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God Told Me To 4K UHD Review

“God Told Me To” doesn’t quite come together in the end.

1976’s “God Told Me To” (AKA “Demon”) begins with a series of crimes (a sniper, a parade shooting, a father who shoots his family and so forth) that all have one thing in common- the culprits behind these horrific murders all said god told them to do this. A NYPD Detective (Peter) investigates these crimes and is led to discover that a mysterious long haired man (Bernard) was in contact with each of the killers. Is he a divine individual or is he something else entirely? As Peter digs deeper into the mystery, he discovers a shocking secret about himself as well.

Written and directed by Larry Cohen (best known for “It’s Alive”), “God Told Me To” starts off as an intriguing and eerie horror film about violence, religion, mass hysteria, and mental health, but takes a wild turn around the hour-mark and becomes more of a sci-fi movie. The twist certainly turns the movie on its end, but it also feels too undercooked. Cohen leaves a lot up to the imagination which is all well and good, but it feels like elements of this story (particularly the cultists and the big sci-fi reveal) feel underdeveloped. A lot more could have been explored there and it would have benefited the ending. As is, it feels like something is missing in the end as the story doesn’t quite stick the landing. Sure, it’s still a curious, raw, low-budget feature with a lot of big ideas, but you’re left wanting more.

Although there are plenty of cast members here including Tony Lo Bianco, Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, Sam Levene, and Andy Kaufman in a very bit part, most of the cast has little to do aside from Tony Lo Bianco as Peter. It’s more of a story driven movie.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 2160p With Dolby Vision HDR. How does it look? The 4K restoration from the original uncensored negative yields impressive results. The colors appear sharper and the print maintains the 70’s grit.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? The Atmos track is a little flat, but it’s a nice upgrade to be sure. This set also includes 5.1 and 1.0 DTS-HD MA tracks.

Extras:

* Blu-ray copy
* 2 commentary tracks including one by Larry Cohen and a new one by film historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth.
* 2 separate interviews with actor Tony Lo Bianco and special effects artist Steve Neill.
* “God Told Me To” theatrical trailer and 5 TV spots
* “Demon” trailer and 2 TV spots.
* Poster and still gallery
* 2 separate Q&As with Larry Cohen. One from the New Beverly and one from the Lincoln Center.

July 6, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Blue Underground, God Told Me To 4K UHD Review, Larry Cohen