Monsters Among Us

"**Monsters Among Us**"
"Monsters Among Us"
American Horror Story episode
	Conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler
Episode no.	Season 4; Episode 1
Directed by	Ryan Murphy
Written by	Ryan Murphy; Brad Falchuk
Featured music	"With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming" by Patti Page; "Down at the Beach" by The Pentagons; "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart" by Vera Lynn; "Kiss of Fire" by Georgia Gibbs; "Life on Mars?" by Jessica Lange;
Production code	4ATS01
Original air date	October 8, 2014
Running time	64 minutes
Guest appearances
	John Carroll Lynch as Twisty the Clown; Skyler Samuels as Bonnie Lipton; Naomi Grossman as Pepper; Erika Ervin as Amazon Eve; Jyoti Amge as Ma Petite; Mat Fraser as Paul; Rose Siggins as Legless Suzi; Grace Gummer as Penny; Major Dodson as Corey Bachman; Christopher Neiman as Salty; Ben Woolf as Meep;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Seven Wonders"	Next →; "Massacres and Matinees"
	American Horror Story: Freak Show
	List of episodes

"Monsters Among Us" is the premiere episode of the fourth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on October 8, 2014, on the cable network FX. It was co-written by creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and directed by Murphy.^[1]

The episode introduces Elsa Mars who runs one of the last remaining freak shows in the United States in the hamlet of Jupiter, Florida, and her recruitment of conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler. It also introduces the rest of her traveling performers, and the murderous clown known as Twisty.^[2] This is the first episode of American Horror Story to break the anthology format, which includes the character Pepper (Naomi Grossman), who was previously featured in American Horror Story: Asylum (2012-2013).^[3]

"Monsters Among Us" is the second longest episode in the series' history, at just over one hour without commercials. It received critical acclaim and positive reviews from critics who praised the characters, acting, setting, its horror elements, and the story's tone. Critics noted the character buildup, particularly that of the Tattler Twins and Elsa Mars, and Elsa Mars' performance of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?" as the episode's highlights. The episode obtained the highest ratings of any episode in the series, and is currently the most-watched American Horror Story episode.^[4]

Jyoti Amge, currently the world's smallest living woman, has her American TV debut in this episode.^[5]^[6]

^ Cite error: The named reference avclub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Lovett, Jamie (October 1, 2014). "American Horror Story Trailer Introduces Twisty The Clown". Comic Book.
^ Weber, Lindsey; Abell, Tara (December 18, 2014). "What We Learned Last Night About American Horror Story's Expanded Universe". Vulture. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Meet the World's Shortest Woman (and American Horror Story: Freak Show Star!)". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
^ Eggertsen, Chris (August 13, 2014). "Newest American Horror Story Co-Star Is the World's Smallest Woman". HitFix.

[avclub-1] Cite error: The named reference avclub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Lovett, Jamie (October 1, 2014). "American Horror Story Trailer Introduces Twisty The Clown". Comic Book.

[3] Weber, Lindsey; Abell, Tara (December 18, 2014). "What We Learned Last Night About American Horror Story's Expanded Universe". Vulture. Retrieved August 12, 2023.

[:0-4] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "Meet the World's Shortest Woman (and American Horror Story: Freak Show Star!)". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 16 October 2014.

[debut-6] Eggertsen, Chris (August 13, 2014). "Newest American Horror Story Co-Star Is the World's Smallest Woman". HitFix.

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