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See also Pepper for a complete list of references to clarify differences between these closely named or closely related articles. |
| Pepper the Pinhead | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pepper the Pinhead | |
| Franchise: | American Horror Story |
| Notability: | Recurring character |
| Type: | Human oddity |
| Gender: | Female |
| Location: | Jupiter, Florida Briarcliff Manor, Wasaugee, Massachusetts |
| Status: | Dead |
| Died: | 1966 |
| Introduction: | "Welcome to Briarcliff" |
| Final: | "Continuum" |
| Actor: | Naomi Grossman |
Pepper is a fictional mental patient and a recurring character on the FX Network television series American Horror Story. Played by actress Naomi Grossman, she was introduced in the premiere episode of season two of the show, "Welcome to Briarcliff".
Overview[]
Pepper suffers from Microcephaly and is often referred to in the show as the "Pinhead". Pepper is a patient at Briarcliff Manor - a lunatic asylum in Massachusetts that operated during the early-mid 1960s. Pepper projected a playful, yet simple-minded demeanor, but her seemingly diminished intellect increased to normal levels after an encounter with Doctor Arthur Arden's sub-human medical experiments.
Biography[]
Pepper was committed to Briarcliff sometime around 1964 after being accused of drowning her sister's daughter and cutting off her ears. [1]
Pepper was generally docile and was allowed to walk about the common areas of the asylum as well as the hospital grounds. She was the first patient to greet Lana Winters when she arrived to write an article on Briarcliff's accomplishments. The hospital's administrator, Sister Jude Martin warned Lana that Pepper was not the harmless creature she appeared to be and claimed that she was actually quite dangerous.
Shortly after Halloween, a strong nor'easter blew through the area and Sister Jude decided to host a movie night to keep the patients calm until the storm passed. In the middle of the screening, Pepper exclaimed that she had to pee and ran out of the common room. When she failed to return, Sister Jude mistakenly believed her to be an escapee. [2]
Pepper became the caregiver of another patient named Grace Bertrand and assisted in mid-wifing her child. [3]
Pepper died under unknown circumstances in 1966. Sister Jude Martin, having now been a patient at Briarcliff for the past several years was unaware of her death for over a year. In her mind, she believed that Pepper and she were friends who played Candyland together in the common room. [4]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Pepper the Pinhead was created by director Bradley Buecker and writer Tim Minear.
- Atress Naomi Grossman wrote, produced, and starred in the hit solo show, "Carnival Knowledge: Love, Lust, and other Human Oddities," which enjoyed a twice-extended, sold-out run at the Fringe Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Not to be confused with Pepper, who is a character featured in the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.