House of Hammer: Armie Hammer’s alleged abuse victims speak out in new documentary

New Discovery+ series examines the Hammer family and the accusations made against Armie and grandfather, Armand

An explosive new documentary explores allegations surrounding Armie Hammer, as well as the Hammer family history at large.

Released on Discovery+ on Friday (2 September), House of Hammer is a three-part examination of the alleged abuses of the actor, which then delves into the reported wrongdoings of Armand Hammer, the actor’s grandfather.

In 2021, a woman identified as Effie publicly accused the Call Me By Your Name star of raping and abusing her, a claim he denies. Since then, others have alleged sexual misconduct against the actor, two of whom appear on camera in the documentary series.

Hammer has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct made against him.

Directors Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs use the allegations lodged against Hammer as a jumping-off point to explore all facets of his famous family.

As told by The Hollywood Reporter, House of Hammer’s first episode sees a Dallas-based business owner named Courtney Vucekovich going into detail about her alleged experiences with Hammer.

She alleges that she had a relationship with the actor that began in June 2020, and says that their time together involved “love bombing” (intense affection, attention and compliments) and a sex act that left her feeling “traumatised”.

Vucekovich also recalls a note from Hammer that she says read: “I’m going to bite the f**k out of you”. Although she didn’t take it literally at the time, she admits that she “left that part out” when talking to friends. “I think that says a lot,” she adds.

Episode two focuses more on the Hammer family history and includes the perspective of the actor’s aunt, Casey Hammer.

According to Casey, Armand, the family patriarch, gathered files on friends and “anybody you dated,” and he often recorded conversations. “You didn’t make a move without thinking about what if Grandpa found out?” Casey noted. “I like to say that our lives were like a chess board and our grandfather controlled all the moves.”

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Casey Hammer (Discovery+)

The concluding part of the series brings the focus back to more recent events. After splitting from Armie Hammer, Courtney Vucekovich learned of his new relationship with Paige Lorenze while staying in a rehab facility.

Lorenze posted pictures of her body on Instagram of her body and Vucekovich says she noticed bruises which “made her heart sink”.

Later, previously recorded footage of Lorenze on Dr Oz is shown, in which Lorenze provides details on cannibal allegations against Hammer.

“He said he wanted to find a doctor in Los Angeles to remove my ribs. He wanted to eat my ribs, he wanted to smoke them,” Lorenze claims, and also alleges that the actor branded her with the letter “A” during one of their sexual encounters. “He’s obsessed with meat. I brushed it off but I do believe that he was serious.”

An anonymous source, identified as “Armie Hammer’s co-worker”, is also introduced, and shares several stories about his time working for the actor. One incident apparently included the co-worker being “forced” into “getting a lap dance”.

When Lorenze’s claims were first made public in 2021, a lawyer for the actor said in a statement: “These assertions about Mr. Hammer are patently untrue. Any interactions with this person, or any partner of his, were completely consensual in that they were fully discussed, agreed upon, and mutually participatory.

“The stories being perpetuated in the media are a misguided attempt to present a one-sided narrative with the goal of tarnishing Mr Hammer’s reputation, and communications from the individuals involved prove that.”

The Independent has contacted a representative for Armie Hammer for comment.

All three episodes of House of Hammer are available now on Discovery+.