The Uncanny Valley
Why are monster-movie zombies so horrifying and talking animals so fascinating? Though originally intended to provide an insight into human psychological reaction to robotic design, the concept expressed by this phrase ["the uncanny valley"] is equally applicable to interactions with nearly any nonhuman entity. Stated simply, the idea is that if one were to plot emotional response against similarity to human appearance and movement, the curve is not a sure, steady upward trend. Instead, there is a peak shortly before one reaches a completely human
