Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Night of the Blood Monster 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 15, 2024

Jess Franco's "Night of the Blood Monster" a.k.a. "The Bloody Judge" (1970) arrives on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the release include multiple audio commentaries; archival programs with filmmaker Alan Birkinshaw and critic Stephen Thrower; deleted and alternate scenes; vintage publicity materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The prolific producer Harry Alan Towers married the very beautiful Austrian actress Maria Rohm in 1964. During the next two decades, Towers funded a lot of different films that attempted to transform Rohm into a star, and the most successful of these films were directed by Jess Franco. Rohm appeared in several other films as well, but the ones that did the most to build her image were the films Franco directed.

One of these films is Night of the Blood Monster a.k.a. The Bloody Judge, which Towers co-produced with Enrico Colombo and Arturo Marcos. It is based on an original story by Towers which was adapted by Colombo and Franco, but as is usually the case with the films Franco directed, this is largely an irrelevant detail. Why exactly? In all of the films Franco directed over the years, he was fully in control of their stories, which evolved literally until the moment he declared that he was done shooting. Franco would enthusiastically alter some of these films even after they were supposedly ready, though usually this extra work required an advanced payment that was provided by a distributor. (This is one of the key reasons some of Franco's films have longer, often explicit versions).

In Night of the Blood Monster, which is set in 17th-century England, Rohm is surrounded by several established actors and plays the sister of a young woman who has been accused of being a witch. When she fails to change the mind of a notorious judge (Christopher Lee) who loves to try witches in his court, her sister is burned at the stake. Not too long after that, the judge, who turns out to be an old pervert and lunatic, comes after Rohm and forces her to sleep with him. She gives the judge what he desires to stay alive, but several unexpected developments permanently transform him into the blood monster that is mentioned in the title of the film. Eventually, as the balance of power in England altered, the judge is served a dose of his own medicine.

The mass battle scenes make it easy to conclude that Franco was given an unusually big budget to make Night of the Blood Monster. Most of these scenes are pretty good and a few are even excellent, but the complete film still has the identity of a classic Franco project that takes its atmosphere far more seriously than everything else. Naturally, anyone expecting Night of the Blood Monster to be a proper period film with conventional characters behaving in such a film will be disappointed.

Because they share many identical themes, a comparison between Night of the Blood Monster and Witchfinder General is unavoidable. However, these films have drastically different atmospheres that push them in completely different directions, so their period fireworks have practically nothing in common.

Night of the Blood Monster is, like a lot of Franco projects, a fluid trip. However, instead of a beautiful Spanish coastal resort or some other exotic place, this time the playground is England during one of its darkest periods. But the change is largely irrelevant. Indeed, almost immediately after Rohm fails to save her sister, Franco initiates a familiar subversion game that infuses Night of the Blood Monster with the heavy atmosphere of his contemporary films. This is the very reason why somewhere in the second act Rohm participates in a sexual ritual that would have been most appropriate in an S&M thriller. In other words, all the drama involving the judge, his targets, and the political intrigues is simply a giant façade providing cover for Franco to do what he did best.

Rohm looks great but has serious competition, which is another reason Night of the Blood Monster is not like Witchfinder General. A very attractive Margaret Lee, for instance, plays her doomed sister, but several other uncredited actresses look terrific before the camera as well. The male cast also includes Leo Genn, Hans Hass Jr., Milo Quesada, and Peter Martell. Howard Vernon, a frequent guest in Franco’s films, has the wildest part as the judge’s unhinged executioner.

Franco worked with Spanish cinematographer Manuel Merino, who lensed two of his greatest films, Vampyros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy.

Night of the Blood Monster 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blue underground's release of Night of the Blood Monster is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc and the Blu-ray disc are Region-Free.

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-28 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #33-36 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of Night of the Blood Monster which can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. in native 4K, I viewed the 4K makeover with Dolby Vision. However, I spent a lot of time with the 1080p presentation of the 4K makeover because it is sensational.

I have nothing but praise for the work that was done in the lab because the film looked stunning on my system, and I am not exaggerating at all. Also, there are a couple of inserts from European elements -- you will know where they are when the audio temporarily switches from English to German -- that look terrific too, so the end product is an outstanding restoration and reconstruction. Delineation, clarity, and depth are at reference levels, so all visuals, regardless of whether they are close-ups or large panoramic shots, look stunning. I really liked the color grading job as well. All primaries look very healthy and wonderfully balanced, while the existing ranges of nuances are even better than I expected them to be. Needless to say, the entire film looks gorgeous and boasts a terrific organic color palette in native 4K and 1080p. However, I was so impressed that I ended up viewing the entire film without interruptions in 1080p as well, and to be honest, I think that I prefer how it looks in 1080p. Why? As odd as it may sound, I think that some of the colors look richer and darker nuances are more pronounced, and this works very, very well for this film. (For what it's worth, the 1080p presentation does not just donwscale the colors, which was an issue with some of Blue Underground's more recent releases. The conversion here is properly done). After performing several comparisons, I do not think that the Dolby Vision grade introduces any meaningful improvements, in darker areas or daylight footage. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain is beautifully exposed, but expect to see a few very small fluctuations that are introduced by specific lensing options. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks spotless as well. All in all, the 4K restoration is one of the very best 4K makeovers that I have seen prepared to date, not just a terrific 4K makeover of a Jess Franco film.

Night of the Blood Monster 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a strong soundtrack that creates a lot of memorable contrasts. I thought that it sounded terrific. The dialog was also very clear, sharp, and stable. However, because the 4K restoration is also a reconstruction that uses several inserts from European elements, in a couple of places the English audio switches to German audio. The switches are not errors. It is how you get the longest, most complete version of the film.

Night of the Blood Monster 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. It covers a wide range of topics, from the conception, production, and promotion of Night of the Blood Monster to the careers of the many people that made it. It is a very objective commentary that highlights some of the film's strengths but also points out several of its weaknesses, like its willingness to veer off in exploration territory where Jess Franco felt comfortable. There are some quite interesting, and true, comments about the mass footage Franco shot, which is surprisingly good.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. It offers very different information. For example, the commentators share a lot of factual information about the real Judge George Jeffreys and speculate how he may not have been the monster that Jess Franco's film depict because he was "trapped by the system" he served. Also, there is some good information about producer Harry Alan Towers and his relationship with Franco, as well Christopher Lee's acting choices.

• Commentary Three - this audio commentary was recorded by critics David Flint and Adrian Smith. The commentators speculate why Jess Franco's film has been promoted with drastically different titles in different territories, and discuss its production history and values, Harry Alan Towers' legacy, the type of thrills the film offers, etc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. It covers a wide range of topics, from the conception, production, and promotion of Night of the Blood Monster to the careers of the many people that made it. It is a very objective commentary that highlights some of the film's strengths but also points out several of its weaknesses, like its willingness to veer off in exploration territory where Jess Franco felt comfortable. There are some quite interesting, and true, comments about the mass footage Franco shot, which is surprisingly good.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. It offers very different information. For example, the commentators share a lot of factual information about the real Judge George Jeffreys and speculate how he may not have been the monster that Jess Franco's film depict because he was "trapped by the system" he served. Also, there is some good information about producer Harry Alan Towers and his relationship with Franco, as well Christopher Lee's acting choices.

• Commentary Three - this audio commentary was recorded by critics David Flint and Adrian Smith. The commentators speculate why Jess Franco's film has been promoted with drastically different titles in different territories, and discuss its production history and values, Harry Alan Towers' legacy, the type of thrills the film offers, etc.

• Featurettes -
  
  1. Bloody Jess - in this archival program, Jess Franco and Christopher Lee discuss the real Judge George Jeffreys and the conception and production of Night of the Blood Monster. In English and French, with English subtitles where necessary. (26 min).
  
  2. Judgement Day - in this archival program, critic Stephen Thrower discusses the production and unique qualities of Night of the Blood Monster, as well as its placement in Jess Franco's body of work. In English, not subtitled. (34 min).
  
  3. In The Shadows - in this program, filmmaker Alan Birkinshaw and Stephen Thrower discusses the illustrious career and legacy of the prolific producer Harry Alan Towers. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Deleted and Alternate Scenes -
  
  1. Mary's Grief (6 min).
  2. Clothed Love Scene (2 min).
  3. Jeffreys' Nightmare (1 min).
  4. Mary's Release From Dungeon (2 min).
  5. "Bloody Judge" Main Titles (2 min).
  6. "Der Hexentoter Von Blackmoor" Main Titles (3 min).
  7. Ending From German Version (2 min).

• Trailers and TV Spot -
  
  1. U.S. Trailer (1 min).
  2. U.S. Combo Trailer (2 min).
  3. U.S. Combo TV Spot (1 min).

• Still Galleries -
  
  1. Posters
  2. Advertising Materials
  3. Lobby Cards
  4. B&W Stills
  5. Color Stills
  6. Video & Soundtrack

Night of the Blood Monster 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is silly to speculate that producer Harry Alan Towers and Jess Franco might have wanted Night of the Blood Monster to be a historically accurate film about the notorious Judge George Jeffreys. While Night of the Blood Monster was made with an unusually big budget, it is another typical Franco project with all of the typical thrills his work is known for. It was also a big promo piece for the beautiful Austrian actress Maria Rohm, who had recently married Towers. I think that it is a pretty good film, with Rohm looking great in it, though I probably would not recommend it to fans of Witchfinder General. Blue Underground's combo pack introduces an incredible new 4K makeover of it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.