Armie Hammer, cannibalism, controversies: House of Hammer trailer on Discovery+ is just the tip of the iceberg

It was last January when Armie Hammer was 'cancelled' and removed from all ongoing film projects, owing to allegations of sexual abuse and even 'cannibalism' claims! Now, a Discovery+ docu-series, House of Hammer, attempts to expose the actor's concerning behaviour from the perspectives of his exes.

Here's the official trailer that was just dropped:

Only the first trailer has dropped so far, so it's still doubtful to determine to accuracy of the series. As for Hammer, the disgraced Hollywood star has been no stranger to controversy even before the 2021 allegations. 

Hammer supported a rape accused: This claim dates back to the 2016 period drama The Birth of a Nation in which Hammer starred alongside actor Nate Parker (who also wrote and directed the film). During the film festival season, Parker came under scrutiny when his 1999 alleged rape charges began to be discussed by the media. 

Apparently, Parker and his co-writer Jean McGianni Celestin had sexually assaulted a female student in their college days at Pennsylvania State University. The subsequent case even recorded evidence of a taped phone conversation between the victim and Parker, in which the latter confirmed that Parker and Celestin did have sex with her. Both men denied accusations of assault and said that it was consensual. While Parker was acquitted in 2001, Celestin was convicted of sexual assault (even though it was overturned in 2005). The case continued to haunt Parker as the woman eventually killed herself in 2012. 

Where does Hammer come in the mix? While Hollywood began criticising Parker’s past (including his co-stars like Gabrielle Union), Hammer publicly defended him. At that time, he told American publications that the allegations against Parker resurfaced to hurt the film’s chances at getting nominated at the Oscars. 

The grooming in Call Me By Your Name: One of Hammer’s most acclaimed performances came with the 2017 coming-of-age gay romance Call Me By Your Name. Hammer plays a 24-year-old scholar while Timothee Chalamet is the 17-year-old dreamy boy in love. While it is not the most concerning age gap in Hollywood, the ways with which their physical love blossoms didn’t sit well with some viewers. 

To make matters worse, American right-wing intellectuals started demonising the age gap further, calling it an example of how gay men would sexually groom young teenagers!

Hammer’s reply to these conservative trolls was still enough to spur debates. In a (now-deleted) tweet, Hammer reiterated that the movie was set in Italy where the age of consent is 14. The actor’s fans offered similar arguments, even adding that the age of consent continues to be 16 in at least 31 states of America. 

The cannibalism and predatory behaviour: The final blow in Hammer’s career came last year when several exes revealed some scandalous text conversations. 

In a series of disturbing screenshots leaked by an Instagram account called @houseofeffie, Hammer allegedly sent messages that revealed intentions like “biting pieces off” his lover and the possibility of “cutting off her toe” and keeping it as a possession. “I am 100% a cannibal”, read another text.

Soon, his past flames revealed that Hammer was indeed controlling and possessive at times, also dropping hints behind his cannibalistic behaviour. 

“A wannabe Hannibal Lecter”: that’s how app-developer Courtney Vucekovich describes her ex-boyfriend. The woman called Effie has told media outlets since then that she shared an on-and-off relationship with Hammer for four years from 2016 to 2020, in which she was subjected to an instance of rape and several violent acts of sadomachosim.

An LAPD investigation continues against Hammer on these charges while the actor has been dropped from all of his projects with even his agency and publicist abandoning him. 

As for Hammer, the actor claims that all of this is just a targeted online attack against him. 

Hammer’s old social media posts show an obsession with raw meat, which might point towards the alleged cannibalistic fantasies. Even in an interview for Netflix’s Rebecca, Hammer said that a historical figure whom he would want to invite for dinner would be Marquis de Sade. For the unacquainted, de Sade was a controversial French writer known for his graphic depictions of violence and sexual crimes. In fact, the word ‘sadism’ comes from his name!

What the new documentary can tell us: The Discovery+ original House of Hammer not only interviews Hammer’s victims to reveal his crimes, but also the immense influence of his family. The great-grandson of the oil tycoon Armand Hammer, the Hammer family has inherited a multi-million petroleum business. Even before the actor’s downfall, the Hammer family has been marred with allegations of financial fraud, political manipulation, and covering up instances of violence by the family members. 

With sources like Armie Hammer’s aunt Casey Hammer, the documentary’s trailer implies that it would show how powerful family networks like these try silencing victims and protecting their own. 

“The accusations of rape and abuse brought against Armie Hammer in the last few years are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Hammer family. With House of Hammer, we witness truly disturbing details and sinister secrets that money and power couldn’t hide forever," said Jason Sarlanis, President of Crime and Investigative Content, Linear and Streaming in a press release for the series, "This documentary provides an important platform for the incredibly courageous women who came forward to share their stories, and we hope their courage inspires others to continue meaningful conversations around abuse in our society."