God Told Me To

1976 Directed by Larry Cohen

Horror Marathon Day 19 Film 38

This film starts with a series of mass murders- a frightening setup of horrific kills that seem to barely have any link but to say they did these horrible things in the name of God. To investigate a pious Catholic police detective is on the case. He has his own baggage around sin however- seemingly cheating on his wife, but unable to leave her. The wife however doesn’t really mind his affairs- and simply wishes he wouldn’t continue to bear the burden of his religion.

This is an interesting congruency with the previous film- The First Omen. As both deal with early 70s themes of the system of the Catholic Church crumbling there is a lot of weight to how the main characters place their purposes in life. Here the tension around Fatherhood and his inability to conceive seems to weigh on the detective. What evils would he bring into the world?

The unwinding of the mystery forces the detective to examine himself. These happenings may even be brought by other forces- and I was quite taken with how the film jumps into different conspiratorial themes of possession wrapped with the constructs of gender and procreation; complete with Cronenberg body horror moments. The American consciousness around Vietnam lingers via the tension of the societal apparatus failing.

Although the film is at times too meandering I liked seeing the detective slowly becoming part of this obsession to find the truth. Weird sightings and psychic abilities ensue, leading to a wonky if not entirely satisfying ending. I did like that there are some nice twists that play with the spiritual horror genre.

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Late Night with the Devil

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The First Omen