Photo courtesy of: Lisa Belcher
Written/Hosted by: TiShea Wilson, Managing Editor
Content Advisory: House of Abraham and this interview contains mature and sensitive subject matter, including themes of suicide, assisted suicide, attempted suicide, and depression. Viewer discretion is advised.
Following our review of House of Abraham and our conversation with director Lisa Belcher, Nerd Alert News had the opportunity to sit down with the man at the center of the film’s haunting story: writer and star Lukas Hassel. As both the architect behind the screenplay and the actor bringing the enigmatic Abraham to life on screen, Hassel plays a major role in shaping the film’s tense, emotionally charged experience.
In House of Abraham, Hassel delivers a layered performance that carefully balances calm reassurance with an undercurrent of something far darker. Combined with his deliberate and detail rich screenplay, the result is a psychological thriller that gradually tightens its grip on the audience, revealing its deeper themes and shocking turns piece by piece. It’s the kind of film that rewards close attention, and much of that comes from Hassel’s carefully constructed writing.
Outside of House of Abraham, Hassel has built an impressive career across film, television, and theater. Living in New York City, he studied acting at The Samuel Beckett Theatre School at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and has appeared in numerous television series including The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Elementary, and Law & Order. Genre fans may also recognize him from films such as Slapface, The Black Room, The 7th Secret, and Art of the Dead.
As a writer, Hassel’s work has earned major recognition, including the ScreenCraft and CineStory Fellowships, along with honors from the Shore Film Fund TV Pilot competition and Fresh Voices. His screenplays span multiple genres including horror, science fiction, drama, and psychological thriller, showcasing the same versatility and thematic depth present in House of Abraham.
Hassel has also made a name for himself behind the camera as a director, creating award-winning short films such as Into the Dark, The Son, the Father…, Dummy, and most recently the psychological horror short Up Close. With Into the Dark currently in development and Hassel preparing to make his feature directorial debut in 2026, it’s clear that House of Abraham is only one chapter in an already impressive and steadily growing career.
In our interview, Hassel opens up about the origins of House of Abraham, the challenges of writing such emotionally complex material, and the process of stepping into the mind of Abraham as both writer and performer. We also discuss the film’s layered storytelling, its attention to detail, collaborating with Belcher and the cast, and the audience response to one of the year’s most thought provoking indie psychological thrillers.
House of Abraham is now available digitally on Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube. For those that prefer something tangible, the Blu-ray and DVD are available at Movie Zyng.
Check out our full interview with Lukas Hassel below.
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