I surely won't say that I was disappointed with my long awaited viewing of Larry Cohen's "God Told Me To", but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. And I mean that as a compliment because the depth and storyline of this film was far more impressive than I hoped it to be. Cohen has always been an imaginative and versatile scriptwriter (It's Alive, Q The Winged Serpent) but he really surpasses oneself here with this multifunctional shocker! It would be a disgrace to simply categorize "God Told Me To" as a shlock-horror film as it equally covers the fields of detective thriller, pseudo-religious drama and science fiction. The very engaging script starts from a dazzling basic idea (which truly encouraged me to purchase this movie no matter what
) but unexpectedly becomes an ambitious mystery that constantly keeps you guessing. We follow the deeply religious cop Peter Nicholas in his investigation on every day NY citizens that suddenly go wild and commit vile murders. Right before dying, they all confess that God himself ordered them to commit these crimes. In his search for clues, Det. Nicholas stumbles upon supernatural events and connections that are beyond belief. The story is compelling, although very VERY complex. It took me three viewings to really "get" the story and I still have questions to ponder on. Nevertheless, Cohen proves himself to be a master of plotting and even the tiniest sub plot (like the anti-hero cop being torn between his wife and mistress) are sublimely elaborated. I admit I more or less expected this to be a semi-absurd and violent cheapie (like Cohen delivered them before) but it turned out one of the most misunderstood exploitation films of the 70's. Although the film isn't really disturbing, there's a lot of suspense and intrigue. Cult lovers familiar with Cohen's repertoire will be pleased to see that he couldn't resist referring to his blaxploitation roots and that he takes every opportunity to severely criticize American society. The charismatic actor Tony Lo Bianco is terrific in portraying the spirited here and he's partly responsible for a climax you won't forget easily.
85 Reviews
Worth watching
louhobbs10 November 2020
I just watched this movie on Shudder. I don't know why except something just told me to pick it. I was impressed by the cast. It was full of many excellent character actors that I remember from the 70s to 90s. It starts off as a police procedural, but soon veers in a surreal direction. I was very surprised to see Andy Kaufmann make his film debut in a non-speaking part as a young uniformed policeman turned into a possessed assassin. I suspect he was cast in this role just by the serene, but maniacal, facial expression he was able to pull off. I'll not reveal anything else, but do recommend you watch this interesting film.
Schlock Happy
JaniceBackFromTheDead26 January 2005
"God Told Me To" is in many ways Larry Cohen's best picture, which probably isn't saying all that much to people unaccustomed to the confines of schlock cinema. Viewers who never watch anything that doesn't play at the local Cineplex will look upon this picture with a sense of mounting dread over the low production values and haphazard plot lines. I, however, am the Queen of Bad Cinema, and my realm contains a round table where Sir Cohen sits with Lord Herschell Gordon Lewis, Baron William Castle, and Sir Roger Corman of New Concorde. I can take the offering that is "God Told Me To" and pronounce it good and godly. And I will, because Michael Moriarty appears nowhere in this film. Cohen seems to have a thing for the squirrelly actor of "Law & Order" fame, casting him in at least three of his major works--"The Stuff," "Q: The Winged Serpent," and "It's Alive." After anxiously looking around for Moriarty's name anywhere near this film and not seeing it, I settled in for what I hoped would become a wonderful experience.
Although far from perfect, "God Told Me To" is immensely entertaining. Did I mention I don't care much for Michael Moriarty? Here's a movie any B-movie fan can really sink his or her teeth into. Imagine New York City in the 1970s (I know, it's unpleasant, but do it anyway). The streets bustle with activity as people drive, walk, and ride their bikes to various destinations. Why, look there! Here comes a chap peddling along without a care in the world! Then we hear a shot ring out and the poor guy does a header into the pavement. Do angels ride bicycles? Anyway, more shots ring out and more people tumble to the pavement, presumably incapable of ever rising again. It looks like some guy channeling Charles Whitman is up on a wooden water tower playing target practice. Fortunately, tough cop Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) assumes the highly dangerous task of talking the hunter down. He fails spectacularly, but before he does the gunman tells Nicholas that "God told me to" murder all of these people. This cop will continue to hear this phrase in the coming days after a devoted father slaughters his family, after a police officer (Andy Kaufman!) goes off the deep end during a parade, and after a few other highly unpleasant incidents unfold in the Big Apple. In other words, what we see happening here is just a typical day in New York City. What's the big deal? Well, Larry Cohen isn't content to merely let his movie founder in the degradation of the typical police thriller genre. No sir! What starts out as a series of seemingly unconnected crimes turns out to be something so sinister that the human mind boggles while attempting to conceive of it. Turns out Nicholas is a highly devote Catholic with a wife (Sandy Dennis) and a young girlfriend (Deborah Raffin) who feels as though he's different from everyone else. The whole "god told me to" thing finds the detective discovering exactly why he never seemed to fit in. His investigation into the crimes turns up reports of an immaculate conception years before, a shadowy cult that worships some nut named Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch), and Mason Adams playing an obstetrician. Then things get really weird. Nicholas tracks down a woman who tells him a story he would rather not hear, complete with on screen flashbacks, about an alien abduction that took place years ago. Again, this type of stuff is par for the course in New York City, but you wouldn't know it by watching Detective Peter Nicholas's reaction. He races out of the building on a quest to track down the enigmatic Bernard Phillips, with good reason. The very future of the human race could well depend on our hero putting a stop to the supernatural shenanigans going on in his beloved city. Wow!
I'm not quite sure what to make of "God Told Me To." The film doesn't fit in any single cinematic genre, so I'm not sure it would appeal to fans of pure cop dramas, or pure science fiction, or pure apocalyptic films. You sort of need to transcend boundaries with this movie or you'll only end up liking chunks of it. I do think that Tony Lo Bianco did a wonderful job as the conflicted and tormented Detective Peter Nicholas. As proof of this assertion, I ask that you view closely the scene where he listens to the father talk about butchering his family. The rage slowly building in every fiber of Lo Bianco's being as he digests this string of spoken atrocities appears so genuine that I thought he was really going to deck that guy when he finally blows. So I guess you can say the acting isn't too bad. The special effects, on the other hand, ain't that great. You get a cheesy showdown between Phillips and Nicholas at the end involving a lot of camera shaking, collapsing walls, and flashing lights--hardly the stuff of big budget effects teams working with state of the art equipment. But ultimately, "God Told Me To" is entertaining because it's creepy and offbeat.
Cohen's films are seeing a big resurgence on DVD thanks in large part to Blue Underground. Included as extras on the disc are a commentary with Cohen, a poster and stills gallery, a trailer, a Cohen biography, and seven television spots. I learned by watching these extras that "God Told Me To" also went by the name of "Demon," which often means that the movie tanked under its original title so the distribution company slapped a new moniker on it in order to release it somewhere else. If you want to explore the Larry Cohen canon, this picture is a great place to start.
Although far from perfect, "God Told Me To" is immensely entertaining. Did I mention I don't care much for Michael Moriarty? Here's a movie any B-movie fan can really sink his or her teeth into. Imagine New York City in the 1970s (I know, it's unpleasant, but do it anyway). The streets bustle with activity as people drive, walk, and ride their bikes to various destinations. Why, look there! Here comes a chap peddling along without a care in the world! Then we hear a shot ring out and the poor guy does a header into the pavement. Do angels ride bicycles? Anyway, more shots ring out and more people tumble to the pavement, presumably incapable of ever rising again. It looks like some guy channeling Charles Whitman is up on a wooden water tower playing target practice. Fortunately, tough cop Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) assumes the highly dangerous task of talking the hunter down. He fails spectacularly, but before he does the gunman tells Nicholas that "God told me to" murder all of these people. This cop will continue to hear this phrase in the coming days after a devoted father slaughters his family, after a police officer (Andy Kaufman!) goes off the deep end during a parade, and after a few other highly unpleasant incidents unfold in the Big Apple. In other words, what we see happening here is just a typical day in New York City. What's the big deal? Well, Larry Cohen isn't content to merely let his movie founder in the degradation of the typical police thriller genre. No sir! What starts out as a series of seemingly unconnected crimes turns out to be something so sinister that the human mind boggles while attempting to conceive of it. Turns out Nicholas is a highly devote Catholic with a wife (Sandy Dennis) and a young girlfriend (Deborah Raffin) who feels as though he's different from everyone else. The whole "god told me to" thing finds the detective discovering exactly why he never seemed to fit in. His investigation into the crimes turns up reports of an immaculate conception years before, a shadowy cult that worships some nut named Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch), and Mason Adams playing an obstetrician. Then things get really weird. Nicholas tracks down a woman who tells him a story he would rather not hear, complete with on screen flashbacks, about an alien abduction that took place years ago. Again, this type of stuff is par for the course in New York City, but you wouldn't know it by watching Detective Peter Nicholas's reaction. He races out of the building on a quest to track down the enigmatic Bernard Phillips, with good reason. The very future of the human race could well depend on our hero putting a stop to the supernatural shenanigans going on in his beloved city. Wow!
I'm not quite sure what to make of "God Told Me To." The film doesn't fit in any single cinematic genre, so I'm not sure it would appeal to fans of pure cop dramas, or pure science fiction, or pure apocalyptic films. You sort of need to transcend boundaries with this movie or you'll only end up liking chunks of it. I do think that Tony Lo Bianco did a wonderful job as the conflicted and tormented Detective Peter Nicholas. As proof of this assertion, I ask that you view closely the scene where he listens to the father talk about butchering his family. The rage slowly building in every fiber of Lo Bianco's being as he digests this string of spoken atrocities appears so genuine that I thought he was really going to deck that guy when he finally blows. So I guess you can say the acting isn't too bad. The special effects, on the other hand, ain't that great. You get a cheesy showdown between Phillips and Nicholas at the end involving a lot of camera shaking, collapsing walls, and flashing lights--hardly the stuff of big budget effects teams working with state of the art equipment. But ultimately, "God Told Me To" is entertaining because it's creepy and offbeat.
Cohen's films are seeing a big resurgence on DVD thanks in large part to Blue Underground. Included as extras on the disc are a commentary with Cohen, a poster and stills gallery, a trailer, a Cohen biography, and seven television spots. I learned by watching these extras that "God Told Me To" also went by the name of "Demon," which often means that the movie tanked under its original title so the distribution company slapped a new moniker on it in order to release it somewhere else. If you want to explore the Larry Cohen canon, this picture is a great place to start.
Larry Cohen's best and one of the most underrated horror/exploitation movies of the 1970s. This is a must see for genre fans!
Infofreak11 February 2004
I must have seen close to twenty movie written and/or directed by Larry Cohen ('Q', 'Black Caesar', 'Maniac Cop', 'It's Alive!', 'Best Seller', 'The Stuff', 'Uncle Sam',etc.etc.) and I have greatly enjoyed most of them, but 'God Told Me To' is without a doubt his best movie. It's an extraordinarily original picture, one of the best low budget horror movies of all time. Horror movie? Horror, mystery, science fiction, whatever you want to call it! Tony Lo Bianco plays a religious cop who is faced with a seemingly random series of murders committed by various people who, when asked why, simply say "God told me to". This is just the beginning of a very strange and fascinating story that will leave the viewer continually guessing! Lo Bianco was a last minute replacement for Robert Forster who was sacked after two days filming and a personality clash with Cohen. Lo Bianco gives a terrific performance, his best in my opinion after 'The Honeymoon Killers'. The movie features a strong supporting cast: Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, screen veterans Sylvia Sidney and Sam Levene, plus cult favourite Richard Lynch ('Scarecrow', 'Open Season', 'The Ninth Configuration'), and even the movie debut of the enigmatic comedian Andy Kaufman. 'God Told Me To' is one of the 1970s most underrated horror/exploitation movies. Any fan of the genre must, I repeat MUST, see it!
Interesting Cohen film
Bogey Man10 May 2002
Demon aka God Told Me To is extremely strange and weird film by the legendary director/screenwriter. His films are always unique and have a message which has to be found in the core of the film. Some of his films are "easier" to understand (The Stuff, Blind Alley) while others, like Demon, are far more difficult to see through.
Strange killings committed by usual people start to take place, and all the killers have the same line/justification to say to police questioning. Policeman starts to investigate the cases and soon he's too deep in it to get safely back..
I'm not sure if I can actually say what the film's about because it has to be seen many times before it can be fully understood. Main themes are at least duality in everybody's personality (good/bad) and the question that which part is the dominating one. Cohen wants people to stop and think and it is great that that kind of directors exist. He would never do just entertainment without brain. The weirdness of this film comes close to Lynch, but Cohen's work isn't as surrealistic as Lynch's. Demon and other Cohen flicks are highly recommended if you like independent cinema and intelligent and "difficult" films which are not so often produced nowadays.
7 out of 10.
Strange killings committed by usual people start to take place, and all the killers have the same line/justification to say to police questioning. Policeman starts to investigate the cases and soon he's too deep in it to get safely back..
I'm not sure if I can actually say what the film's about because it has to be seen many times before it can be fully understood. Main themes are at least duality in everybody's personality (good/bad) and the question that which part is the dominating one. Cohen wants people to stop and think and it is great that that kind of directors exist. He would never do just entertainment without brain. The weirdness of this film comes close to Lynch, but Cohen's work isn't as surrealistic as Lynch's. Demon and other Cohen flicks are highly recommended if you like independent cinema and intelligent and "difficult" films which are not so often produced nowadays.
7 out of 10.
Holy Terror
sol121830 December 2003
Warning: Spoilers
******SPOILERS****** One afternoon in NYC a sniper on top of a high-rise buildings water tower opens fire on the people milling down on the city streets. With uncanny accuracy he guns down fifteen people. Det. Peter Nicholas, Tony Lo Bianco, climbs up the water tower and tries to talk to the sniper Harold Gorman, Sammy Williams, on why he did this horrible act and also tries to get him to give himself up. Harold calmly tells Det. Nicholas that "God told me to" and then jumps to his death from the tower.
Troubled over the sniping incident Det. Peter Nicholas, a very religious man, tries to rationalize why Gorman would do such a thing and at the same time try to connect God to it. Thinking that there's more to the incident then what the official police report says, that Gorman was insane. Later another man does the same thing that Gorman did. John picks up a knife and goes down to the supermarket and stabs to death a number of people before he's shot by the police. When Peter talks to him in his hospital room he tells him the same thing that Harold did: "God told me to"! There's something very strange and mysterious behind these killings but nobody seems to know what it is?
At the eve of the Saint Patrick's Day parade the police get a phone call telling that there is going to be a shooting where five policemen will be killed and the shooter will be one of their own. Not having the time as well as being able to stop the parade sure enough a cop marching in the Saint Patrick's Day parade, Andy Kaufman, goes berserk and opens fire on his fellow policemen and kills five of them before he's shot to death himself. As he's dying the insane cop says the same thing that the other two mass murderers said "God told me to". Det.Nicholas finally loses it when he comes upon a person who murdered his entire family and when questioned about why he did it he tells Peter that he was told by God to give him back the family that he gave him and how could he refuse?
The police connect the killers to a young man that they were seen with just before they went on their rampages. Finding out his name Bernard Phillips, Richard Lynch, and where he lives Det. Peter Nicholas feels that Bernard is somehow involved in the killings and then goes to his apartment to interview him about them. Attacked on the stairway by Bernrd's mother Mrs. Phillips who tries to stab Det. Nicholas she instead ends up stabbing herself! Again as Mrs. Philips is dying she tells Peter that same haunting reason for her actions :"God told her to".
Det. Nicholas feels that the Phillips' are the reason for these killings and goes to track down how this whole nightmare started! This takes Peter back to when and were this horror originated in Cape Cod and Jersey City some twenty five years ago in October, around Halloween, 1951. The story that Peter uncovers is a link to what happened then in 1951 to what's happening now in 1975. Even more disturbing is that Peter has some connection, in fact blood related, to who's responsible for those horrific murders!
Tony Lo Bianco gives one of his best performances as Det. Nicholas with Deborah Raffin and Sandy Dennis, Casey Foster & Martha Nicholas, as the two women in his life. Both Casey & Martha sense during the movie that Peter's strong religious convictions were more then what he would normally have developed from his very strong Catholic upbringing. The scene with Det. Nicholas and Elizabeth Mullen, Silvia Sidney, the mystery women in the film who's the key that unlocks the door to Peter's most frightening suspicions is packed with so much power and emotion that it leaves the viewers almost out of breath and gasping for air.
Finding out the truth and finishing some unfinished business in a Harlem pool hall, with a cop-killing drug dealer, the ending to the movie seems a bit confused when Peter has it out with the mysterious and elusive Bernard Phillips. The movie by then already went as far as it could by stepping on too many toes in regards to it's religious angle, without being cut or censored, and thus it's obviously contrived ending.
To stop the killings Peter ended up becoming what he so strongly tried to stop: A religiously homicidal lunatic. Peters last words to the press, as he was led away in handcuffs, were what haunted him throughout the entire movie :"God told me to". Defiantly not for everyones tastes but the movie does hold one's interest from start to finish in regards to its thought provoking subject matter.
Religious fanaticism depicted in the movie may have been considered unreal and over the top back then in 1975 when "God Told Me To" was released. But with what's been happening today in the Middle East and beyond, in regards to religious inspired terrorism and murder, the movie doesn't seem that far fetched at all!
Troubled over the sniping incident Det. Peter Nicholas, a very religious man, tries to rationalize why Gorman would do such a thing and at the same time try to connect God to it. Thinking that there's more to the incident then what the official police report says, that Gorman was insane. Later another man does the same thing that Gorman did. John picks up a knife and goes down to the supermarket and stabs to death a number of people before he's shot by the police. When Peter talks to him in his hospital room he tells him the same thing that Harold did: "God told me to"! There's something very strange and mysterious behind these killings but nobody seems to know what it is?
At the eve of the Saint Patrick's Day parade the police get a phone call telling that there is going to be a shooting where five policemen will be killed and the shooter will be one of their own. Not having the time as well as being able to stop the parade sure enough a cop marching in the Saint Patrick's Day parade, Andy Kaufman, goes berserk and opens fire on his fellow policemen and kills five of them before he's shot to death himself. As he's dying the insane cop says the same thing that the other two mass murderers said "God told me to". Det.Nicholas finally loses it when he comes upon a person who murdered his entire family and when questioned about why he did it he tells Peter that he was told by God to give him back the family that he gave him and how could he refuse?
The police connect the killers to a young man that they were seen with just before they went on their rampages. Finding out his name Bernard Phillips, Richard Lynch, and where he lives Det. Peter Nicholas feels that Bernard is somehow involved in the killings and then goes to his apartment to interview him about them. Attacked on the stairway by Bernrd's mother Mrs. Phillips who tries to stab Det. Nicholas she instead ends up stabbing herself! Again as Mrs. Philips is dying she tells Peter that same haunting reason for her actions :"God told her to".
Det. Nicholas feels that the Phillips' are the reason for these killings and goes to track down how this whole nightmare started! This takes Peter back to when and were this horror originated in Cape Cod and Jersey City some twenty five years ago in October, around Halloween, 1951. The story that Peter uncovers is a link to what happened then in 1951 to what's happening now in 1975. Even more disturbing is that Peter has some connection, in fact blood related, to who's responsible for those horrific murders!
Tony Lo Bianco gives one of his best performances as Det. Nicholas with Deborah Raffin and Sandy Dennis, Casey Foster & Martha Nicholas, as the two women in his life. Both Casey & Martha sense during the movie that Peter's strong religious convictions were more then what he would normally have developed from his very strong Catholic upbringing. The scene with Det. Nicholas and Elizabeth Mullen, Silvia Sidney, the mystery women in the film who's the key that unlocks the door to Peter's most frightening suspicions is packed with so much power and emotion that it leaves the viewers almost out of breath and gasping for air.
Finding out the truth and finishing some unfinished business in a Harlem pool hall, with a cop-killing drug dealer, the ending to the movie seems a bit confused when Peter has it out with the mysterious and elusive Bernard Phillips. The movie by then already went as far as it could by stepping on too many toes in regards to it's religious angle, without being cut or censored, and thus it's obviously contrived ending.
To stop the killings Peter ended up becoming what he so strongly tried to stop: A religiously homicidal lunatic. Peters last words to the press, as he was led away in handcuffs, were what haunted him throughout the entire movie :"God told me to". Defiantly not for everyones tastes but the movie does hold one's interest from start to finish in regards to its thought provoking subject matter.
Religious fanaticism depicted in the movie may have been considered unreal and over the top back then in 1975 when "God Told Me To" was released. But with what's been happening today in the Middle East and beyond, in regards to religious inspired terrorism and murder, the movie doesn't seem that far fetched at all!
God is an alien (?)
Vomitron_G4 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Well, I had heard about this movie's reputation of being weird, slightly disturbing and above all intriguing. Now that I finally had the change to see it, I must say it lives up to its reputation very well. The interesting premise on its own was one of the main reasons I wanted to watch this film. That and the fact that the movie was written and directed by Larry Cohen (of whom I had seen some enjoyable stuff already).
In New York a lot of strange (and quite shocking) incidents occur. A sniper on a rooftop starts randomly shooting people. A New York cop goes berserk in a street parade. A loving husband kills his wife and kids with a shotgun (...). When the perpetrators remorselessly confess about their crime, they all say "God told me to". A NYPD detective, with firm Catholic believes, tries to uncover the mystery.
As the story unfolds, things get weirder with every scene and at the end you can only conclude that the plot is way out there (with a solid ending, I might add). I won't spoil anything here by telling where it all leads to, but this movie is such a mixture of genres (horror/crime/drama/sci-fi), that it's bound to be intriguing. But GOD TOLD ME TO isn't without any flaws. The main problem is that the movie feels a bit muddled and confused (including a few plot holes that got me thinking...). Mainly because of Larry Cohen's messy story-telling and rattling coherence. I won't go into any details because of the danger of plot-spoiling, but on one occasion I was severely mislead concerning the motivations of detective Peter Nicholas. Now that might have had something to do with the sound-quality of the DVD-version I saw being pretty bad (several times I had to re-wind it to clearly hear what people were saying). But sill, Cohen doesn't give any clearly defined explanations throughout the movie. I'm not saying that there aren't any, but I for one will have to re-watch this movie because the story is so complex.
The movie looks pretty dated as it is from the mid 70's. Especially the fashion and clothes shown in it can cause some people to chuckle (Deborah Raffin's over-sized glasses!). As for the filming style: a lot of typical 70's hand-held camera shots are used. In some scenes you can feel and see Larry Cohen's blaxploitation-roots being present. But as the movie progresses you forget those dated elements and become intrigued. There are even some good-looking special effects and some pretty ingenious use of lighting and filters (for example, in the scenes with the mysterious Bernard Phillips). But on the other side the blood used in this film is of that typical orange colored 70's-style type.
On a last note, the acting is certainly above average. Tony Lo Bianco portrays perfectly the changes detective Nicholas goes through. And I liked seeing Sandy Dennis playing his ex-wife. Now her name didn't ring a bell, but I instantly remembered her much younger face in GOD TOLD ME TO as that from the over-religious Aunt Lucy in Robert Englund's 976 EVIL from 1989. She was great in that flick. And then, of course, there's the brief appearance, perfectly cast, by creepy and darkly charismatic cult-actor Richard Lynch as Bernard Phillips, the homicidal messiah with a mission.
I think you get the picture now, no? GOD TOLD ME TO isn't for everyone. But if you wanna see a 70's movie that's weird, odd, terrifying and complex (or if you're a fan of Larry Cohen), then search for and find this critically acclaimed cult classic.
In New York a lot of strange (and quite shocking) incidents occur. A sniper on a rooftop starts randomly shooting people. A New York cop goes berserk in a street parade. A loving husband kills his wife and kids with a shotgun (...). When the perpetrators remorselessly confess about their crime, they all say "God told me to". A NYPD detective, with firm Catholic believes, tries to uncover the mystery.
As the story unfolds, things get weirder with every scene and at the end you can only conclude that the plot is way out there (with a solid ending, I might add). I won't spoil anything here by telling where it all leads to, but this movie is such a mixture of genres (horror/crime/drama/sci-fi), that it's bound to be intriguing. But GOD TOLD ME TO isn't without any flaws. The main problem is that the movie feels a bit muddled and confused (including a few plot holes that got me thinking...). Mainly because of Larry Cohen's messy story-telling and rattling coherence. I won't go into any details because of the danger of plot-spoiling, but on one occasion I was severely mislead concerning the motivations of detective Peter Nicholas. Now that might have had something to do with the sound-quality of the DVD-version I saw being pretty bad (several times I had to re-wind it to clearly hear what people were saying). But sill, Cohen doesn't give any clearly defined explanations throughout the movie. I'm not saying that there aren't any, but I for one will have to re-watch this movie because the story is so complex.
The movie looks pretty dated as it is from the mid 70's. Especially the fashion and clothes shown in it can cause some people to chuckle (Deborah Raffin's over-sized glasses!). As for the filming style: a lot of typical 70's hand-held camera shots are used. In some scenes you can feel and see Larry Cohen's blaxploitation-roots being present. But as the movie progresses you forget those dated elements and become intrigued. There are even some good-looking special effects and some pretty ingenious use of lighting and filters (for example, in the scenes with the mysterious Bernard Phillips). But on the other side the blood used in this film is of that typical orange colored 70's-style type.
On a last note, the acting is certainly above average. Tony Lo Bianco portrays perfectly the changes detective Nicholas goes through. And I liked seeing Sandy Dennis playing his ex-wife. Now her name didn't ring a bell, but I instantly remembered her much younger face in GOD TOLD ME TO as that from the over-religious Aunt Lucy in Robert Englund's 976 EVIL from 1989. She was great in that flick. And then, of course, there's the brief appearance, perfectly cast, by creepy and darkly charismatic cult-actor Richard Lynch as Bernard Phillips, the homicidal messiah with a mission.
I think you get the picture now, no? GOD TOLD ME TO isn't for everyone. But if you wanna see a 70's movie that's weird, odd, terrifying and complex (or if you're a fan of Larry Cohen), then search for and find this critically acclaimed cult classic.
Loved how it started...
bornskeptic7 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
...Hated how it finished.
Actually, after the first pretty solid and interesting 20 minutes, it went off the rails for the duration. It jumped ahead with events and situations that should have taken weeks and condensed it into a few hours.
I mean, what the F was up with the interrogation of the girlfriend halfway through by the cops who are about to suspend the main detective? Then, rioting. Then he is back on the force. Meets the alien eunuch, starts a building fire, then shows up in the next scene like nothing happened. wtf.
It is definitely a mish mash of good and bad.....
The acting by the main characters was quite good. Some cool supporting actors but most with nothing to do. The acting was better than this movie deserved.
The story was original, but the script and directing, ugh. Poor execution.
And the editors who spliced this thing together should never have worked again. It was a mess.
It kind of reminded me of a David Cronenberg movie before he started making David Cronenberg movies. Don't believe me...check out the eunuch played by the always creepazoid Richard Lynch in the final reel exposing a vagina on his stomach and telling the main character to f#ck him.
That wackiness was probably the highlight of the film.
Its insane concept makes this movie work.
Boba_Fett113828 October 2010
Let me tell you, that if this was a movie that got done with a bigger budget to spend and some more well known names in it, this movie would had been absolutely considered to be a classic one within its genre.
You really probably beforehand don't expect much good to come from this movie. It's a '70's movie with the title "God Told Me To" and the main premise makes it sound as if this is your average typical exploitation flick about a killer on the loose. But you'll be surprised at what sudden turns this movie makes throughout. It actually starts to combine lots of different genre elements, such as horror, thriller but above all things also science-fiction. Here is mostly were the movie start to get interesting and surprising to watch. It's a real refreshingly original movie, that truly deserves some more attention and recognition.
But also simple fact about this movie remains is that it's a quite cheaply done one and you can really tell that. It's the sort of cheap '70's movie that for instance used different camera's, none of which were the same, so the movie its look changes throughout the movie a few times. The interior and exterior shots especially differ. It's cheapness can been seen back in basically about everything, such as also in the directing and acting and this is what mostly harms the movie.
But yet, once you really start to get into this movie, you'll start to forgive the movie for its cheap look and lesser moments. It simply has a great concept and a refreshing approach. This all should be good enough to still make you thoroughly enjoy watching this movie.
The movie can get quite messy and confusing to watch at times but it's hard to say if you can really blame the writer or director for this, since lots of '70's movies were basically just being that way. It also sort of adds to the style and atmosphere of this movie its unlikely and refreshing story and approach.
It's also fun to note that this movie features late comedian Andy Kaufman's first movie appearance. It's really about a 2 second part but it's fun to notice nevertheless.
A surprisingly good and refreshingly original movie.
8/10
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You really probably beforehand don't expect much good to come from this movie. It's a '70's movie with the title "God Told Me To" and the main premise makes it sound as if this is your average typical exploitation flick about a killer on the loose. But you'll be surprised at what sudden turns this movie makes throughout. It actually starts to combine lots of different genre elements, such as horror, thriller but above all things also science-fiction. Here is mostly were the movie start to get interesting and surprising to watch. It's a real refreshingly original movie, that truly deserves some more attention and recognition.
But also simple fact about this movie remains is that it's a quite cheaply done one and you can really tell that. It's the sort of cheap '70's movie that for instance used different camera's, none of which were the same, so the movie its look changes throughout the movie a few times. The interior and exterior shots especially differ. It's cheapness can been seen back in basically about everything, such as also in the directing and acting and this is what mostly harms the movie.
But yet, once you really start to get into this movie, you'll start to forgive the movie for its cheap look and lesser moments. It simply has a great concept and a refreshing approach. This all should be good enough to still make you thoroughly enjoy watching this movie.
The movie can get quite messy and confusing to watch at times but it's hard to say if you can really blame the writer or director for this, since lots of '70's movies were basically just being that way. It also sort of adds to the style and atmosphere of this movie its unlikely and refreshing story and approach.
It's also fun to note that this movie features late comedian Andy Kaufman's first movie appearance. It's really about a 2 second part but it's fun to notice nevertheless.
A surprisingly good and refreshingly original movie.
8/10
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Larry Cohen at some of his most Larry Cohen-iest: crude, crazy and mostly compelling
Quinoa198428 December 2018
First off, a nitpick (or maybe just pointing out a flaw in the time of the year this is set in): early in the film is that wonderfully nutty scene where pre-fame Andy Kaufman is the cop in the St Patrick's Day parade, and then... Just a day or two later, or maybe it's a week, hard to tell, Tony Lo Bianco gets his ass kicked at the San Genaro festival in Little Italy, which to my knowledge happens in September. I know Cohen had to shoot crowds when he could, but anyone with just a cursory knowledge of NYC through the year would know... Eh, forget it.
This doesnt always have the sharpest direction, if anything some of the cinematography and editing is slapdash if not sloppy and direction of some (but not all) of the supporting actors results in flat work. And yet that almost doesnt matter because of the 1000% grit level of this thing, shot all without permits and by the seats of their pants (on some of the same streets Scorsese was shooting Taxi Driver at the same time), Lo Bainco makes for a convincing and stable presence as this flawed but dogged cop in the lead surrounded by bad cops and uncanny citizens, and the script has such a magnificently tense first act and bizarre turns with this supernatural WTF bent that I was always engaged, never totally bored, and it's a unqiue entry in mid 70s paranoid New York cinema.
And despite my griping on the direction and editing, Cohen gets some intense set pieces (that boiler room is eerie as all get out) and shots at times, in particular in the first half, and then Sylvia Sidney shows up, and... Look, you can see the seams in this, and Cohen in some respects did a not remake so much as reimagining of this into Q years later, but when it works, it's a one of a kind "B" movie.
This doesnt always have the sharpest direction, if anything some of the cinematography and editing is slapdash if not sloppy and direction of some (but not all) of the supporting actors results in flat work. And yet that almost doesnt matter because of the 1000% grit level of this thing, shot all without permits and by the seats of their pants (on some of the same streets Scorsese was shooting Taxi Driver at the same time), Lo Bainco makes for a convincing and stable presence as this flawed but dogged cop in the lead surrounded by bad cops and uncanny citizens, and the script has such a magnificently tense first act and bizarre turns with this supernatural WTF bent that I was always engaged, never totally bored, and it's a unqiue entry in mid 70s paranoid New York cinema.
And despite my griping on the direction and editing, Cohen gets some intense set pieces (that boiler room is eerie as all get out) and shots at times, in particular in the first half, and then Sylvia Sidney shows up, and... Look, you can see the seams in this, and Cohen in some respects did a not remake so much as reimagining of this into Q years later, but when it works, it's a one of a kind "B" movie.
Likeable movie, despite itself.
pinansky6 March 2018
I find Larry Cohen movies are difficult to hate, but also difficult to love. This one is a prime example. Cohen has a knack for big and clever ideas, and for somehow convincing some of the best New York character actors to be in his films. Despite this his films never seem to gel quite as well as his premises suggest they should. Maybe it is his uneven directing style, or the one-take ultra low budgets. Whatever it is they always seem to me like I'm watching a first draft screenplay, lots of promise and no polish.
This film is a prime example. Certainly what hollywood wheelers and dealers used to call a "high concept" picture.
The premise, as I'm sure you are aware, involves a police detective (Lo Bianco) investigating a series of senseless murders in the big apple. The first of which evokes (likely intentional) echoes of Charles Whitman's infamous rampage from the U of Texas clock tower. When the detective asks the killer the inevitable question "why'd you do it", all he can answer is "God told me to". As the body counts mount, (and Lo Bianco becomes more unhinged) the titular refrain is repeated by perpetrators of various atrocities across the city.
As we delve deeper into the mystery, the film takes an extremely unexpected though not wholly unpleasant turn into science fiction, as the cop finds an unearthly explanation for the killings-- just not the one the title might suggest.
Unfortunately this is where the film completely falls apart. What should be the climax of the movie comes about 1/3 of the way in. The plot quickly degenerates into a quagmire of nonsensical sub-plots from which it never really recovers. Ebert famously opined that he thought for sure the reels were being shown out of order. I felt more like watching someone flip the channels on a tv through several different movies as the various subplots unfolded. First you get a scene of a police procedural, then a science fiction scene, then a scene out of a blaxploitation/gangster film, then back to the police subplot. Genre bending can often be a benefit of b-movies in this case its a determent. It left me consistently saying "who is that again? Whats going on here". The subplots sort-of come together but the story is told so incoherently I could not help zoning out. When the twist ending came (was it a twist? Im not exactly sure), I was too confused to be surprised. I even rewound the last 10 minutes a few times and still could not figure out exactly what the hell i had just seen.
Many seem to consider this Cohen's best film, I would say its actually one of his worst. The shame is the concept is actually very good and the first third is really well done. It is just a shame he seemingly ran out of ideas before he ran out of film. I'd certainly rank this as much inferior film to "Q" , "The Stuff", or even his Blaxploitation pictures.
Overall I recommend this to Larry Cohen fans or b-movie completists. I doubt many others will bother sitting through the entire thing.
This film is a prime example. Certainly what hollywood wheelers and dealers used to call a "high concept" picture.
The premise, as I'm sure you are aware, involves a police detective (Lo Bianco) investigating a series of senseless murders in the big apple. The first of which evokes (likely intentional) echoes of Charles Whitman's infamous rampage from the U of Texas clock tower. When the detective asks the killer the inevitable question "why'd you do it", all he can answer is "God told me to". As the body counts mount, (and Lo Bianco becomes more unhinged) the titular refrain is repeated by perpetrators of various atrocities across the city.
As we delve deeper into the mystery, the film takes an extremely unexpected though not wholly unpleasant turn into science fiction, as the cop finds an unearthly explanation for the killings-- just not the one the title might suggest.
Unfortunately this is where the film completely falls apart. What should be the climax of the movie comes about 1/3 of the way in. The plot quickly degenerates into a quagmire of nonsensical sub-plots from which it never really recovers. Ebert famously opined that he thought for sure the reels were being shown out of order. I felt more like watching someone flip the channels on a tv through several different movies as the various subplots unfolded. First you get a scene of a police procedural, then a science fiction scene, then a scene out of a blaxploitation/gangster film, then back to the police subplot. Genre bending can often be a benefit of b-movies in this case its a determent. It left me consistently saying "who is that again? Whats going on here". The subplots sort-of come together but the story is told so incoherently I could not help zoning out. When the twist ending came (was it a twist? Im not exactly sure), I was too confused to be surprised. I even rewound the last 10 minutes a few times and still could not figure out exactly what the hell i had just seen.
Many seem to consider this Cohen's best film, I would say its actually one of his worst. The shame is the concept is actually very good and the first third is really well done. It is just a shame he seemingly ran out of ideas before he ran out of film. I'd certainly rank this as much inferior film to "Q" , "The Stuff", or even his Blaxploitation pictures.
Overall I recommend this to Larry Cohen fans or b-movie completists. I doubt many others will bother sitting through the entire thing.
In the name of
lost-in-limbo22 April 2008
Trust something this darkly warped to come from the creative juices brewing from the mind of Larry Cohen. The 70s through to the mid 80s was the pinnacle for Cohen, and "God Told Me to" would have to be ranking at the top of his greatest achievements. With a limited budget, Cohen resourcefully constructs a fascinatingly chilling, bewildering and off-kilter little winner. Talk about the strangest film Cohen has ever done, and probably his most ambitiously versatile in the story's ever-changing format of genres! Subtexts aplenty. And they manage some depth too.
The cryptic story is cleverly utilized, as the mystery holds together and the fearful psychological undercurrents of repressed faith make it rather interesting. Though it's so hard to follow due to that fractured story-telling. It shifts from grounded reality to utter weirdness, which has you totally feeling the confusion and frustration that the main protagonist would be going through trying to come to terms with what's going on. So does it make sense? I'm not quite sure, but hell it's entertaining and bizarre. Too much for me to worry about thinking of the bigger picture. But hey it makes great for repeat viewings! Some sequences can unsettle, while others thoughtfully delve into the characters at hand. A compact, but involving script is complicatedly put together and drives hard with an audaciously literal sense. Some of the dialogues actually raise most of the tension than some visual set-pieces involving violence and shocks. Cohen's capably understated direction is well presented and shines with his own distinctive personality, as he ably uses the authentic New York Locations with the use of intimately taut cinematography. He manages to install a haunting air throughout the whole feature, and Frank Cordell's dreamily sombre music score largely complements the atmospheric awe.
A quality cast lend solid performances. Tony Lo Bianco is undeniably excellent in the lead role of a religious NYPD detective. Sandy Dennis and Sylvia Sidney offer strong support. Sam Levene, Al Fann and James Dixon (a Cohen favourite) are also good. Richard Lynch appears in a small, but unusually striking part and Andy Kauffman in an out-of-the-ordinary performance.
Cohen's "God Told Me To" is a loopy, but challenging b-grade exploitation of the highest order. An unforgettable cult gem!
The cryptic story is cleverly utilized, as the mystery holds together and the fearful psychological undercurrents of repressed faith make it rather interesting. Though it's so hard to follow due to that fractured story-telling. It shifts from grounded reality to utter weirdness, which has you totally feeling the confusion and frustration that the main protagonist would be going through trying to come to terms with what's going on. So does it make sense? I'm not quite sure, but hell it's entertaining and bizarre. Too much for me to worry about thinking of the bigger picture. But hey it makes great for repeat viewings! Some sequences can unsettle, while others thoughtfully delve into the characters at hand. A compact, but involving script is complicatedly put together and drives hard with an audaciously literal sense. Some of the dialogues actually raise most of the tension than some visual set-pieces involving violence and shocks. Cohen's capably understated direction is well presented and shines with his own distinctive personality, as he ably uses the authentic New York Locations with the use of intimately taut cinematography. He manages to install a haunting air throughout the whole feature, and Frank Cordell's dreamily sombre music score largely complements the atmospheric awe.
A quality cast lend solid performances. Tony Lo Bianco is undeniably excellent in the lead role of a religious NYPD detective. Sandy Dennis and Sylvia Sidney offer strong support. Sam Levene, Al Fann and James Dixon (a Cohen favourite) are also good. Richard Lynch appears in a small, but unusually striking part and Andy Kauffman in an out-of-the-ordinary performance.
Cohen's "God Told Me To" is a loopy, but challenging b-grade exploitation of the highest order. An unforgettable cult gem!
Well done, but very strange
morrisonhimself2 January 2016
Some extraordinary talent, actors and director and producers, have worked mostly very well together to present a strange story.
However, there are some script holes that detract from what is a strange combination of science fiction and murder and pseudo-religious fantasy.
Ultimately it is rather disappointing, the ante-climax and ending just not well fitting into the rest of the story.
Director Larry Cohen showed mastery, in camera angles, and variations of shots, and in getting superb and superior performances from some of the finest actors ever assembled into one cast.
Writer Larry Cohen ... well, he's not so good as director Larry Cohen. His plot just had too many elements that did not hold together.
I recommend this film for people with enough curiosity to put up with the incompatibility of those elements and with an interest in superior production values and magnificent acting.
However, there are some script holes that detract from what is a strange combination of science fiction and murder and pseudo-religious fantasy.
Ultimately it is rather disappointing, the ante-climax and ending just not well fitting into the rest of the story.
Director Larry Cohen showed mastery, in camera angles, and variations of shots, and in getting superb and superior performances from some of the finest actors ever assembled into one cast.
Writer Larry Cohen ... well, he's not so good as director Larry Cohen. His plot just had too many elements that did not hold together.
I recommend this film for people with enough curiosity to put up with the incompatibility of those elements and with an interest in superior production values and magnificent acting.
Hopelessly muddled
Maciste_Brother16 September 2003
Warning: Spoilers
Spoilers!!!
I watched GOD TOLD ME TO last week. Soon afterwards, I had to re-watch it again in order to make sure I got every detail right. After watching it a second time, I came to the conclusion that the Larry Cohen film is muddled beyond repair. The film itself ain't bad. There are a lot of good things to say about it but the script and direction are so unfocused that huge story lines remain unresolved or are confusing by the time the film ends.
For instance, the whole story-line about Peter (played by Tony Lo Bianco) deciding to look for his natural mother. You see Peter was adopted but there is almost no indication in the entire movie which tells us that Peter was adopted as a kid. There's a bizarre scene where his girlfriend tells Peter's family history to some sort of members of a board but even that scene is mostly confusing and lacking in details (who asked her to do this? Did she mention it to Peter?, how did Peter react to the idea of this meeting?, etc) Anyway, so almost 3/4s into the movie, Peter decides to look for his birth mother. How does the movie show this?
1) we see the outside of a school (I think) 2) It shows Peter talking to a nun in the corner of a room. He asks the nun a couple of question. The nun says that the files are kept in another building (we have no idea which building this exchange is taking place). 3) We then see a stock footage shot of another building (at night!!) and 4) we then see the same nun who "finds" the file on Peter and tells him the name of his mother.
This scene exemplifies everything that is muddled and confusing about GOD TOLD ME TO. There's no sense of time or location or reason for the entire scene. What happened? Did Peter go back later and the nun had the file? Did the two go to the other building to find the file? At night? And why does the room look exactly like the office where Peter first met the nun? What's really bad about that scene is how EASY Peter got the information of his mother. If it was so easy, why didn't Peter do this earlier in his life (he's 40 years old in the movie)??? GOD TOLD ME TO is riddled with these really lazily directed moments. Cohen should have filmed a scene with Peter walking in and out of the building or something instead of static headshots of him and the nun, intercut by stock footage of anonymous buildings. He should have also shown a moment with Peter talking to his girlfriend about the whole idea of looking for his birth mother. This would have made it a bit clearer and would have given us a bit more insight into Peter and his relationship with her. The first time I saw GTMT, I thought the whole bit with the nun had to do with Bernard Philips, the mystery man Peter is looking for, not about Peter himself.
The direction (and screenplay) is needlessly confusing. Scenes like at the beginning when the sniper kills people. I only noticed, during the second viewing, that Peter's girlfriend, played by Deborah Raffin, was there when the killings occurred. I didn't notice it during the first viewing because when we see Peter and his girlfriend after the sniper scene, the girlfriend NEVER mentions that she was there. During the sniper scene, Raffin is wearing a scarf over her hair. When we see Raffin with Lo Bianco after the sniper scene, Raffin is not wearing the scarf, which hid most of her blonde hair. The only thing that told me she was the same person is the fact that Peter's girlfriend and the woman during the sniper scene had the same big groovy glasses!!!
There are so many muddled moments in GTMT that it's almost impossible to enumerate all of them. Scenes like when Peter meets the man in the red room, who seems to be the leader of the cult that venerates Bernard Philips (played by the eternally creepy Richard Lynch). No indication what that was all about. The confusing flashback sequences that recount the story of two women being abducted. The first flashback scene is shot in sepia tinted B&W, which tells us what we're watching took place in the past. But then when the great Sylvia Sidney tells her story of alien abduction, the sequence is in color. Or the whole bit when Peter goes to see Bernard Philips' mother. I had to rewind the video to really understand who she was. And the sub-plot about the black police officer getting killed by the black criminal is lacking in details and seems totally pointless. My biggest complaint about the extreme muddledness of GTMT is when Peter realizes who he is: he's a bastard child of aliens, who like Bernard Philips, has supernatural powers. When he gains these powers, Peter goes to the pool hall and forces the black criminal to kill other people there. Well, if Peter has the same exact powers as Bernard Philips, why doesn't Peter uses these powers to kill Bernard Philips? Or to sway the officials around him that he was not involved in the whole destructive incident at the end that, as we see in the very last scene of the movie, got him arrested? Why doesn't he use his powers to put the blame elsewhere? Why does Bernard Philips have a "vagina" on him and not Peter? There's almost NO detail about anything in GTMT.
And to make things even more confusing, the film is filled with an amazing number of continuity errors. The Saint Patrick's Parade moment is a great example. The story itself takes place in the summer. But we all know that St-Patty's day happens in March. Cohen shot scenes during the real parade in March and more scenes with Lo Bianco during the summer. The whole thing suddenly looks like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE: in one shot, people are wearing heavy coats and the trees have no leaves. Then in another shot, people are wearing t-shirts and the trees are green and full. The St Patrick's Day parade scene is embarrassingly bad. Cohen should have at least tried to avoid filming those big barren trees when he shot the parade in March. And then there are the stock footage special effects which are, of all things, taken from SPACE 1999! The "wispy" effects during the opening credits are from the "Space Brain" episode and during Sylvia Sidney's flashback sequence, we see a shot of an eagle landing and the inside of Moonbase Alpha's travel tube. As a big SPACE 1999 fan, I have to say that those scenes are pretty bizarre to watch, in an already bizarre flick.
GOD TOLD ME TO is not an all out disaster. It has its heart in the right place and there is a certain brazenness to it that makes it fun to watch but the direction and the kooky screenplay, which is basically an amalgamation of incongruous genre themes (possession, UFOs, abductions, demons, religion themes, drama, etc) are hopelessly muddled and, in the end, the film doesn't really work.
I watched GOD TOLD ME TO last week. Soon afterwards, I had to re-watch it again in order to make sure I got every detail right. After watching it a second time, I came to the conclusion that the Larry Cohen film is muddled beyond repair. The film itself ain't bad. There are a lot of good things to say about it but the script and direction are so unfocused that huge story lines remain unresolved or are confusing by the time the film ends.
For instance, the whole story-line about Peter (played by Tony Lo Bianco) deciding to look for his natural mother. You see Peter was adopted but there is almost no indication in the entire movie which tells us that Peter was adopted as a kid. There's a bizarre scene where his girlfriend tells Peter's family history to some sort of members of a board but even that scene is mostly confusing and lacking in details (who asked her to do this? Did she mention it to Peter?, how did Peter react to the idea of this meeting?, etc) Anyway, so almost 3/4s into the movie, Peter decides to look for his birth mother. How does the movie show this?
1) we see the outside of a school (I think) 2) It shows Peter talking to a nun in the corner of a room. He asks the nun a couple of question. The nun says that the files are kept in another building (we have no idea which building this exchange is taking place). 3) We then see a stock footage shot of another building (at night!!) and 4) we then see the same nun who "finds" the file on Peter and tells him the name of his mother.
This scene exemplifies everything that is muddled and confusing about GOD TOLD ME TO. There's no sense of time or location or reason for the entire scene. What happened? Did Peter go back later and the nun had the file? Did the two go to the other building to find the file? At night? And why does the room look exactly like the office where Peter first met the nun? What's really bad about that scene is how EASY Peter got the information of his mother. If it was so easy, why didn't Peter do this earlier in his life (he's 40 years old in the movie)??? GOD TOLD ME TO is riddled with these really lazily directed moments. Cohen should have filmed a scene with Peter walking in and out of the building or something instead of static headshots of him and the nun, intercut by stock footage of anonymous buildings. He should have also shown a moment with Peter talking to his girlfriend about the whole idea of looking for his birth mother. This would have made it a bit clearer and would have given us a bit more insight into Peter and his relationship with her. The first time I saw GTMT, I thought the whole bit with the nun had to do with Bernard Philips, the mystery man Peter is looking for, not about Peter himself.
The direction (and screenplay) is needlessly confusing. Scenes like at the beginning when the sniper kills people. I only noticed, during the second viewing, that Peter's girlfriend, played by Deborah Raffin, was there when the killings occurred. I didn't notice it during the first viewing because when we see Peter and his girlfriend after the sniper scene, the girlfriend NEVER mentions that she was there. During the sniper scene, Raffin is wearing a scarf over her hair. When we see Raffin with Lo Bianco after the sniper scene, Raffin is not wearing the scarf, which hid most of her blonde hair. The only thing that told me she was the same person is the fact that Peter's girlfriend and the woman during the sniper scene had the same big groovy glasses!!!
There are so many muddled moments in GTMT that it's almost impossible to enumerate all of them. Scenes like when Peter meets the man in the red room, who seems to be the leader of the cult that venerates Bernard Philips (played by the eternally creepy Richard Lynch). No indication what that was all about. The confusing flashback sequences that recount the story of two women being abducted. The first flashback scene is shot in sepia tinted B&W, which tells us what we're watching took place in the past. But then when the great Sylvia Sidney tells her story of alien abduction, the sequence is in color. Or the whole bit when Peter goes to see Bernard Philips' mother. I had to rewind the video to really understand who she was. And the sub-plot about the black police officer getting killed by the black criminal is lacking in details and seems totally pointless. My biggest complaint about the extreme muddledness of GTMT is when Peter realizes who he is: he's a bastard child of aliens, who like Bernard Philips, has supernatural powers. When he gains these powers, Peter goes to the pool hall and forces the black criminal to kill other people there. Well, if Peter has the same exact powers as Bernard Philips, why doesn't Peter uses these powers to kill Bernard Philips? Or to sway the officials around him that he was not involved in the whole destructive incident at the end that, as we see in the very last scene of the movie, got him arrested? Why doesn't he use his powers to put the blame elsewhere? Why does Bernard Philips have a "vagina" on him and not Peter? There's almost NO detail about anything in GTMT.
And to make things even more confusing, the film is filled with an amazing number of continuity errors. The Saint Patrick's Parade moment is a great example. The story itself takes place in the summer. But we all know that St-Patty's day happens in March. Cohen shot scenes during the real parade in March and more scenes with Lo Bianco during the summer. The whole thing suddenly looks like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE: in one shot, people are wearing heavy coats and the trees have no leaves. Then in another shot, people are wearing t-shirts and the trees are green and full. The St Patrick's Day parade scene is embarrassingly bad. Cohen should have at least tried to avoid filming those big barren trees when he shot the parade in March. And then there are the stock footage special effects which are, of all things, taken from SPACE 1999! The "wispy" effects during the opening credits are from the "Space Brain" episode and during Sylvia Sidney's flashback sequence, we see a shot of an eagle landing and the inside of Moonbase Alpha's travel tube. As a big SPACE 1999 fan, I have to say that those scenes are pretty bizarre to watch, in an already bizarre flick.
GOD TOLD ME TO is not an all out disaster. It has its heart in the right place and there is a certain brazenness to it that makes it fun to watch but the direction and the kooky screenplay, which is basically an amalgamation of incongruous genre themes (possession, UFOs, abductions, demons, religion themes, drama, etc) are hopelessly muddled and, in the end, the film doesn't really work.
Cohen at his best
sirarthurstreebgreebling14 June 2000
Larry Cohen the New-York based director (Q-The Winged Serpent , Black Ceasar , Stuff) brings us this oddity. The title was changed to Demon after most television stations refused to run the trailer for the film. A deeply religious cop (Tony lo Bianco) is involved in the investigation of a series of seemingly unrelated sniper killings in the New York area. His investigations however only start when he tracks down a sniper and is given the answer "God Told Me Too" , thats about all I can say without ruining the film and giving away one of the most effective plot twists in years. Andy Kaufman (Latka in TAXI) turns up as a kill crazy policeman at a parade, with lots of other surprises along the way this little known gem is well worth the hunt if you can get a copy on video. And with we have the best of all excuses to watch it.."God Told Me Too"
Interesting concept
dieseldemon857 October 2022
You cannot hate a film that uses Plymouth satellite's as cop cars just something iconic about them. There are a few featured as well as the Dodge version Coronet as taxis. This film was an interesting blend of Cop movie, Sc fi, Religious questioning and Schlock. All the acting was decent especially Sylvia Sidney and officer Peter Nicholas. It plays out like a made for tv movie and contains an interesting twist mid way. Look for Andy Kaufman playing a police officer in the St Patrick's Day parade. This feature was on a horror disc that purchased, I wouldn't have called it a horror but it is an interesting film.
Compelling and unique
ebeckstr-16 October 2019
Unique is a questionable description to use in relation to practically anything because few things are literally one of a kind, but there really is nothing else like this flick. Larry Cohen's 1970s obsession with bizarre reproductive and birth horror is brought to full flower in this inner city supernatural-come-scifi-come New Age psycho messiah story. Highly recommended for fans of 1970s horror / sci-fi and The X-Files. I would be very curious to know if Chris Carter was influenced by this flick because it seems to be present in Files almost every bit as much as Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
Interesting Concept and Look at Religion
Reviews_of_the_Dead28 September 2019
This was a film that I got turned on to through podcasts I listen to. I finally decided to check this out for a horror movie challenge that I'm doing as I needed to watch something from Larry Cohen. The concept of this movie really intrigued me, so I was excited. The synopsis a New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that 'God told them to'.
We start this off showing us New York City. We are seeing people going about their day and a guy on a bike gets shot. This happens 13 more times. The person doing this is Harold Gorman (Sammy Williams). He is on top of a water tanker above a building. The police are called and Peter J. Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco), a detective, decides to try to talk him down. Before he can though, Harold tells him that God told him to and then jumps.
Peter is seeing Casey Forster (Debroah Raffin) and what happened is haunting him. Through their conversation, she is a substitute teacher and Peter is still married. He tells Casey, that he's going to visit his wife. He is hoping that she will be reasonable in dissolving the marriage. It really isn't the case though as he's keeping things from Casey. His wife is Martha (Sandy Dennis). Peter is also highly religious.
There are other similar murders that happen. One of them is a man stabbing people in a store and other is a man killing his family. Peter continues to look into all of these and learns through interviews that there is a connection. A weird man with shoulder length blonde hair named Bernard Phillips. The more learns about this, the more he learns about himself and it takes him on a dark journey to get the truth of what is causing these people to do what they are.
This is another movie that I wanted to go vague with the recap to avoid spoiling what happens here. The story isn't overly complex so that is part of it, but I also think that it should be an experience. It really is an interesting story here though for sure. We have Peter who is an orphan and deeply religious. He is really bothered by these murders that are happening and wants to go to the bottom of it. As I said at the end of my recap, what is really going on here and how his past is involved was quite interesting to me. I also think it kind of ruins as well, but I can actually get on board with it really is.
There is also this odd subplot here as well. I've seen a documentary about Cohen and I knew that he did some blaxploitation films, so we get a bit of that here with a drug dealer/pimp named Zero (George Patterson). He has some dealings with a police officer and this gets resolved in the end as well.
The last little thing that happens as well that I wanted to bring up was that I like that Peter goes to a newspaper writer who he leaks information to. This writer is against religion and posts a lot about science. He has this interesting idea of who God is and Peter is suspended at this time. This contact he uses to get information out and I thought it was interesting. All of the people who are committing the murders are from different walks of life, that makes for an intriguing concept since there's really no thread at first connecting them.
That moves me to the editing and pacing. I think the latter is solid here for the most part. I do think that it kind of loses it way late in the second act/start of the third. I do think that it finds its way to the ending, which I'll admit, I'm glad they wrapped up the subplot. It does make for an interesting way to go as well. I will say that I didn't really find myself bored, even when the film loses its way.
As for the acting, it is pretty solid. Bianco isn't great, but I find him believable. Him trying to solve this mystery is good and I actually feel bad for him as he continues to learn more of the truth. His determination really fits the character. Raffin is quite attractive but I don't necessarily know if she is really needed in this film. Her performance was fine though. I liked to see Richard Lynch here. He has such an odd role and it works for me. The rest of the cast rounded out the film for what is needed, but no one is great if I'm honest.
To move to the effects, there aren't really a lot to be honest. We do get a bit of blood and I think that looks good. Cohen was strategic in hiding what he could if he knew that he couldn't make it look real. There is an interesting look with Bernard in the movie, having an odd light that is on him and where he is living. I think it is shot very well and I just love Cohen's guerilla filming style as well. It just brings an extra character.
Now with that said, this is an interesting film about subject matter I have a lot of interest in. I like the mystery here, but not necessarily the biggest fan of the explanation. It does work though. The pacing is solid aside from one section where I did kind of lose interest, but it does find itself to an intriguing ending. The acting I think is solid across the board. The effects we get are fine and the soundtrack didn't stand out. It fit for what is needed though. I know I've said it a few times, but this film isn't great. It is definitely enjoyable and worth a viewing. I do find it to be above average overall.
We start this off showing us New York City. We are seeing people going about their day and a guy on a bike gets shot. This happens 13 more times. The person doing this is Harold Gorman (Sammy Williams). He is on top of a water tanker above a building. The police are called and Peter J. Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco), a detective, decides to try to talk him down. Before he can though, Harold tells him that God told him to and then jumps.
Peter is seeing Casey Forster (Debroah Raffin) and what happened is haunting him. Through their conversation, she is a substitute teacher and Peter is still married. He tells Casey, that he's going to visit his wife. He is hoping that she will be reasonable in dissolving the marriage. It really isn't the case though as he's keeping things from Casey. His wife is Martha (Sandy Dennis). Peter is also highly religious.
There are other similar murders that happen. One of them is a man stabbing people in a store and other is a man killing his family. Peter continues to look into all of these and learns through interviews that there is a connection. A weird man with shoulder length blonde hair named Bernard Phillips. The more learns about this, the more he learns about himself and it takes him on a dark journey to get the truth of what is causing these people to do what they are.
This is another movie that I wanted to go vague with the recap to avoid spoiling what happens here. The story isn't overly complex so that is part of it, but I also think that it should be an experience. It really is an interesting story here though for sure. We have Peter who is an orphan and deeply religious. He is really bothered by these murders that are happening and wants to go to the bottom of it. As I said at the end of my recap, what is really going on here and how his past is involved was quite interesting to me. I also think it kind of ruins as well, but I can actually get on board with it really is.
There is also this odd subplot here as well. I've seen a documentary about Cohen and I knew that he did some blaxploitation films, so we get a bit of that here with a drug dealer/pimp named Zero (George Patterson). He has some dealings with a police officer and this gets resolved in the end as well.
The last little thing that happens as well that I wanted to bring up was that I like that Peter goes to a newspaper writer who he leaks information to. This writer is against religion and posts a lot about science. He has this interesting idea of who God is and Peter is suspended at this time. This contact he uses to get information out and I thought it was interesting. All of the people who are committing the murders are from different walks of life, that makes for an intriguing concept since there's really no thread at first connecting them.
That moves me to the editing and pacing. I think the latter is solid here for the most part. I do think that it kind of loses it way late in the second act/start of the third. I do think that it finds its way to the ending, which I'll admit, I'm glad they wrapped up the subplot. It does make for an interesting way to go as well. I will say that I didn't really find myself bored, even when the film loses its way.
As for the acting, it is pretty solid. Bianco isn't great, but I find him believable. Him trying to solve this mystery is good and I actually feel bad for him as he continues to learn more of the truth. His determination really fits the character. Raffin is quite attractive but I don't necessarily know if she is really needed in this film. Her performance was fine though. I liked to see Richard Lynch here. He has such an odd role and it works for me. The rest of the cast rounded out the film for what is needed, but no one is great if I'm honest.
To move to the effects, there aren't really a lot to be honest. We do get a bit of blood and I think that looks good. Cohen was strategic in hiding what he could if he knew that he couldn't make it look real. There is an interesting look with Bernard in the movie, having an odd light that is on him and where he is living. I think it is shot very well and I just love Cohen's guerilla filming style as well. It just brings an extra character.
Now with that said, this is an interesting film about subject matter I have a lot of interest in. I like the mystery here, but not necessarily the biggest fan of the explanation. It does work though. The pacing is solid aside from one section where I did kind of lose interest, but it does find itself to an intriguing ending. The acting I think is solid across the board. The effects we get are fine and the soundtrack didn't stand out. It fit for what is needed though. I know I've said it a few times, but this film isn't great. It is definitely enjoyable and worth a viewing. I do find it to be above average overall.
Starts out OK, quickly becomes awful
highwaytourist22 January 2012
I detested this film. I admit that the idea of people with no criminal records suddenly committing random murders and a supernatural force deceiving them was intriguing. But after beginning as an OK police procedure film, it becomes muddled, illogical, and finally completely unpleasant and even gross. Guest stars come and go, the plot twists become more and more unbelievable, and at the center of it all is a barefoot actor with a tunic and bad wig. The ending is completely lame and the closing line will be seen by astute viewers long before the film actually ends. This film was such a letdown, I threw it in the trash after it was over.
Strange blend of religion, science and violence. Great!
Jordan_Haelend12 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Only Larry Cohen could take something like a street carnival in honor of a Saint and make its imagery into an unsettling and even frightening experience. This film is truly unsettling as only he could have made it.
The film explores topics that are at the heart of the human experience. What does it mean to believe in something religiously? How do we relate to others when we put God first in our lives, and how can we be certain that it is to God that our worship is truly directed? Add to that a science fiction Aliens from Space angle and "miraculous" births, and you have a film that is a truly strange experience. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind film, and I think it's excellent.
The film explores topics that are at the heart of the human experience. What does it mean to believe in something religiously? How do we relate to others when we put God first in our lives, and how can we be certain that it is to God that our worship is truly directed? Add to that a science fiction Aliens from Space angle and "miraculous" births, and you have a film that is a truly strange experience. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind film, and I think it's excellent.
And I'm telling you this one is good
macabro35716 September 2003
Warning: Spoilers
From the director of BLACK CAESAR (1973) and IT'S ALIVE (1974) comes another shocker that dares to blame "God" for the events that unfold. I say 'dares' because this is purely an exploitation picture, folks. And it's a good one, too. Another example of why Larry Cohen was one of the great B directors of the 1970s and 80s.
An outer worldly force from beyond tells people to commit atrocious acts of violence against their will. The first is a sniper who kills 14 people from the top of a water tower. Det. Nicholas (Tony LoBianco) attempts to talk the sniper down and when he asks him why he did it, the sniper responds the "God told him to..." and then proceeds to jump off the water tower, killing himself.
Then a cop (Andy Kaufman) goes berserk during a St. Paddy's day parade and starts shooting innocent bystanders. His fellow cops tackle and try to subdue him, having to shoot him in the process. As the cop lays dying, he too whispers; "And God told me too..."
The plot starts to get a little more complicated but suffice it to say the Det. Nicholas isn't what he seems to be and that his background is directly tied to the events that are taking place. After tracking down a number of leads, he eventually runs into his alter ego in an abandoned building. The alter ego and Nicholas himself are the offspring of aliens who impregnated their mothers many years ago. His blond haired alter ego (Richard Lynch) has a vagina growning on one side of his body and one gets the impression that he wants Nicholas to impregnate him. This sort of reminds me of the vagina growing out of the shoulder of Marilyn Chambers in RABID. Bizarre to say the least...
But Nicholas is having none of it and starts to choke his alter ego and the room starts to glow as the building around them starts to collapse. There's an added twist at the end as Det. Nicholas is led into court to answer for the murder of the alter ego so you'll have to see if for yourself.
The Blue Underground DVD uses a pristine widescreen print, TV spots, a movie trailer and alternative audio track by Bill Lustig interviewing director Cohen, where Cohen explains how he filmed on the NYC streets without getting permits, how he met Andy Kauffman and how the film was ultimately met by the public. So check it out for yourself.
With Deborah Raffin who plays Nicholas' girlfriend, Sylvia Sydney as Nicholas' long lost mother and Sandy Dennis as his estranged wife. Good acting on their parts.
7 out of 10
An outer worldly force from beyond tells people to commit atrocious acts of violence against their will. The first is a sniper who kills 14 people from the top of a water tower. Det. Nicholas (Tony LoBianco) attempts to talk the sniper down and when he asks him why he did it, the sniper responds the "God told him to..." and then proceeds to jump off the water tower, killing himself.
Then a cop (Andy Kaufman) goes berserk during a St. Paddy's day parade and starts shooting innocent bystanders. His fellow cops tackle and try to subdue him, having to shoot him in the process. As the cop lays dying, he too whispers; "And God told me too..."
The plot starts to get a little more complicated but suffice it to say the Det. Nicholas isn't what he seems to be and that his background is directly tied to the events that are taking place. After tracking down a number of leads, he eventually runs into his alter ego in an abandoned building. The alter ego and Nicholas himself are the offspring of aliens who impregnated their mothers many years ago. His blond haired alter ego (Richard Lynch) has a vagina growning on one side of his body and one gets the impression that he wants Nicholas to impregnate him. This sort of reminds me of the vagina growing out of the shoulder of Marilyn Chambers in RABID. Bizarre to say the least...
But Nicholas is having none of it and starts to choke his alter ego and the room starts to glow as the building around them starts to collapse. There's an added twist at the end as Det. Nicholas is led into court to answer for the murder of the alter ego so you'll have to see if for yourself.
The Blue Underground DVD uses a pristine widescreen print, TV spots, a movie trailer and alternative audio track by Bill Lustig interviewing director Cohen, where Cohen explains how he filmed on the NYC streets without getting permits, how he met Andy Kauffman and how the film was ultimately met by the public. So check it out for yourself.
With Deborah Raffin who plays Nicholas' girlfriend, Sylvia Sydney as Nicholas' long lost mother and Sandy Dennis as his estranged wife. Good acting on their parts.
7 out of 10
Confusing, strange and NOT a film for the easily offended.
planktonrules31 December 2015
Peter (Tony Lo Bianco) is a detective brought in on a strange case. As the film begins, some guy with a sniper rifle starts killing people on the streets of New York. The killer is cornered and Peter tries to talk him down from the tower where he's been shooting. However the guy jumps...just after saying that God told him to kill these people. Soon, other such crimes begin springing up all around---and each killer attributed this to God telling them to kill. In each case, oddly, they also seem very calm...and Peter is perplexed. Where this goes next is NOT where normal folks would expect and I am sure many would find it all sacrilegious as Peter begins to realize the killings are being orchestrated by a modern day Jesus...another Son of God born of a virgin. But it gets MUCH weirder!
I liked the first half of the film much more than the second. The second portion is strange and a bit confusing. This isn't necessarily all bad, as the filmmaker, Larry Cohen, does take a lot of risks and makes a truly unique film that is much like "The Omen" meets a detective film! My only complaint is just how odd and unsatisfying the ending was for me.
By the way, if you do watch, look for Andy Kaufman playing a murderous cop early into the movie.
I liked the first half of the film much more than the second. The second portion is strange and a bit confusing. This isn't necessarily all bad, as the filmmaker, Larry Cohen, does take a lot of risks and makes a truly unique film that is much like "The Omen" meets a detective film! My only complaint is just how odd and unsatisfying the ending was for me.
By the way, if you do watch, look for Andy Kaufman playing a murderous cop early into the movie.
Unique, gutsy, on the run film making
christopher-underwood11 January 2007
Very fine and spunky little movie that covers a lot of ground in a short time as it speeds along. Fourteen people die in the opening minutes as a sniper does what he is 'told' in his head. Some of the smaller parts are a bit wooden, but then they may be amateur or near amateur and Tony Lo Bianco is excellent in the difficult central role as first Police officer, then ex-cop investigating on his own and gradually discovering he too may be a son of God ready to go on a killing spree. We get everything from alien abduction and naked donors cast into the night to gory self stabbings. Cohen even has the audacity to show us his mutant Christ and get away with it. Unique, gutsy, on the run film making.
GOLD TOLD ME TO
TCurtis919229 February 2020
"GOD TOLD ME TO" (1976, Cohen) is an off-the-wall sci-fi thriller that many of us might be led to believe is terrible. In actual fact it isn't terrible, it's really quite good.
As with many films made by Larry Cohen (particularly in the 70's) there isn't much in the way of special effects. Sometimes that's not a great thing, but here there is just enough to keep you intrigued, allowing your imagination to do much of the work.
It's a shame that Robert Forster walked out of this because the part would have suited him. Tony Lo Bianco isn't super well cast here, for instance his running mannerisms are a joke, but he is okay.
The soundtrack is good, there could have been more blood (lots of wounds just don't gush enough), and the story is great. Well done Larry Cohen.
As with many films made by Larry Cohen (particularly in the 70's) there isn't much in the way of special effects. Sometimes that's not a great thing, but here there is just enough to keep you intrigued, allowing your imagination to do much of the work.
It's a shame that Robert Forster walked out of this because the part would have suited him. Tony Lo Bianco isn't super well cast here, for instance his running mannerisms are a joke, but he is okay.
The soundtrack is good, there could have been more blood (lots of wounds just don't gush enough), and the story is great. Well done Larry Cohen.
To paraphrase others... "What the f****?"
innocuous11 June 2005
Wow! I have to agree with Ebert about this one. If I were seeing this in a theater, I would strongly suspect that the reels were being shown out of order.
However, that would last only halfway through the movie, as it quickly becomes obvious that this movie wouldn't make sense with the reels in ANY order. The subplots alone, which go absolutely nowhere, are enough to have you leaving the theater in confusion.
A totally confusing mish-mash of juvenile ideas and lousy acting by people who should know better. It really isn't worth your time. It's not outright harmful, but it is certainly not any sort of "lost gem".
My advice is to just skip it and watch something else. You will not have missed anything.
However, that would last only halfway through the movie, as it quickly becomes obvious that this movie wouldn't make sense with the reels in ANY order. The subplots alone, which go absolutely nowhere, are enough to have you leaving the theater in confusion.
A totally confusing mish-mash of juvenile ideas and lousy acting by people who should know better. It really isn't worth your time. It's not outright harmful, but it is certainly not any sort of "lost gem".
My advice is to just skip it and watch something else. You will not have missed anything.
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