359 Semiotica dell’ Uncanny Valley 1 Bruno Surace* English title: Semiotics of the Uncanny Valley Abstract: The Uncanny Valley, hypothesized by Masahiro Mori in 1970, theorizes about a sensation of discomfort evoked in humans on exposure to anthropomorphic artif- cial bodies that preserve some mechanical features. The aims of this paper are multi- ple. Firstly, to confrm the truth of this hypothesis, which has often been the subject of controversy but which has been amply demonstrated in experimental settings and anecdotic evidence. Secondly, to focus the study of the Uncanny Valley on the face, considered as central in the manifestation of the phenomenon. Thirdly, to provide a description of this occurrence as not exclusively a neuroscientifc or psychological matter, but also as an issue of extreme semiotic relevance, through the meta-analysis of recent experiments and the treatment of some cinematographic cases known to have generated the Uncanny Valley experience in the audience. Keywords: Uncanny Valley; Artifcial Face; Unheimliche; Semiotics of the Face; Robotics 1. Dall’Unheimliche all’Uncanny Valley Il fenomeno dell’Uncanny Valley costituisce una sorta di mito accademi- co. L’espressione, coniata da Masahiro Mori nell’articolo “Bukimi no Tani Genshō” (1970), circola a fasi alterne nella letteratura ed è stata spesso * Università di Torino. 1. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No 819649 - FACETS). Lexia. Rivista di semiotica, 37-38 Volti Artificiali ISBN 978-88-255-3853-3 DOI 10.4399/978882553853318 pp. 359-380 (marzo 2021)