I agree. That's one thing I love about it. Is the cover by Everett?
Great books! I have the Spellbound but not the Uncanny.
I agree the Uncanny is a cool cover in that unlike most Atlas covers, you don't really understand what is taking place. Although the two figures in the boat are sealing someone in a coffin, we see a hat and an abandoned oar floating in the water to further question what happened. Though we are told "Ask No Questions!". Add to that it is a full cover illustration with no side panel vignettes makes this a winner! (thumbs u
I have 'em both', good readers. Regarding the Uncanny Tales issue; The cover date is August, 1954, and this was about the time the publishers began taming down their offerings, at least AFA cover illustrations went. This is why you don't see a skeleton or some such. The hat floating on the water and the sinister clad figures nailing the container up pretty well deliver the message.
It delivers it well but still contains that air of mystery with what it doesn't show. It's nice to see that some artists were able to rise above the constraints of the oncoming code and deliver some grim, moody and atmospheric covers such as this Uncanny Tales cover.