User reviews

I just watched this movie on Shudder. I don't know why except something just told me to pick it. I was impressed by the cast. It was full of many excellent character actors that I remember from the 70s to 90s. It starts off as a police procedural, but soon veers in a surreal direction. I was very surprised to see Andy Kaufmann make his film debut in a non-speaking part as a young uniformed policeman turned into a possessed assassin. I suspect he was cast in this role just by the serene, but maniacal, facial expression he was able to pull off. I'll not reveal anything else, but do recommend you watch this interesting film.

I surely won't say that I was disappointed with my long awaited viewing of Larry Cohen's "God Told Me To", but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. And I mean that as a compliment because the depth and storyline of this film was far more impressive than I hoped it to be. Cohen has always been an imaginative and versatile scriptwriter (It's Alive, Q – The Winged Serpent) but he really surpasses oneself here with this multifunctional shocker! It would be a disgrace to simply categorize "God Told Me To" as a shlock-horror film as it equally covers the fields of detective thriller, pseudo-religious drama and science fiction. The very engaging script starts from a dazzling basic idea (which truly encouraged me to purchase this movie no matter what…) but unexpectedly becomes an ambitious mystery that constantly keeps you guessing. We follow the deeply religious cop Peter Nicholas in his investigation on every day NY citizens that suddenly go wild and commit vile murders. Right before dying, they all confess that God himself ordered them to commit these crimes. In his search for clues, Det. Nicholas stumbles upon supernatural events and connections that are beyond belief. The story is compelling, although very VERY complex. It took me three viewings to really "get" the story and I still have questions to ponder on. Nevertheless, Cohen proves himself to be a master of plotting and even the tiniest sub plot (like the anti-hero cop being torn between his wife and mistress) are sublimely elaborated. I admit I more or less expected this to be a semi-absurd and violent cheapie (like Cohen delivered them before) but it turned out one of the most misunderstood exploitation films of the 70's. Although the film isn't really disturbing, there's a lot of suspense and intrigue. Cult lovers familiar with Cohen's repertoire will be pleased to see that he couldn't resist referring to his blaxploitation roots and that he takes every opportunity to severely criticize American society. The charismatic actor Tony Lo Bianco is terrific in portraying the spirited here and he's partly responsible for a climax you won't forget easily.

"God Told Me To" is in many ways Larry Cohen's best picture, which probably isn't saying all that much to people unaccustomed to the confines of schlock cinema. Viewers who never watch anything that doesn't play at the local Cineplex will look upon this picture with a sense of mounting dread over the low production values and haphazard plot lines. I, however, am the Queen of Bad Cinema, and my realm contains a round table where Sir Cohen sits with Lord Herschell Gordon Lewis, Baron William Castle, and Sir Roger Corman of New Concorde. I can take the offering that is "God Told Me To" and pronounce it good and godly. And I will, because Michael Moriarty appears nowhere in this film. Cohen seems to have a thing for the squirrelly actor of "Law & Order" fame, casting him in at least three of his major works--"The Stuff," "Q: The Winged Serpent," and "It's Alive." After anxiously looking around for Moriarty's name anywhere near this film and not seeing it, I settled in for what I hoped would become a wonderful experience.

Although far from perfect, "God Told Me To" is immensely entertaining. Did I mention I don't care much for Michael Moriarty? Here's a movie any B-movie fan can really sink his or her teeth into. Imagine New York City in the 1970s (I know, it's unpleasant, but do it anyway). The streets bustle with activity as people drive, walk, and ride their bikes to various destinations. Why, look there! Here comes a chap peddling along without a care in the world! Then we hear a shot ring out and the poor guy does a header into the pavement. Do angels ride bicycles? Anyway, more shots ring out and more people tumble to the pavement, presumably incapable of ever rising again. It looks like some guy channeling Charles Whitman is up on a wooden water tower playing target practice. Fortunately, tough cop Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco) assumes the highly dangerous task of talking the hunter down. He fails spectacularly, but before he does the gunman tells Nicholas that "God told me to" murder all of these people. This cop will continue to hear this phrase in the coming days after a devoted father slaughters his family, after a police officer (Andy Kaufman!) goes off the deep end during a parade, and after a few other highly unpleasant incidents unfold in the Big Apple. In other words, what we see happening here is just a typical day in New York City. What's the big deal? Well, Larry Cohen isn't content to merely let his movie founder in the degradation of the typical police thriller genre. No sir! What starts out as a series of seemingly unconnected crimes turns out to be something so sinister that the human mind boggles while attempting to conceive of it. Turns out Nicholas is a highly devote Catholic with a wife (Sandy Dennis) and a young girlfriend (Deborah Raffin) who feels as though he's different from everyone else. The whole "god told me to" thing finds the detective discovering exactly why he never seemed to fit in. His investigation into the crimes turns up reports of an immaculate conception years before, a shadowy cult that worships some nut named Bernard Phillips (Richard Lynch), and Mason Adams playing an obstetrician. Then things get really weird. Nicholas tracks down a woman who tells him a story he would rather not hear, complete with on screen flashbacks, about an alien abduction that took place years ago. Again, this type of stuff is par for the course in New York City, but you wouldn't know it by watching Detective Peter Nicholas's reaction. He races out of the building on a quest to track down the enigmatic Bernard Phillips, with good reason. The very future of the human race could well depend on our hero putting a stop to the supernatural shenanigans going on in his beloved city. Wow!

I'm not quite sure what to make of "God Told Me To." The film doesn't fit in any single cinematic genre, so I'm not sure it would appeal to fans of pure cop dramas, or pure science fiction, or pure apocalyptic films. You sort of need to transcend boundaries with this movie or you'll only end up liking chunks of it. I do think that Tony Lo Bianco did a wonderful job as the conflicted and tormented Detective Peter Nicholas. As proof of this assertion, I ask that you view closely the scene where he listens to the father talk about butchering his family. The rage slowly building in every fiber of Lo Bianco's being as he digests this string of spoken atrocities appears so genuine that I thought he was really going to deck that guy when he finally blows. So I guess you can say the acting isn't too bad. The special effects, on the other hand, ain't that great. You get a cheesy showdown between Phillips and Nicholas at the end involving a lot of camera shaking, collapsing walls, and flashing lights--hardly the stuff of big budget effects teams working with state of the art equipment. But ultimately, "God Told Me To" is entertaining because it's creepy and offbeat.

Cohen's films are seeing a big resurgence on DVD thanks in large part to Blue Underground. Included as extras on the disc are a commentary with Cohen, a poster and stills gallery, a trailer, a Cohen biography, and seven television spots. I learned by watching these extras that "God Told Me To" also went by the name of "Demon," which often means that the movie tanked under its original title so the distribution company slapped a new moniker on it in order to release it somewhere else. If you want to explore the Larry Cohen canon, this picture is a great place to start.

I must have seen close to twenty movie written and/or directed by Larry Cohen ('Q', 'Black Caesar', 'Maniac Cop', 'It's Alive!', 'Best Seller', 'The Stuff', 'Uncle Sam',etc.etc.) and I have greatly enjoyed most of them, but 'God Told Me To' is without a doubt his best movie. It's an extraordinarily original picture, one of the best low budget horror movies of all time. Horror movie? Horror, mystery, science fiction, whatever you want to call it! Tony Lo Bianco plays a religious cop who is faced with a seemingly random series of murders committed by various people who, when asked why, simply say "God told me to". This is just the beginning of a very strange and fascinating story that will leave the viewer continually guessing! Lo Bianco was a last minute replacement for Robert Forster who was sacked after two days filming and a personality clash with Cohen. Lo Bianco gives a terrific performance, his best in my opinion after 'The Honeymoon Killers'. The movie features a strong supporting cast: Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, screen veterans Sylvia Sidney and Sam Levene, plus cult favourite Richard Lynch ('Scarecrow', 'Open Season', 'The Ninth Configuration'), and even the movie debut of the enigmatic comedian Andy Kaufman. 'God Told Me To' is one of the 1970s most underrated horror/exploitation movies. Any fan of the genre must, I repeat MUST, see it!

Demon aka God Told Me To is extremely strange and weird film by the legendary director/screenwriter. His films are always unique and have a message which has to be found in the core of the film. Some of his films are "easier" to understand (The Stuff, Blind Alley) while others, like Demon, are far more difficult to see through.

Strange killings committed by usual people start to take place, and all the killers have the same line/justification to say to police questioning. Policeman starts to investigate the cases and soon he's too deep in it to get safely back..

I'm not sure if I can actually say what the film's about because it has to be seen many times before it can be fully understood. Main themes are at least duality in everybody's personality (good/bad) and the question that which part is the dominating one. Cohen wants people to stop and think and it is great that that kind of directors exist. He would never do just entertainment without brain. The weirdness of this film comes close to Lynch, but Cohen's work isn't as surrealistic as Lynch's. Demon and other Cohen flicks are highly recommended if you like independent cinema and intelligent and "difficult" films which are not so often produced nowadays.

7 out of 10.

Let me tell you, that if this was a movie that got done with a bigger budget to spend and some more well known names in it, this movie would had been absolutely considered to be a classic one within its genre.

You really probably beforehand don't expect much good to come from this movie. It's a '70's movie with the title "God Told Me To" and the main premise makes it sound as if this is your average typical exploitation flick about a killer on the loose. But you'll be surprised at what sudden turns this movie makes throughout. It actually starts to combine lots of different genre elements, such as horror, thriller but above all things also science-fiction. Here is mostly were the movie start to get interesting and surprising to watch. It's a real refreshingly original movie, that truly deserves some more attention and recognition.

But also simple fact about this movie remains is that it's a quite cheaply done one and you can really tell that. It's the sort of cheap '70's movie that for instance used different camera's, none of which were the same, so the movie its look changes throughout the movie a few times. The interior and exterior shots especially differ. It's cheapness can been seen back in basically about everything, such as also in the directing and acting and this is what mostly harms the movie.

But yet, once you really start to get into this movie, you'll start to forgive the movie for its cheap look and lesser moments. It simply has a great concept and a refreshing approach. This all should be good enough to still make you thoroughly enjoy watching this movie.

The movie can get quite messy and confusing to watch at times but it's hard to say if you can really blame the writer or director for this, since lots of '70's movies were basically just being that way. It also sort of adds to the style and atmosphere of this movie its unlikely and refreshing story and approach.

It's also fun to note that this movie features late comedian Andy Kaufman's first movie appearance. It's really about a 2 second part but it's fun to notice nevertheless.

A surprisingly good and refreshingly original movie.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

God told me to is a film that I have seen at the video store for many years, however I had never thought to rent it. Finally seeing it on sale for 3 dollars made up my mind, and I purchased this bizarre, yet strangely appealing film. The first third of the film is definitely it's strongest portion, where strange murders plague a large city in the name of God, however it slowly becomes more than that. What happens next is even beyond me, a horror fan my entire life and a writer myself, because God Told Me To simply tries too much. Soon we see aliens, Jesus, drug deals gone bad, love affairs, etc etc. It clutters the screen and makes the true intent of the film hard to find.

Overall God Told Me To was an above average film, with good acting, some frightening scenes, and always has an eerie aura around it. Worth seeing, but you may have to watch it several times before you can actually start enjoying it.

Trust something this darkly warped to come from the creative juices brewing from the mind of Larry Cohen. The 70s through to the mid 80s was the pinnacle for Cohen, and "God Told Me to" would have to be ranking at the top of his greatest achievements. With a limited budget, Cohen resourcefully constructs a fascinatingly chilling, bewildering and off-kilter little winner. Talk about the strangest film Cohen has ever done, and probably his most ambitiously versatile in the story's ever-changing format of genres! Subtexts aplenty. And they manage some depth too.

The cryptic story is cleverly utilized, as the mystery holds together and the fearful psychological undercurrents of repressed faith make it rather interesting. Though it's so hard to follow due to that fractured story-telling. It shifts from grounded reality to utter weirdness, which has you totally feeling the confusion and frustration that the main protagonist would be going through trying to come to terms with what's going on. So does it make sense? I'm not quite sure, but hell it's entertaining and bizarre. Too much for me to worry about thinking of the bigger picture. But hey it makes great for repeat viewings! Some sequences can unsettle, while others thoughtfully delve into the characters at hand. A compact, but involving script is complicatedly put together and drives hard with an audaciously literal sense. Some of the dialogues actually raise most of the tension than some visual set-pieces involving violence and shocks. Cohen's capably understated direction is well presented and shines with his own distinctive personality, as he ably uses the authentic New York Locations with the use of intimately taut cinematography. He manages to install a haunting air throughout the whole feature, and Frank Cordell's dreamily sombre music score largely complements the atmospheric awe.

A quality cast lend solid performances. Tony Lo Bianco is undeniably excellent in the lead role of a religious NYPD detective. Sandy Dennis and Sylvia Sidney offer strong support. Sam Levene, Al Fann and James Dixon (a Cohen favourite) are also good. Richard Lynch appears in a small, but unusually striking part and Andy Kauffman in an out-of-the-ordinary performance.

Cohen's "God Told Me To" is a loopy, but challenging b-grade exploitation of the highest order. An unforgettable cult gem!

You cannot hate a film that uses Plymouth satellite's as cop cars just something iconic about them. There are a few featured as well as the Dodge version Coronet as taxis. This film was an interesting blend of Cop movie, Sc fi, Religious questioning and Schlock. All the acting was decent especially Sylvia Sidney and officer Peter Nicholas. It plays out like a made for tv movie and contains an interesting twist mid way. Look for Andy Kaufman playing a police officer in the St Patrick's Day parade. This feature was on a horror disc that purchased, I wouldn't have called it a horror but it is an interesting film.

I find Larry Cohen movies are difficult to hate, but also difficult to love. This one is a prime example. Cohen has a knack for big and clever ideas, and for somehow convincing some of the best New York character actors to be in his films. Despite this his films never seem to gel quite as well as his premises suggest they should. Maybe it is his uneven directing style, or the one-take ultra low budgets. Whatever it is they always seem to me like I'm watching a first draft screenplay, lots of promise and no polish.

This film is a prime example. Certainly what hollywood wheelers and dealers used to call a "high concept" picture.

The premise, as I'm sure you are aware, involves a police detective (Lo Bianco) investigating a series of senseless murders in the big apple. The first of which evokes (likely intentional) echoes of Charles Whitman's infamous rampage from the U of Texas clock tower. When the detective asks the killer the inevitable question "why'd you do it", all he can answer is "God told me to". As the body counts mount, (and Lo Bianco becomes more unhinged) the titular refrain is repeated by perpetrators of various atrocities across the city.

As we delve deeper into the mystery, the film takes an extremely unexpected though not wholly unpleasant turn into science fiction, as the cop finds an unearthly explanation for the killings-- just not the one the title might suggest.

Unfortunately this is where the film completely falls apart. What should be the climax of the movie comes about 1/3 of the way in. The plot quickly degenerates into a quagmire of nonsensical sub-plots from which it never really recovers. Ebert famously opined that he thought for sure the reels were being shown out of order. I felt more like watching someone flip the channels on a tv through several different movies as the various subplots unfolded. First you get a scene of a police procedural, then a science fiction scene, then a scene out of a blaxploitation/gangster film, then back to the police subplot. Genre bending can often be a benefit of b-movies in this case its a determent. It left me consistently saying "who is that again? Whats going on here". The subplots sort-of come together but the story is told so incoherently I could not help zoning out. When the twist ending came (was it a twist? Im not exactly sure), I was too confused to be surprised. I even rewound the last 10 minutes a few times and still could not figure out exactly what the hell i had just seen.

Many seem to consider this Cohen's best film, I would say its actually one of his worst. The shame is the concept is actually very good and the first third is really well done. It is just a shame he seemingly ran out of ideas before he ran out of film. I'd certainly rank this as much inferior film to "Q" , "The Stuff", or even his Blaxploitation pictures.

Overall I recommend this to Larry Cohen fans or b-movie completists. I doubt many others will bother sitting through the entire thing.

Larry Cohen the New-York based director (Q-The Winged Serpent , Black Ceasar , Stuff) brings us this oddity. The title was changed to Demon after most television stations refused to run the trailer for the film. A deeply religious cop (Tony lo Bianco) is involved in the investigation of a series of seemingly unrelated sniper killings in the New York area. His investigations however only start when he tracks down a sniper and is given the answer "God Told Me Too" , thats about all I can say without ruining the film and giving away one of the most effective plot twists in years. Andy Kaufman (Latka in TAXI) turns up as a kill crazy policeman at a parade, with lots of other surprises along the way this little known gem is well worth the hunt if you can get a copy on video. And with we have the best of all excuses to watch it.."God Told Me Too"

First off, a nitpick (or maybe just pointing out a flaw in the time of the year this is set in): early in the film is that wonderfully nutty scene where pre-fame Andy Kaufman is the cop in the St Patrick's Day parade, and then... Just a day or two later, or maybe it's a week, hard to tell, Tony Lo Bianco gets his ass kicked at the San Genaro festival in Little Italy, which to my knowledge happens in September. I know Cohen had to shoot crowds when he could, but anyone with just a cursory knowledge of NYC through the year would know... Eh, forget it.

This doesnt always have the sharpest direction, if anything some of the cinematography and editing is slapdash if not sloppy and direction of some (but not all) of the supporting actors results in flat work. And yet that almost doesnt matter because of the 1000% grit level of this thing, shot all without permits and by the seats of their pants (on some of the same streets Scorsese was shooting Taxi Driver at the same time), Lo Bainco makes for a convincing and stable presence as this flawed but dogged cop in the lead surrounded by bad cops and uncanny citizens, and the script has such a magnificently tense first act and bizarre turns with this supernatural WTF bent that I was always engaged, never totally bored, and it's a unqiue entry in mid 70s paranoid New York cinema.

And despite my griping on the direction and editing, Cohen gets some intense set pieces (that boiler room is eerie as all get out) and shots at times, in particular in the first half, and then Sylvia Sidney shows up, and... Look, you can see the seams in this, and Cohen in some respects did a not remake so much as reimagining of this into Q years later, but when it works, it's a one of a kind "B" movie.

Unique is a questionable description to use in relation to practically anything because few things are literally one of a kind, but there really is nothing else like this flick. Larry Cohen's 1970s obsession with bizarre reproductive and birth horror is brought to full flower in this inner city supernatural-come-scifi-come New Age psycho messiah story. Highly recommended for fans of 1970s horror / sci-fi and The X-Files. I would be very curious to know if Chris Carter was influenced by this flick because it seems to be present in Files almost every bit as much as Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

I detested this film. I admit that the idea of people with no criminal records suddenly committing random murders and a supernatural force deceiving them was intriguing. But after beginning as an OK police procedure film, it becomes muddled, illogical, and finally completely unpleasant and even gross. Guest stars come and go, the plot twists become more and more unbelievable, and at the center of it all is a barefoot actor with a tunic and bad wig. The ending is completely lame and the closing line will be seen by astute viewers long before the film actually ends. This film was such a letdown, I threw it in the trash after it was over.

"GOD TOLD ME TO" (1976, Cohen) is an off-the-wall sci-fi thriller that many of us might be led to believe is terrible. In actual fact it isn't terrible, it's really quite good.

As with many films made by Larry Cohen (particularly in the 70's) there isn't much in the way of special effects. Sometimes that's not a great thing, but here there is just enough to keep you intrigued, allowing your imagination to do much of the work.

It's a shame that Robert Forster walked out of this because the part would have suited him. Tony Lo Bianco isn't super well cast here, for instance his running mannerisms are a joke, but he is okay.

The soundtrack is good, there could have been more blood (lots of wounds just don't gush enough), and the story is great. Well done Larry Cohen.

Wow! I have to agree with Ebert about this one. If I were seeing this in a theater, I would strongly suspect that the reels were being shown out of order.

However, that would last only halfway through the movie, as it quickly becomes obvious that this movie wouldn't make sense with the reels in ANY order. The subplots alone, which go absolutely nowhere, are enough to have you leaving the theater in confusion.

A totally confusing mish-mash of juvenile ideas and lousy acting by people who should know better. It really isn't worth your time. It's not outright harmful, but it is certainly not any sort of "lost gem".

My advice is to just skip it and watch something else. You will not have missed anything.

Very fine and spunky little movie that covers a lot of ground in a short time as it speeds along. Fourteen people die in the opening minutes as a sniper does what he is 'told' in his head. Some of the smaller parts are a bit wooden, but then they may be amateur or near amateur and Tony Lo Bianco is excellent in the difficult central role as first Police officer, then ex-cop investigating on his own and gradually discovering he too may be a son of God ready to go on a killing spree. We get everything from alien abduction and naked donors cast into the night to gory self stabbings. Cohen even has the audacity to show us his mutant Christ and get away with it. Unique, gutsy, on the run film making.

This was a film that I got turned on to through podcasts I listen to. I finally decided to check this out for a horror movie challenge that I'm doing as I needed to watch something from Larry Cohen. The concept of this movie really intrigued me, so I was excited. The synopsis a New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that 'God told them to'.

We start this off showing us New York City. We are seeing people going about their day and a guy on a bike gets shot. This happens 13 more times. The person doing this is Harold Gorman (Sammy Williams). He is on top of a water tanker above a building. The police are called and Peter J. Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco), a detective, decides to try to talk him down. Before he can though, Harold tells him that God told him to and then jumps.

Peter is seeing Casey Forster (Debroah Raffin) and what happened is haunting him. Through their conversation, she is a substitute teacher and Peter is still married. He tells Casey, that he's going to visit his wife. He is hoping that she will be reasonable in dissolving the marriage. It really isn't the case though as he's keeping things from Casey. His wife is Martha (Sandy Dennis). Peter is also highly religious.

There are other similar murders that happen. One of them is a man stabbing people in a store and other is a man killing his family. Peter continues to look into all of these and learns through interviews that there is a connection. A weird man with shoulder length blonde hair named Bernard Phillips. The more learns about this, the more he learns about himself and it takes him on a dark journey to get the truth of what is causing these people to do what they are.

This is another movie that I wanted to go vague with the recap to avoid spoiling what happens here. The story isn't overly complex so that is part of it, but I also think that it should be an experience. It really is an interesting story here though for sure. We have Peter who is an orphan and deeply religious. He is really bothered by these murders that are happening and wants to go to the bottom of it. As I said at the end of my recap, what is really going on here and how his past is involved was quite interesting to me. I also think it kind of ruins as well, but I can actually get on board with it really is.

There is also this odd subplot here as well. I've seen a documentary about Cohen and I knew that he did some blaxploitation films, so we get a bit of that here with a drug dealer/pimp named Zero (George Patterson). He has some dealings with a police officer and this gets resolved in the end as well.

The last little thing that happens as well that I wanted to bring up was that I like that Peter goes to a newspaper writer who he leaks information to. This writer is against religion and posts a lot about science. He has this interesting idea of who God is and Peter is suspended at this time. This contact he uses to get information out and I thought it was interesting. All of the people who are committing the murders are from different walks of life, that makes for an intriguing concept since there's really no thread at first connecting them.

That moves me to the editing and pacing. I think the latter is solid here for the most part. I do think that it kind of loses it way late in the second act/start of the third. I do think that it finds its way to the ending, which I'll admit, I'm glad they wrapped up the subplot. It does make for an interesting way to go as well. I will say that I didn't really find myself bored, even when the film loses its way.

As for the acting, it is pretty solid. Bianco isn't great, but I find him believable. Him trying to solve this mystery is good and I actually feel bad for him as he continues to learn more of the truth. His determination really fits the character. Raffin is quite attractive but I don't necessarily know if she is really needed in this film. Her performance was fine though. I liked to see Richard Lynch here. He has such an odd role and it works for me. The rest of the cast rounded out the film for what is needed, but no one is great if I'm honest.

To move to the effects, there aren't really a lot to be honest. We do get a bit of blood and I think that looks good. Cohen was strategic in hiding what he could if he knew that he couldn't make it look real. There is an interesting look with Bernard in the movie, having an odd light that is on him and where he is living. I think it is shot very well and I just love Cohen's guerilla filming style as well. It just brings an extra character.

Now with that said, this is an interesting film about subject matter I have a lot of interest in. I like the mystery here, but not necessarily the biggest fan of the explanation. It does work though. The pacing is solid aside from one section where I did kind of lose interest, but it does find itself to an intriguing ending. The acting I think is solid across the board. The effects we get are fine and the soundtrack didn't stand out. It fit for what is needed though. I know I've said it a few times, but this film isn't great. It is definitely enjoyable and worth a viewing. I do find it to be above average overall.

Peter (Tony Lo Bianco) is a detective brought in on a strange case. As the film begins, some guy with a sniper rifle starts killing people on the streets of New York. The killer is cornered and Peter tries to talk him down from the tower where he's been shooting. However the guy jumps...just after saying that God told him to kill these people. Soon, other such crimes begin springing up all around---and each killer attributed this to God telling them to kill. In each case, oddly, they also seem very calm...and Peter is perplexed. Where this goes next is NOT where normal folks would expect and I am sure many would find it all sacrilegious as Peter begins to realize the killings are being orchestrated by a modern day Jesus...another Son of God born of a virgin. But it gets MUCH weirder!

I liked the first half of the film much more than the second. The second portion is strange and a bit confusing. This isn't necessarily all bad, as the filmmaker, Larry Cohen, does take a lot of risks and makes a truly unique film that is much like "The Omen" meets a detective film! My only complaint is just how odd and unsatisfying the ending was for me.

By the way, if you do watch, look for Andy Kaufman playing a murderous cop early into the movie.