God Told Me To was released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray) by Blue Underground on July 19, 2022.
The film has been newly restored in 4K from an original, uncensored negative with Dolby Vision HDR plus Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio options. Special features:
Disc 1: 4K UHD:
Audio commentary by writer-director Larry Cohen
Audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth (new)
Theatrical trailers
TV spots
Disc 2: Blu-ray:
Audio commentary by writer-director Larry Cohen
Audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth (new)
Interview with actor Tony Lo Bianco
Interview with special effects artist Steve Neill
New Beverly Q&A with writer-director Larry Cohen
Lincoln Center Q&A with writer-director Larry Cohen
Theatrical trailers
TV spots
Poster and still gallery
The first pressing includes an embossed slipcover
Meanwhile, here’s our previous coverage of the movie:
‘Don’t let it control you’
God Told Me To is a 1976 science fiction horror film written, produced and directed by Larry Cohen (It’s Alive; The Stuff; Q – The Winged Serpent). Like many of Cohen’s films, it is set in New York City and incorporates aspects of the police procedural. Also known as God Told Me to Kill and Demon!
The movie stars Tony Lo Bianco (The Honeymoon Killers), Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, Sam Levene, Robert Drivas, Mike Kellin, Richard Lynch, Deborah Raffin (The Sentinel; Grizzly II; Scanners II: The New Order) and George Patterson (I Drink Your Blood).
Plot:
In New York City, a sniper perched on a water tower opens fire on the crowded streets below, killing fifteen pedestrians. Peter Nicholas (Tony LoBianco), a Catholic NYPD detective, arrives at the scene and approaches the sniper as police officers surround the building. Before jumping to his death, the sniper, Harold Gorman, tells Nicholas that God had told him to commit the murders.
Nicholas investigates a series of murders being committed by various random, seemingly normal assailants, who claim that God told them to kill. Nicholas finds that the murderers have been influenced by a religious cult leader, Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch) whose origins are a mystery…
Reviews:
“The film has that nice, gritty ’70s feel to it that probably just comes from cheapness but cannot be recaptured by directors trying to imitate it. The “light” creature of Lynch is an interesting way to shoot the ending, but the vagina-esque thing growing out his chest (to mate with Tony Lo Bianco) is just another reason that the movie stumbles.” Basement Rejects
“The storyline is unpredictable, engaging, and entertaining. There may be unintended laughs at some of the more extraordinary scenes, but they come with a realization that this movie could have easily turned into camp had it been produced by far less capable hands. Effects are dated, and there is some content that has not aged well.” Culture Crypt
“The characters and performances are not up to par with Cohen’s other horror films, but the script is still wholly captivating, with more plot twists than a Dario Argento Giallo. The developments of the religious angle are continuously surprising as are the secret alien inseminations, colliding into one singular plot that few horror films would attempt before or since.” DVD Drive-In
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” …there’s a slick and gross Cronenberg-esque body horror precursor in the form of an unnatural vagina, and the abduction scenes are coolly retro, which makes them all the more creepy because we can almost see America’s “golden age” being perverted right before our eyes … God Told Me To is a disturbing piece of work that thrives on an invasive, penetrating style that burrows right into your skin with an intriguing mystery before slowly peeling it off with its different reveals.” Oh, the Horror!
Tony LoBianco“Yes, the narrative starts to get progressively nuttier (virgin births! alien vaginas!), but there’s a things-fall-apart vibe in the film’s scenes of random violence that’s genuinely unsettling — a fear of being snuffed out simply because you’re there.” Rolling Stone
“This movie takes so many unexpected and almost completely incongruous twists and turns that you just have to sit back, go with the flow, and enjoy the ride. If you’re not willing to completely suspend all disbelief and just trust that Cohen is going to get us to a satisfactory conclusion by the end, no matter how bizarre what’s going on may seem at the time…” Trash Film Guru
“There are too many implications and insinuations for one movie to handle, and no one angle is pursued as far as it ought to be. But there is no sign here of the usual marks of the cheaply made independent movie. The acting is solid, especially considering how little time the movie spends on character development, there is nothing slipshod about the production values, and some of the scenes– particularly the shootout at the parade — are simply ingenious.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
“There were times when I thought the projectionist was showing the reels in random order, as a quiet joke on the hapless audience. But, no, apparently the movie WAS supposed to be put together this way, as a sort of 52-card pick-up of cinema. The story’s so random, indeed, that by the time Sandy Dennis made her second appearance, I’d forgotten she was in the film.” Roger Ebert
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Choice dialogue:
Deputy Commissioner: “You know, people who are too god-damned religious make a lot of trouble for everybody.”
Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
YouTube reviews:
Cast and characters:
Tony Lo Bianco … Peter J. Nicholas
Deborah Raffin … Casey Forster
Sandy Dennis … Martha Nicholas
Sylvia Sidney … Elizabeth Mullin
Sam Levene … Everett Lukas
Robert Drivas … David Morten
Mike Kellin … Deputy Commissioner
Richard Lynch … Bernard Phillips
Sammy Williams … Harold Gorman
Jo Flores Chase … Mrs Gorman
William Roerick … Richards
Technical details:
1 hour 31 minutes
Metrocolor
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono
