God Told Me To

You’ve got classic auteurs like Bergman, Truffaut and Ford. Modern guys like Kubrick, Scorsese and Coppola. Even the quirky independent minded fellas like Cronenberg, Lynch, and Wes Andersen. But what the hell do you do with someone like Larry Cohen? Here’s a guy who arguably has put up just as impressive a body of work, but gets none of the credit. Laboring on genre pictures like blaxsploitation, shoot-em-ups, and monster-on-the-loose flicks, just to name a few, that garner little or no respect from mainstream critics. While the big names walk away with all the awards, Larry Cohen’s work is more subversive, changing the genre from within, adding a twist where another director would walk a straight line. And God Told Me To might just be the perfect example of what his unique style of guerilla filmmaking is capable of; a high-concept story of gods, demons, and extraterrestrials that most filmmakers with triple the budget would be wary of attempting. As the film beings, NYC is under siege from a series of high profile murders, the only common link being the assailants’ ominous phrase, “God told me to.” Detective Peter Nicholas (Joe Lo Bianco) is an honest cop out to solve the case, tracking down a golden-haired stranger who seems to be pulling the strings on a vast conspiracy. But the answers he finds only lead to more questions about his own mysterious past that is somehow tied in with a case of reported virgin births from 1951. Is the world really ready for a Messiah from the Bronx? A more detailed description would lead to spoilers. Suffice to say that Cohen’s film is so ambitious, the fact that he even pulls off half of it is a minor miracle. The key is his writing, full of juicy scenes that reveal a bit of backstory, but leave just as much in the dark. As he points out in the commentary track, audience participation is vital. And God Told Me To is that rare film that understands what an audience doesn’t know makes for a much more interesting story. Equally important is Cohen’s visual style; gruff, gritty seat-of-your-pants camera work that matches surprisingly well with his above par cast (featuring old pros like Sylvia Sidney and the first screen role for Taxi’s Andy Kaufman). Stealing shots almost anywhere he can (even during the actual St. Patrick’s Day parade), this low budget, under the radar approach makes buying into the outlandish plot almost a foregone conclusion. You’re there. It’s happening. Believe it. Sharing a certain amount of similarities with Richard Donner’s much more polished religious-thriller The Omen, including a chorus of chanting monks and the same chilling final shot, Cohen’s innovative blend of urban cinema and old-fashioned escapism is completely unique and proves you don’t have to walk away with an Oscar to be an auteur. This Blu-ray upgrade from Blue Underground’s original special edition DVD is a real stunner; like a hi-def time machine back to NYC circa 1976. The exterior shots are all particularly wonderful, but even the special effects lighting during the “god figure” finale get a huge boost in color. The aforementioned Cohen commentary track (moderated by BU founder Bill Lustig) is carried over from the original release and is still the most valuable extra in the set. Cohen masterfully covers the technical challenges, funny anecdotes and juicy on-set gossip with equal aplomb. But to add more incentive, there are a several new featurettes, including interviews with Lo Bianco, special effect artist Steve Neill (who creates some Cronenbergian orifices for the film) and a pair of Cohen Q & A sessions from theatrical revival screenings. Original advertising materials (trailer, TV spots and stills), including the film’s alternate title, Demon, complete the package.