This paper examines the uncanny as a literary genre and psychological phenomenon with particular focus on its application in 1984 by George Orwell and "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. While traditionally considered a literary element, the uncanny is here examined as a genre, drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Sigmund Freud and Masahiro Mori. Freud's psychoanalytic approach to the uncanny, characterized by the disturbing return of what once was familiar, is joined together with Mori's concept of "the uncanny valley", which arises from near-human resemblances in artificial entities. This paper argues that the uncanny imbues both texts, shaping their themes, atmospheres and narrative structures. In 1984, the uncanny shows through the totalitarian power and pervasive surveillance that distorts reality, while in "The Fall of the House of Usher", it emerges through the interaction between psychological and physical decay and the eerie blurring of boundaries between oppositions. Through these examples this paper suggests that while the uncanny ofter intersects with horror and gothic fiction, it operates as its own distinct literary genre with its ability to offer unique narrative structures, historical usage as well as psychological and emotional impact.