Director – Jesus Franco (Bloody Moon, Hellhole Women)
Starring – Christopher Lee (Tales of the Haunted, End of the World), Maria Schell (Superman, Liquid Television), and Leo Genn (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Psycho-Circus)
Release Date – 1970
Rating – 3.5/5
UHD Release – 4/5
Filmmaker Jess Franco had many frequent collaborators over the years but the one that always stood out to me was Christopher Lee. The pair would collaborate on several films together and I’ve been lucky enough to review some of them over the years. Sometime back Full Moon released Night of the Eagle which also starred Star War’s Mark Hamill, Dracula from Severin, and two FuManchu films released by Blue Underground.
Sometime back Blue Underground was re-releasing The Bloody Judge on UHD under its alternate title Night of the Blood Monster. This Franco/Lee collaboration is one I had owned for some time on DVD but never actually took the time to watch it. I want to thank my friends over at Blue Underground and MVD for sending this one over for review.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows an evil judge who uses the witch trials in England as a way to gain political power and seduce women. When his power fails to seduce a woman whose sister he just sentenced to death, she joins a group of rebels along with her boyfriend to stop him from using his power for evil. **Spoiler Alert**
I can’t believe I was sitting on this one for as long as I did without watching it. I absolutely love anything centered around witches and the witch trials so the fact that I’ve owned this film on DVD for years and never took the time to watch it really bums me out. It was a fantastic flick that has one of greatest titles I’ve had the chance to review. While I don’t really care for the Night of the Blood Monster moniker, I love The Bloody Judge and wish they would have stuck with that for this UHD release. Regardless of the title, this film is worth every minute.
The acting in this is amazing. Christopher Lee never disappoints, and he once again shows his on-screen talents. While he delivers a memorable performance, he doesn’t outshine Maria Schell, Leo Genn, Maria Rohm, and Margaret Lee to name a few. The story for this one has a lot of moving parts but I absolutely loved it. I love that the film takes place against the backdrop of the witch trials but not fully focused on it. We then have corruption, conspiracy, seduction, and so much more. It’s a film with a lot going on but doesn’t fill overcomplicated or busy.
Finally, the film has some blood and make-up effects but that is really the extent of it. The film relies heavily on sets, costumes, and characters to sell the film instead of gore. Overall, Night of the Blood Monster is a fantastic film and another amazing collaboration between one of the world’s greatest actors and one of the greatest exploitation filmmakers to ever live. I highly recommend this one especially the UHD release from Blue Underground. Check it out
Special Features:
Disc 1 (4K UHD Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras:
Audio Commentary #1 with Film Historians
Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
Audio Commentary #3 with Film Historians David Flint and Adrian Smith
Disc 2 (Blu-ray) Feature Film + Extras:
Audio Commentary #1 with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
Audio Commentary #2 with Film Historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
Audio Commentary #3 with Film Historians David Flint and Adrian Smith
Bloody Jess – Interviews with Director Jess Franco and Star Christopher Lee
Judgement Day – Interview with Stephen Thrower, Author of “Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco”
In The Shadows – Interviews with Filmmaker Alan Birkinshaw and Author Stephen Thrower on Harry Alan Towers
Deleted and Alternate Scenes
Trailers and TV Spot
Still Galleries
