Director – Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, The Stuff)
Starring – Tony Lo Bianco (Death Has A Bad Reputation), Deborah Raffin (Scanners II: The New Order, Grizzly II: The Concert), and Sandy Dennis (976-Evil, Parents)
Release Date – 1976
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Don’t let it control you”
When I was in high school I discovered the It’s Alive trilogy. A friend of mine gave it to me for X-Mas and I really enjoyed it. I often thought of the films when my wife was pregnant and it honestly scared the shit out of me. Anyway, the films were fun and I really enjoyed them which lead to me checking out other films from Larry. I checked out Q: The Winged Serpent and the Masters of Horror episode, Pick Me Up. I really liked the films I saw but I forgot to check out the other films from Cohen until recently.
Blue Underground, a name I throw out a lot in my reviews, announced they were releasing God Told Me So on blu. I really enjoyed the Cohen films that I saw so I reached out to them for a review copy and they were nice enough to send me one. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert**The film begins with a sniper on a rooftop as he guns down innocent bystanders. NYPD detective Peter Nicholas (Bianco) responds and goes on the rooftop to talk him down. The sniper tells the detective that God told him to kill before leaping to his death.
This leads the detective to investigate a series of other brutal murders in which all the culprits confess that God had told them to commit the atrocities. His hunt for the true cause of these murders leads him to a long haired person who may be closer to God than he suspected.**Spoiler Alert**
Religious horror can be the most potent of all the horror sub-genres. These films can take people’s beliefs and views and turn them against them. That is why films like The Exorcist andThe Omen are so popular among the everyday movie fan. I have seen both numerous times and agree that they are great movies but they never struck the scary chord like they do with so many others.
However, after watching God Told Me To I have to say this is easily the scariest of all the religious horror flicks. Not because it focused on religion but because it focuses on how fragile people are and how easily they can be persuaded to do unspeakable things. The horror behind that is that it happens in the world all the time when weak minded people meet those that are sick and twisted.
The acting in this film is great. I really enjoyed the cast in this film and I honestly believe that the film would not be as good as it is if someone else would have donned these roles. Tony Lo Bianco was great as the lead and brought a lot of talent to his role. I wish that he was in more films like this.
The story for this one is simple but very effective. The film was made to cash in on the religious craze of the late 70s where most stories involved Satanic cults and devil worship. However, this film twisted that up a bit and involved God in some aspect. This was very fun and different from the norm. Sadly, the film does move at a snails pace which can make it hard for the viewer to follow.
Finally, the film does have some on screen kills but they are very weak. Most have no blood and are done in a way that the viewer does not actually see them. They also lack any real practical effects that one would expect from a religious horror flick. With that being said, the film’s final scene has some great visual effects that are truly impressive. Overall, God Told Me To is a classic in the horror world that does not get the attention it truly deserves. Check this one out!
