Larry Cohen, who I just learned died only a few months ago, alas, was quite the interesting filmmaker. Working in the low budget film world, he wrote for 86 movies and television shows/movies, and directed 21 movies/television movies, most notably in the horror/sci fi genres. I didn't like everything he did, but I give him props for his individualistic creativity. Anyway, "God Told Me To," his 1976 offering, is my favorite of his movies, and one that I don't think gets enough attention. Following my usual pattern, I'll give a spoiler-free synopsis, then a longer, spoiler-rich recap, then a discussion of some of the film's themes and positive aspects, and conclude with some cast and crew information.
A terrifying crime wave is rocking New York City. Seemingly normal, law-abiding citizens are viciously slaughtering people, sometimes even their own families. When questioned by the police, they always give the same explanation for their crimes--"God told me to." Detective Peter Nicholas gradually follows the clues, learning more about the mysterious figure claiming to be "God," as well as learning secrets about himself. What does this apparent deity want? And can He be stopped?
(SPOILERS AHEAD UNTIL NOTED) After the credits are shown, accompanied by church music and singing, the movie opens on the busy streets of midtown Manhattan. Shots ring out, and many pedestrians are wounded or killed. The police discover that the sniper is perched upon a water tower atop a tall building. Detective Peter Nicholas bravely climbs the ladder and confronts the shootist. This man, Harold Gorman, calmly says that "God told me to," and then jumps to his death.
Peter is frustrated by this bizarre crime, and has nightmares. The audience meets his girlfriend, a substitute teacher named Casey. Peter is still married to Martha, who he claims won't grant him a divorce. However, during Peter's visit to Martha's residence, we learn that Peter's lying--he doesn't want the divorce, he just doesn't want the current situation to change. He's also revealed to be very religious, as he goes to Mass every day.
Peter visits a man in the hospital, who also killed strangers for no apparent reason. His stated reason is the same as Harold Gorman's. Meanwhile, an anonymous caller warns the police that there will be another shooting at the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Parade, and that the murderer will be a police officer. Peter's attempts to have the parade cancelled are futile, and sure enough, a cop does kill more people, and once again says that "God" told him to do it.
Gorman's mother, and other witnesses, mention an odd figure seemingly influencing the killers--a hippie type man with long blonde hair and a weird, indistinct face. Gorman's mom even recalls the mystery man's name--Bernard Phillips. A check of the records reveals little--Phillips has evidently never worked, was never drafted, never went to school, etc. Peter locates the address of Phillip's mother and attempts to question her. She tried to kill him with a knife, before she dies falling down the stairs. The autopsy reveals that Phillip's mother died a virgin, and gave birth via a Caesarian operation. The obstetrician who delivered Bernard reports that the boy was born of indeterminate, mixed gender.
Another New Yorker has brutally murdered his wife and children. He says the same reason for it, and that "God" guided his hands during the attack. And that sacrifice for God was reasonable, like the Abraham and Isaac story in the Bible. A witness to Mrs. Phillip's conception night tells Peter that he found her naked, on a New Jersey road. She claimed that she was lifted up to a mysterious aircraft while walking on Nantucket, and was impregnated via an odd light.
By this time, Peter's superiors encourage him to go on vacation. He refuses, and gets a reporter friend to publish an article about the religious connection to the murders. This in turn sparks angry rallies, and a panic. The police question Casey about Peter's state of mind. It's recounted that he was adopted from a Catholic orphanage, and never knew his birth parents. At the same time, a group of powerful men meet and talk about God/Bernard Phillips. Some disapprove of the violence he's causing, but other defend it as being a necessary punishment, and a way to convert non-believers. They also decide to try to convert Peter to their movement, as he's seen as a danger. One of the men, Richards, tries to do this, but he dies of a mysterious heart attack after Peter discusses Bernard's weird conception. Another member of the group, Logan (the man who warned the police by phone), tries to assassinate Peter in the subway, but fails. Peter then forces him to take him to Bernard.
Bernard is deep underground, in a furnace room. He's surrounded by a yellowish glow, and looks as his followers have described. After a tense talk Peter realizes that Bernard can't kill him, that Peter's different for unknown reasons. Peter leaves, while Logan kills himself. Peter then tracks down his birth mother after meeting with a nun from the Catholic orphanage where he was adopted. He goes to meet Elizabeth Mullin at her nursing home. She tells Peter a similar story as Mrs. Phillips--she was a virgin, but was impregnated via a light in a weird ship, which lifted her up in the air. She gets upset when she realizes that Peter is her missing son, and he leaves in a rush.
Casey goes to visit Martha, who receives her politely. Peter hasn't come home for three nights. Martha tells Casey that she got pregnant three times, but lost each fetus in the fifth or sixth month. And that Peter pretended to be sympathetic, but seemed secretly relieved. Peter arrives unexpectedly, and says his goodbyes to both women. He goes to a pool hall to confront a pimp, Zero, who he thinks killed a corrupt colleague earlier. Zero tries to stab Peter, but some weird force causes him to miss, and then compels the pimp to murder his accomplices, and then himself.
Finally, Peter goes to Bernard's building. Bernard reveals that they are brothers of a sort. Peter took after his human half, so that's why he didn't find out what he was for so long. Bernard, on the other hand, was more like his alien half, and less like his human side. Peter's potential children with Martha would have been like Bernard, so Peter subconsciously willed them to die. Bernard talks about the nature of Moses and Jesus, and virgin births in religious histories. Who were they, really? He shows Peter a strange, vagina-like opening on the side of his stomach, and says he can bear Peter's child. Peter responds by attacking Bernard, and tries to strangle and then shoot him. The building starts to collapse around them, apparently from Bernard's doing. Bernard seems to push Peter away and down the stairs, via his mysterious power, as the building continues to crumble. The final scene sees Peter arrested for the murder of Bernard. When questioned by the press he says he did it because, "God told me to." A caption on the screen tells the viewer that he's been committed to a hospital for the criminally insane.
One of this movie's strengths, in my opinion, is how it successfully manages its frequent tonal shifts. In many cases, tonal shifts in films can be a negative, of course, and can even ruin a movie if the shift(s) isn't earned. "God Told Me To" starts off as a gritty murder mystery. Multiple people are staging mass murders for seemingly no reason. Then, we slowly learn of the link with the odd Bernard, and then the group of powerful people who follow him, which makes it seem like the movie is now about a weird religious murder cult. Then things get progressively stranger--we learn that Bernard is an alien, and so now the film is basically science fiction. Then a final twist occurs, as we, and Peter, find out that our hero is also an alien, with comparable powers to his "brother" Bernard. Maybe some viewers were unhappy with this journey, but I wasn't. By starting off in a realistic way, and gradually becoming more bizarre, it felt more reasonable. And the fact that the actors, and the script played it straight helped too, and helped suspend disbelief in what is undeniably a ridiculous premise and plot.
Related to this, I thought the killers were portrayed in an especially effective way. They're all formerly normal people, which adds to the scariness--apparently literally anyone can be manipulated into violent murder by Bernard Phillips. And the two killers that talk to Peter for a while (Harold Gorman, and the father who shot his wife and kids) are so calm and reasonable-sounding, even as they describe their awful, homicidal deeds. Especially the latter man, since he's killing people he knows and (presumably) loves. He details how he tricked his daughter into opening the locked bathroom door by saying that told her that the family was just playing a pretend game, and then, "I was laughing when I shot her." It's very creepy and disturbing.
Obviously religion, and particularly Judeo-Christianity, is the major them of "God Told Me To." Similar to author Arthur C. Clarke's famous "law" that sufficiently advanced technology can be interpreted by those unfamiliar with it as being magic, it seems that Bernard Phillips interpreted his alien powers as meaning that he was divine. (At least I think--he could have been cynically adapting this persona to gain power and influence, I guess, but it seems like he sincerely believes it to be true.) In the DVD's commentary track by Larry Cohen, he mentioned that one of his inspirations for the story was imaging if Superman had assumed he was a god, given his incredible powers. Since Bernard, and Nicholas, were products of virgin birth, just like Jesus, Bernard thinks that Christianity's Savior, and other prophets like Moses, might have been aliens, too. You can see the obvious influence of Erich von Daniken's theories, as well, especially from his best-selling book "Chariots of the Gods?", which was still popular in the mid 1970's. As an archaeologist I despise von Daniken, since his books misinterpreted, or outright lied about, many real ancient human accomplishments (especially if they weren't made by Caucasians). I find it depressing that people still believe in those types of absurd "Aliens did it!" theories, but as a basis for a work of fiction like a movie, twisted a bit, it's fun. Peter's spiritual journey is intriguing, too. We learn, and see, how important his Catholicism is to him, and has been his entire life. So the character of the murders, and the eventual realization that he and Bernard are aliens, and hold deity-like powers, clearly cause him to question everything he's held dear. He seems insane at the end, which surely was aided by losing the comfort and help that his religion had formerly provided. Sacrifice is another important part of the religious theme. Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son is mentioned. And the father killer mentions that even destroying one's family isn't an unreasonable request from a Supreme Being. Obviously the Judeo-Christian tradition (as well as most other religions, to be fair) has quite a lot of extreme violence associated with it, both "legitimate," or done in its name, and this movie just expands upon this, in a sly social critique. Even the usual Christian villains are played with in an amusing way. It's not Satan, or demons manipulating people into doing evil, it's extraterrestrials instead. (Unless all demons and the Devil are misidentified aliens, too, I guess!)
Furthermore, I found Peter's self-delusion interesting. It seems like on a subconscious level that he knows that he's different, and perhaps even how much. When Mrs. Phillips cuts him with the knife, he remarks that it's the first time he's ever been hurt, in his whole life. How could he not have noticed this, unless he was deliberately ignoring it on some level? And then there's his response to his wife's pregnancies--he can't hide his relief when the fetuses die, and Bernard tells him that Peter used his powers to actually kill them. On a certain level he did know what he was, and he felt conflicted. He didn't want to produce more alien-human hybrids. Perhaps in part because it would force him to acknowledge his alien nature. As Martha remarked during their discussion about his relationship to Casey, Peter clearly didn't like change, whether it was getting a divorce, or realizing that he wasn't 100% human.
The ending was a bit enigmatic, I thought. Bernard seems shocked, and incredibly disturbed, when Peter rejects his advances, and then hits him, causing the first moment of pain that Bernard's ever experienced, evidently. The question remains--did Bernard kill himself, out of grief, and the knowledge that he might feel more pain? Or was he trying to kill Peter via the building collapse, and accidentally got caught and engulfed himself? And why did Peter accept his mental hospital sentence? Was he truly insane, or was he sane, and wanted to stop himself from doing what Bernard, and his alien parents wanted, and he thought this was the best way?
Moving on to more practical aspects, the production values for "God Told Me To" were impressive for such a low budget genre movie. The special effects for the alien abduction scenes were admittedly weak, and in one case borrowed from an old British science fiction television show, but the rest were good. The many gun shot blood squibs were solid, and the "stomach vagina" on Bernard was suitably graphic and off-putting. Bernard's overall appearance was neat too, the way he was always bathed in a yellow light, and his face was often kept vague and hard to see. (Part of his odd look was due to unfortunate real issues, as the actor who played him, Richard Lynch, had suffered extensive burns, which happened during a drug-induced event.) Many of the most cool-looking scenes were outright "stolen," as Cohen admitted. He wanted shots of the Feast of San Gennero festival, so he had his camera operator just take them, without permits. (Later he allegedly paid off some, ahem, local Italian crime family members to smooth this over.) But it's the St. Patrick's Day Parade scenes that are truly spectacular. They look real because they are--getting thousands of extras to march down New York City streets would have been prohibitively expensive, after all. They did add some blended scenes re-shot in Los Angeles with the help of a local Irish group, but most of it is genuine. Somehow I don't think a low-budget genre movie would get the permission in modern times to shoot scenes involving a mass-murdering police officer in the midst of a real parade. (Now I guess this would be accomplished using mostly CGI, and probably would appear less convincing, and more artificial.)
(END OF SPOILERS--SAFE FOR EVERYONE) As I mentioned in the introduction, Larry Cohen had a long and active career, both as a director and writer. Highlights of it include writing and directing such films as "Black Caesar" (1973), "It's Alive" (1974), "The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover" (1977), "It Lives Again" (1978), "Q" (1982), "The Stuff" (1985), and writing movies like "Phone Booth" (2002), and "Messages Deleted" (2009). Protagonist Peter Nicholas was played by Tony Lo Bianco, probably best known for roles in "The Honeymoon Killers" (1970), "The French Connection" (1971), "Serpico" (1973), "F.I.S.T." (1978), "Nixon" (1995), and "Kill the Irishman" (2011). Actress Deborah Raffin (Casey Forster) appeared in such films as "The Dove" (1974), "The Sentinel" (1977, and see my August 9, 2012 post for more info on that movie), "Death Wish 3" (1985), and "Morning Glory" (1993, which she also co-wrote). Peter's wife Martha was played by Sandy Dennis, who won two Tony Awards and one Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Other roles for Dennis include "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966, her Oscar role), "The Out of Towners" (1970), "976-EVIL" (1988), and "Parents" (1989). Peter's mother Elizabeth Mullin was played by Sylvia Sidney, who had a very long acting career. Highlights of her career include "Sabotage" (1936), "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (1973, for which she received an Oscar nomination), "Damian: Omen II" (1978), "Beetlejuice" (1988), and "Mars Attacks!" (1996). As I mentioned previously, Richard Lynch portrayed Bernard Phillips. Other famous roles of his were in "Deathsport" (1978), "The Ninth Configuration" (1980), "H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon" (1993), "Halloween " (2007), and "The Lords of Salem" (2012). Sammy Williams (Harold Gorman) had a very successful career on the stage, as he won a Tony Award for his major role in the Broadway musical "A Chorus Line" (1976). Finally, the small role of the murderous policeman was played by Andy Kaufman, best known as a performance artist/unconventional comedian, and for his role in television's "Taxi" (1978-83).
In closing, then, if you're a fan of creative, different, genre-bending films, you might really enjoy "God Told Me To." And perhaps some of Cohen's other offerings which focus on such things as killer monster babies, resurrected Aztec gods, and addictive, mutating desserts (really!). I will say, though, I don't like the alternate title for this movie, which was "Demon." "God Told Me To" is perfect--it kind of introduces the major plot point, without giving too much away. While "Demon" is too run-of-the-mill, cliche horror, and simplistic, in my view.
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