Supernatural and the Uncanny

Where it surfaces

• A Bottle of Alsace Lorraine

  The mute, earless mulatto cook with a cut-out tongue and his eerie, spider-like search of the room evoke a sense of the uncanny.

• Doctor Syn Takes Cold

  The squire discusses local beliefs in Marsh witches and ghosts, while Doctor Syn's unexplained reaction to the mulatto sailor introduces an eerie, uncanny element.

• VII: Clegg the Buccaneer

  Sennacherib Pepper's tales of fiery steeds and witches, and the mulatto's uncanny tracking abilities, evoke the supernatural.

• Dogging the Schoolmaster

  Jerry's dream of demon riders merges with reality as ghostly horsemen appear, and a yellow-faced intruder steals a harpoon, blurring the line between nightmare and waking.

• IX: The End of Sennacherib Pepper

  The ghostly horsemen visible only to Pepper, and Rash's denial, create a supernatural tension that underscores the murder.

• XII: The Captain Objects

  Captain Collyer's threats against 'demon riders' and 'Marsh devils' invoke the supernatural lore surrounding Romney Marsh, blending folk belief with criminal investigation.

• XIV: At the Vicarage

  The shuttered, candlelit dining room and Doctor Syn's eerie song about dead men create an uncanny atmosphere.

• XVII: The Doctor Sings a Song

  The gibbering moans, the harpoon hole, and the Doctor's demented stare create an atmosphere of the uncanny.

• Behind the Shutters

  The captain's sense of unreality and dreamlike confusion, along with Syn's unnerving composure, evokes an uncanny atmosphere.

• The Captain's Nightmare

  The captain's drugged nightmare blurs reality and dream, featuring a ghostly figure on a reef and a brutal murder, creating an eerie, uncanny atmosphere.

• XX: A Terrible Investigation

  The chapter is steeped in an uncanny atmosphere: mysterious moans, bound sailors, a dead body pierced by an invisible weapon, and reports of 'light-faces' removing Mr. Rash. Mipps's inexplicable giggling adds to the sense of dread.

• XXI: The Bo'sun's Story

  The bo'sun and Morgan Walters describe figures with glowing faces and demonic riders, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.

• A Curious Breakfast Party

  The captain's story of a dead priest committing murder and a marooned sailor pursuing his killer in a corpse introduces a supernatural dimension to the Marsh's mysteries.

• The Coffin-Maker Has a Visitor

  Mipps's story of being trapped in a coffin and his matter-of-fact discussion of near-death experiences evoke an uncanny, macabre atmosphere.

• XXVI: The Devil’s Tiring House

  The demon riders, marsh witches, and glowing faces create an eerie, supernatural atmosphere, with the scarecrow revealed as a living participant.

• The Scarecrow's Legion

  The Scarecrow's ghostly appearance and the use of mist and lanterns to create supernatural terror among locals.

• The Fight at Mill House Farm

  The smugglers employ eerie tactics, such as the Scarecrow's demonic appearance, Hellspite's wailing song, and the repeated curlew cry, creating an atmosphere of uncanny intimidation.

• A Certain Tree Bears Fruit

  Imogene's premonition of death and the eerie atmosphere of the mist-shrouded marsh evoke the uncanny.

• The Captain's Experiment

  The squire's uncanny feeling upon witnessing Syn's self-inflicted burn and the tattoo of a man walking the plank evoke a sense of the supernatural.

• The Dead Man's Throttle

  The drunken terror of Clegg's voice, the harpoon attack, and the 'shadow' from hell evoke the uncanny.

• Echoes

  Mipps delights the yellow priests with horrific tales of demons and ghosts from Romney Marsh, and the priests themselves fear to visit England because of these stories.