Supernatural and the Uncanny

Where it surfaces

• Canon Alberic's Scrapbook

  The terrifying sepia drawing of a demonic figure that causes horror and psychological distress.

• Lost Hearts

  Ghostly children with transparent hands and gaping wounds appear, and strange cries echo across the grounds, blurring the line between dream and reality.

• The Mezzotint

  The mezzotint's figure inexplicably changes position, moving from the edge to the center of the lawn, defying natural explanation.

• The Ash-Tree

  The mysterious deaths of Sir Matthew and Sir Richard Fell, the monstrous spiders, and the skeleton in the ash tree evoke a supernatural curse.

• Number 13

  The mysterious absence and presence of Room 13, the shrinking room, the hissing breathing, and the missing portmanteau create an atmosphere of uncanny dread.

• Count Magnus

  The Black Pilgrimage, the mysterious opening of Count Magnus's sarcophagus, and the relentless pursuit by cloaked figures embody the supernatural horror central to the chapter.

• Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad

  The whistle's power to summon a ghostly figure and the eerie, blind entity that appears in Parkins's room embody the supernatural and uncanny.

• The Treasure of Abbot Thomas

  The treasure is guarded by a ghostly, malevolent entity that manifests as a shapeless horror, embodying the uncanny.

• A School Story

  The ghostly figure seen on Sampson's windowsill and the mysterious disappearance of Sampson evoke supernatural dread.

• The Rose Garden

  The shared nightmare and the vision of a face in the bush suggest a supernatural haunting tied to historical events.

• The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral

  The archdeacon experiences a cat statue seeming to move and bite, hears whispering voices, and feels an unseen presence, all suggesting a supernatural influence.

• Martin's Close

  The ghost of Ann Clark appears after her death, tormenting Martin and being seen by witnesses, as recounted in the trial and local legend.

• The Residence at Whitminster

  The chapter features a terrifying encounter with a giant insect-like entity and the ghostly legend of Viscount Saul, emphasizing the uncanny and supernatural.

• The Diary of Mr. Poynter

  The fabric's origin—from a deceased man's chambers, designed as a memorial of his hair with an undiscovered subtlety—introduces an uncanny, possibly supernatural element.

• An Episode of Cathedral History

  The widow's dream of a shape with red eyes, the tearing of the lady's dress by an unseen force, and the mysterious 'crying' that plagued Southminster after the cathedral alterations.

• Letter III

  The dream blurs the line between puppet show and reality, with Punch taking on a Satanic quality and the victims' deaths feeling disturbingly real.

• Two Doctors

  Dr. Abell's interest in beings like satyrs and centaurs, and the mysterious death of Dr. Quinn, suggest a supernatural undercurrent.

• The Haunted Dolls’ House

  The dolls' house becomes a stage for ghostly reenactments of a tragedy, with a monstrous frog-like figure and spectral funeral processions.

• Chapter II

  The recurring opening of the Prayer Books to the same page despite locked doors and barred windows, along with Mrs. Porter's feeling of being watched, evokes an uncanny, possibly supernatural presence.

• IV

  The description of the flannel roll with a face and the instantaneous death evoke a supernatural presence.

• A View from a Hill

  The binoculars allow Fanshawe to see a gallows and a hanged man from the past, and later cause terrifying encounters in a wood, suggesting a supernatural connection to the dead.

• An Evening’s Entertainment

  The story includes a hanged man in a mock-surplice, a mysterious wheel ornament, a horse terrified by blood, and lingering mist or light at the burial site.