God Told Me To

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Larry Cohen directs. Paul Glickman behind the camera. Frank Cordell scores. William J. Waters cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
• 250 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 3Directed by Larry Cohen, shot by Paul Glickman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Frank Cordell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor William J. Waters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Tony Lo Bianco and Deborah Raffin and Sandy Dennis carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "The people of this city are being terrorized. The crimes have no motives. The killers have only one explanation...".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0075930 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography

Paul Glickman

Original score

Frank Cordell

Editing

William J. Waters

Makeup / hair

Steve Neill

Runtime

90 min · 1h 30m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

God Told Me To (1976) ↗

Rotten Tomatoes

81% 🍅 Fresh

Metacritic

55/100

IMDB rating

6.3/10 · 6,901 votes

MPAA

R

Also by

Larry Cohen

• 
  See China and Die

  1981 · ★ 8.0
• 
  Masters of Horror

  2005 · ★ 7.1
• 
  Pick Me Up

  2006 · ★ 6.3
• 
  Bone

  1972 · ★ 6.2
• 
  The Stuff

  1985 · ★ 6.0
• 
  It's Alive

  1974 · ★ 6.0

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Trailer

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  God Told Me To (1976) - "Demon" HD Trailer [1080p]

  Teaser
• 

  ▶
  God told me to (Larry Cohen, 1976) TV spots

  Teaser
• 

  ▶
  Mick Garris on GOD TOLD ME TO

  Featurette

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Wuchak2023-12-22
  ★ 7/10

  It’s, um… creative A detective in Manhattan (Tony Lo Bianco) is puzzled by a string of murders committed by unconnected people who, curiously, claim God told them to do it. Caught between his girlfriend (Deborah Raffin) and ex-wife (Sandy Dennis), he traces the crimes to a mysterious long-haired man (Richard Lynch). Proficiently made by Larry Cohen, “God Told Me To” (1976) starts out like a brooding detective mystery/thriller with Clint Eastwood, but adds an eerie psychological/religious component and, finally, high concept sci-fi. It’s sort of a 70’s version of “Five Million Years to Earth” with the artsy pretentiousness of the soon-to-come “Wolfen.” “The Brood” is another good comparison, as is the 1978 version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Yet, it’s unique and so comparisons are difficult and unsatisfactory. Critics complain that the story is outlandish and too confusing. Roger Ebert, for example, gave it 1/4 stars. However, if you keep a positive and open mind, it’s not too difficult to figure out upon reflection. Those who make the effort will want to see it again whereupon everything makes better sense. The movie runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in New York City and Pinewood Studios, which is just west of London. GRADE: B

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• LA

  Larco Productions

Key crew

• ProducerLarry Cohen
• SoundJeffrey L. Hayes
• Wardrobe DesignerHalston
• Assistant EditorMichael John Bateman
• Assistant CameraChris Balton
• Production AssistantReid Freeman
• Production AssistantArnold Mack
• Production ConsultantMichael Veiner
• Production ConsultantHarry M. Brittenham
• Still PhotographerJanelle Webb
• Production ConsultantFenton Hamilton
• Key GripMichel Grinbaum
• Production AssistantJohnny Ramsen
• Key GripAnthony Gonzalez
• Production ConsultantPeter Sabiston
• Key GripCoreydon Erickson
• Production AssistantAlan W. Bailey
• In Memory OfBernard Herrmann
• Assistant CameraStefan Czapsky
• Boom OperatorJane Landis
• ConductorFrank Cordell
• EditorWilliam J. Waters
• EditorArthur Mandelberg
• CastingSylvia Fay

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• new york city
• detective

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1976-10-22R
• Theatrical1977-03-18· Re-release

Also known as

International titles

• DemonUS
• Foi Deus Quem OrdenouPT
• DemonenSE
• Meurtre sous controleFR
• Μπάτσος και ΣατανάςGR
• 上帝旨意CN
• Chúa Đã Bảo Tôi Làm VậyVN