move around. The uncanny is most often found in the secret pockets of popular culture and in works of the everyday imagination. Unlike the academic world, larger mainstream culture has long subscribed to a non-rational, quasi-religious view of the universe; this is reflected in movies, television, graphic novels, digital art forms, and tabloid newspapers.
