The Uncanny Zone

What do we find to be uncanny? In class I brought up the film "Polar Express," as an example of something that is close to human; the characters sound human and look extremely close to flesh and blood bona fide homo sapiens. It's the eyes, for me, that do them in though. They say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul and when the eyes look dead, we consider the owner of the eyes to be dead. Look at zombies (a great example of the double or doppelgänger) and you can see their uncanny appeal. They are conscienceless beings whose only desire is to bring us into their uncanny fold (usually by the devouring of our brains or flesh; flesh only if you're a Romero purist). I'd also like to add that I don't think it's only the lack of an inner consciousness in something that looks so close to human that gives us a sense of it being uncanny, but also something or someone who obviously has a soul or conscience, but is removed from us by their outward appearance alone that can be perceived as uncanny. Joseph Merrick, the elephant man, was a man, not a "man." Here is a clip from David Lynch's film, "The Elephant Man," that I think showcases what my previous statement refers to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sF19L00KbAI We're also about to watch "The Birds," by Alfred Hitchcock. Are the the birds in the film not uncanny because they go against our preconceived notions of what birds are and do?

In closing, I'd just like to say that I view the uncanny as that second or third cousin. They're family, but you really just don't want to spend time with em'.