**Warning: sexual abuse allegations and language**
House Of Hammer, a Discovery+ docuseries, recounts the social media frenzy with rumors of cannibalism and sexual assault by the actor Armie Hammer. The credibility of these allegations cracked the door wide open into not only the actor’s past but multi-generational secrets.
The series features survivors’ accounts of assault by Hammer, insight from former associates of the Hammer family, and an estranged family member’s first-hand experience growing up as a Hammer.
The Allegations
“He kind of captivates you and while being charming, he’s grooming you for these things that are darker and heavier and consuming. When I say consuming, I mean mentally, physically, emotionally, financially, just everything.”
-Courtney Vucekovich
In the three-part series, part one includes the accounts of women who have recently accused Armie Hammer of sexual assault. The most prominent of them is Courtney Vucekovich, a Dallas-based businesswoman, who recounts her relationship with Armie. She paints the picture for viewers of how their relationship first began and how it quickly progressed to sexual abuse.
The two started talking via social media, a tool Armie often uses to meet women, after she first met him in person. She accuses him of firstly “love bombing” her, a term used to describe the action of spoiling someone with affection and attention in order to influence them. Then, exposing her to submission and domination via movies. All tactics by Armie to develop the relationship into one of coercion in order to live out fantasies of bondage, cannibalism, and rape.
The relationship Courtney outlines in the documentary contains tactics used by Armie to manipulate Courtney and several other women. Artist Julia Morrison along with other women featured in the documentary who has publicly recounted their relationship with Armie, all outline an eerily similar timeline to Courtney’s as well.
Who Is Casey Hammer?
“The Hammer men, you just don’t know what’s hiding behind their personality or behind their demeanor and it’s really apparent with Armie…It scares a lot of people but for me, it’s really familar.”
-Casey Hammer
Casey Hammer, Armie Hammer’s aunt, delivers a behind-the-scenes look at the reality of being a woman in the Hammer family. She tells about Armand Hammer (her grandfather), Julian Hammer (Armand’s son and her father), and Michael (her brother). She defines the Hammer family name as one defined by “its history of male domination, criminality, and sexual monstrousness.” The docuseries explores these claims with first-hand accounts by people close to the Hammers. These include Julian’s former housekeeper and ex-wife, Cathe Boal and former political and media consultant to Armand Hammer, Neil Lyndon.
Some of what Casey details in the docuseries includes Armand actively keeping records of the family’s friends and “anybody you dated” which included recorded conversations. She claims, “you didn’t make a move without thinking about, ‘What if grandpa found out?’ I like to say that our lives were like a chessboard and our grandfather controlled all the moves.” She also recounts Julian’s alcohol-fueled abuse toward her mother, brother, and herself. A memory she didn’t even recollect till later in her life.
The Hammer Men
The docuseries outlines the Hammer Lineage beginning with Armand Hammer, who’s father was the founding member of the American Communist Party. Armand assisted his father in spying on the United States in order to relay information to the Soviet Union. After moving back to America and divorcing his second wife, his third wife, Frances Barrett Tolman, became his financier for his investments in Occidental Patroleum. When becoming a capitalist power player, Armand carefully erased his past and in the process grew to resent his Russian born son, Julian.
Armand’s success transformed him into a ruthless tyrant. The docuseries covers his briberies, illegal activities, and blackmail. Julian takes after his father behavior. His misdeeds include killing a friend over debt, and even attempting to bribe Michael (his son) into buying his girlfriend. Michael and Julian would together host parties which involved heavy drug usage and suspected underage sexual activities in the privacy of their home.
According to the docuseries, Michael became an evangelical Christian after marrying his wife, Dru, and continuously attempted to gain his grandfather’s love over his father’s to become the primary beneficiary to the family’s wealth. A successful win for Michael who ended up inheriting his grandfather’s fortune to which Casey and her father were left very little of. An example of what corrosive American wealth and status rewards to those who paint themselves in shining light.
Discovery+ Official Trailer for House Of Hammer
