Friday, January 27, 2017

God Told Me To

God Told Me To


Production Year: 1976
Release Date: 02/24/2015
Studio: Blue Underground
Director: Larry Cohen




Innocent people are being murdered one after the other, these violent crimes seem almost random in nature however there is one very strange connection. Each of these criminals claim that God told them to. Detective Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) becomes obsessed with the influx of murders after coming face to face with one of the perpetrators. As the story unfolds and more people hit the payment the detective discovers that things are a not quite as they seem, that the phrase "God told me to" isnt just a psychopaths excuse.


Larry Cohen has always been a bit of a maverick filmmaker. His work, occasionally regarded as "B movies" or "Exploitation" tend to dive a little deeper than your normal genre fare.   Multilayered-Exploitation; perhaps thats the best way to describe this mans films. Littered with macabre imagery, much like George Romero, theres always a stark and jagged commentary behind the blood.


God Told Me To is no different. Its a weird visceral film that will likely take a few viewings before you can wrap your head around the meaning of the film. Detective Nicholas is religious and becomes very conflicted as he slowly sinks into the strange case. Whats causing the murder? God? Much like Cohens library of films theres much more to it, and no, I will not spoil it. The direction is tight, some of the SFX might leave a bit to be desired however I think it just adds to the overall strange tone of the film. Tony Lo Bianco does a great job, however I am curious how Robert Forester (originally signed on to play the Detective) would have handled the roll. All in All God Told me To is a solid little thriller and this release is sure to please fans of Larry Cohen.


Im very impressed with Blue Undergrounds Blu-ray presentation of God Told Me To. It looks and sounds worlds better than its DVD predecessor. The presentation was pulled from an uncensored negative and looks great! Theres a nice dynamic pallet of colors present, a nice consistant grain structure which gives way to great amount of detail. Sound wise there are a number of audio options available; 7.1 DTS-HD, 5.1 Dolby Digital, and DTS-HD Mono. Of the three I really dug the 7.1 option, the film surprisingly benifits from the new mix- especially during the exterior parts of the film.


Audio Commentary with Larry Cohen

Heaven & Hell On Earth - Interview with Star Tony Lo Bianco

Bloody Good Times - Interview with Special Effects Artist Steve Neill

God Told Me To Bone - New Beverly Q&A with Larry Cohen

Lincoln Center Q&A with Larry Cohen

Theatrical Trailers

TV Spots

Poster & Still Gallery


With a slew of new extras and a fantastic transfer Blue Underground has provided Cohens classic with a presentation more than worthy of an upgrade. For people new to the director, God Told Me To is the perfect place to start!

Available link for download