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American Horror Story 4x13 002
Human oddity
Classification: Medical anomaly
Associated franchises: DC Comics
Marvel Comics
Universal Monsters
Vertigo
Associated programs: American Horror Story
Doom Patrol
Umbrella Academy
Associated comics: American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men Vol 1
Ghost Rider Vol 2
Un-Men Vol 1
Character examples: Dorothy Spinner; Jimmy Darling; Ma Petite; Meep; Monster Man; Paul the Illustrated Seal
Related articles: Altered human; Disfigurement; Mutant

A human oddity is someone who was born with a physical abnormality that sets them apart from normal human beings. Others may be altered in certain ways, usually through surgical procedure, to separate themselves from everyday people. People with such birth defects have often been saddled with the derogatory app appellation of "Freaks".

In speculative fiction, human oddities are often presented as carnival sideshow attractions. The most well-known of such presentations is Tod Browning's disturbing 1932 film Freaks. Human oddities also played a major role in season four of American Horror Story, which was billed under the heading of "Freak Show".

In the 2003 "Grindhouse" film House of 1000 Corpses, the albino psychopath calling himself Otis B. Driftwood enjoyed his own form of body art... which involved making drastic physical alterations to other people. One such victim was Bill Hudley, whom Otis turned into his own personal "Fish Boy". Human oddities have also been presented in other media including comic books such as the DC Comics/Vertigo limited series American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men from 1994.

Characters[]

Name Source
Amazon Eve American Horror Story
Bette and Dot Tattler American Horror Story
Desiree Dupree American Horror Story
Dorothy Spinner Doom Patrol
Ethel Darling American Horror Story
Jimmy Darling American Horror Story
Luther Hargreeves Umbrella Academy
Ma Petite American Horror Story
Meep American Horror Story
Monster Man Ghost Rider
Paul the Illustrated Seal American Horror Story
Penny American Horror Story
Pepper American Horror Story
Salty American Horror Story
Toulouse American Horror Story

Appearances[]

Films[]

Television[]

Comics[]

Notes[]

American Horror Story[]

American Horror Story 4x12 002

Penny from American Horror Story.

The following notations relate to season four of American Horror Story, which focused on carnival freaks. Some of the actors portraying characters in the season had actual birth defects, while others did not. This section is intended to separate fact from fiction.

See also[]

Gallery[]

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