When I interviewed Larry Cohen in 2017, I was incredibly nervous, and I had no clue what I would be in for. He was promoting the documentary King Cohen, which celebrated his life and career. Within seconds of starting our conversation, my nerves were settled; I found him to be much more down-to-Earth than I was expecting. He was witty, funny, and had a wealth of stories from behind the scenes of his massive catalog of films and TV shows, that he was ready to share. There are so many classics; It’s Alive, The Stuff, Q: The Winged Serpent, and many more.
We talked for nearly an hour, and it just wasn’t enough time to cover everything I wanted to cover, and he promised we would talk again. It wasn’t too long after, that Cohen fell ill and eventually passed away from cancer in March of 2019. That second interview never came, but at least having that one opportunity to chat with him, is something I’ll be forever grateful for. To see that his films are now being given the long-overdue credit they deserve, I was excited to be given the opportunity to take a look at the 4K UHD release of his incredibly bizarre holy horror/sci-fi mash-up, God Told Me To (1976).
In New York City, a series of what seems like motiveless murders begin happening around the city. First, a sniper starts taking out people from a water tower; after that, a father goes on a rampage and kills his family, and then, a police officer opens fire during a parade, and no one can explain what set them all off. Detective Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) is investigating these murders and gets drawn deeply into what (if anything) connects them all.
The last words the killers mutter is the same in each incident: “God told me to…” Haunted by the phrase and being a God-fearing man himself, Peter is led to Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch), a Christ-like figure that is somehow linked to all the killers. What frightens Peter the most, is he is now finding himself connected to Phillips, changing his world forever.
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God Told Me To is a Grindhouse masterpiece in every sense of the word. It’s delightfully bizarre in the best sense of the word. Tony Lo Bianco gives such a terrific performance, and I never felt he received the proper accolades for this film. Richard Lynch never disappoints, and in this early performance, he really lays the groundwork for the types of roles he would later be known for. There’s also a surprise appearance by the legendary Andy Kaufman.
If you’ve seen King Cohen, you’ll know the story behind it. If not, you may want to check that out or dive into the bonus features. Speaking of bonus features, there are a plethora of previously-released features, but it also includes a brand-new commentary from Troy Howarth and King Cohen director Steve Mitchell. They definitely delivered interesting and insightful outsider perspectives on the film.
Blue Underground rarely disappoints, and God Told Me To looks and sounds amazing in the new 4K scan, so yes, once again this is worth a double (or triple) dip.
