House of Hammer or “House of Horror”?
Source: "Armie Hammer" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Content Warning: Mentions of abuse and sexual violence
On Sep. 2, streaming service Discovery+ released the highly anticipated docuseries, House of Hammer. The three-part series breaks down the genealogy of the infamous Hammer family, dating back to the corrupt oil tycoon of the 1900s, Armand Hammer. While the show focuses on relatively recent allegations against the notable actor and chillingly charismatic Armie Hammer, it digs more into his family history to expose lies and deceit that have never seen the light. Through vulnerable interviews and plenty of evidence, this series exposes the toxic history of the Hammer name and has the potential to spark important conversations about the horrific behaviors plaguing Hollywood today.
In January 2021, allegations of sexual and physical violence began to surface against the great-grandson of Armand Hammer, Armie. Instagram user @houseofeffie pioneered the allegations, posting appalling Instagram direct messages supposedly sent to her from Armie. The messages detailed confessions about Armie’s sexual fantasies, gruesome depictions of his sexual and abusive relationship with Effie herself, images and desires regarding cannibalism and more violating comments. Upon Effie’s release of these messages, more women who had suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Armie Hammer began to come forward with their stories, which almost identically paralleled Effie’s. Two of these women, Courtney Vucekovich and Julia Morrison, were directly interviewed for this docuseries, courageously recalling their experiences with Armie. Their stories all have one theme in common – the lack of consent on their behalf in a sexual relationship with Armie using BDSM as a smoke screen.
Uncovering these details about Armie shocked many, but the way this docuseries digs deeper makes it evident that Armie’s behavior has been the catalyst for uncovering the dark secrets of his ancestors, beginning with Armie’s great-grandfather, Armand Hammer. He was the founder of the oil conglomerate, Occidental Petroleum. While heading his business, Armand was involved in various scandals, including the Watergate scandal in 1972. However, he managed to buy his way out of any charges as well as free his son, Julian Hammer, from manslaughter charges. Julian, Armie’s grandfather, killed one of his close friends in an altercation, but Armand met the $50,000 bail and set his son free. However, Julian received poor treatment from Armand. Those traumatizing experiences manifested into his compromised mental state further in life.
Casey Hammer, Armie’s aunt, was also interviewed in this series, and she chronicled stories of sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of her father, Julian. This frightening behavior only carried over to Julian’s son, Michael. Reportedly, Michael engaged in questionable sexual acts against masses of women who he would gather as slaves, most of them substantially younger than him. Despite this, Michael received almost all of Armand’s assets upon his death, passing the Armand Hammer Foundation and more into his control. Moreover, as the docuseries showcases, the reputation and dark secrets of his descendants have echoed in Armie himself. Although he has been dropped from many Hollywood agencies, no criminal charges have been filed against Armie for his vicious, harmful actions, just as the undertakings of his family members have remained hidden all these years.
This docuseries, while difficult to watch, should be promoted further. Through its exposure of the Hammer family secrets, conversations have begun about the normalization of rape culture and female safety in both Hollywood and beyond. This type of behavior has persisted far beyond the Hammer name, with famous Hollywood names like Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and more having heavy allegations against them. Just as in Armie’s situation, victims of figures such as Weinstein were met with hatred, invalidation, and even death threats as they tried to share their stories. The rise of the “Me Too” movement helped get more stories out in the open and gave victims the platform they need to speak their truth, but as the Hammer history goes to show, many victims are still belittled and dismissed today.
While Armie’s actions are just now coming to light, his family history only proves that this continuation of violence and manipulation can be present anywhere. It is imperative that we protect and advocate for victims of any sort of domestic and sexual violence. We must create a more accepting, empathetic culture that always listens to the voices of those victims and can provide the help they might be seeking. These tough conversations must persist until the cycle is broken, until true accountability is pushed upon abusers.