Canada has a long history of creating great horror films. The country’s exploits into the genre have brought us filmmakers like Ivan Reitman, Bob Clark, and David Cronenberg, not to mention the great website you’re currently browsing. Yet despite the storied history of Canadian horror, the work of one of Quebec’s up-and-coming genre filmmakers is now on trial for obscenity charges.
Special effects artist and filmmaker Remy Couture was arrested in 2009 following a complaint to Interpol about his site, Inner Depravity. Said website focused on a psychopathic serial killer created by Couture and featured gory images and short films of rape, necrophilia, torture, mutilation, and murder. The site was apparently mistaken for an actual snuff site by Interpol. Though it has since been proven otherwise, Couture is now on trial for distributing obscene, morally corrupting material.
Filmmaker Frederick Maheux claims Canada’s indie horror industry is already feeling the impact of the court case. Maheux made a documentary on Couture in 2009 called ART/CRIME. Since the trial began, the doc has been pulled from distribution on the basis it features clips from Couture’s allegedly obscene videos. Maheux called the act “catastrophic” for his own filmmaking livelihood. He also claims, if Couture is found guilty, it could have a similar effect on the country’s horror industry at large.
Canada’s own Rue Morgue Magazine is currently showing their support for the filmmaker. A crowd sourced site has also been set up to raise money to cover Couture’s legal funds. Whether or not you find any appeal to be had in a site like Inner Depravity, the idea of the guy being charged as a pornographer seems very extreme. So long as everything is fabricated and consensual, I fail to see any sort of moral, much less legal wrongdoing. Then again, I’m not a Canadian citizen, much less one on Couture’s jury. What do you think? Is there any merit to the charges? Talkback with your thoughts below.