Jess Franco was one of the Kings of European Films that didn’t play your local art house. His movies were perfect for your local theater that appealed to the Psychotronic audience. He knew how to sleaze up the screen. He also worked fast. In 1969, he teamed up with Christopher Lee for four films including Count Dracula, Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion and The Castle of Fu Manchu. The fourth film Night of the Blood Monster (aka The Bloody Judge) is coming out on 4K UHD in March. Lee plays the brutal Judge Jeffries, England’s Lord Chief Justice during the seventeenth century. He was supposed to be finding witches, but was he a sadist using his job to get his demented kicks? Franco’s original release was tortured before release. But now you’ll get to see it uncensored and upgraded to 4K UHD (and also a Blu-ray release) so it will look better than when the tore up 35mm print played at your local drive-in. Here’s the press release from Blue Underground with all the bonus features information:
On March 26th, Blue Underground unleashes the complete, uncensored version of Jess Franco’s notorious Night of the Blood Monster (also known as The Bloody Judge), on 4K UHD and Blu-ray.
Horror legend Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, Dracula, The Wicker Man) stars as Judge Jeffreys, the Lord Chief Justice of 17th century England, who used his power and influence to condemn women as witches for his own political and sadistic desires. Fueled by his obsession with a bar maiden (Maria Rohm), Jeffreys’ spree of violence and carnality culminates in what Lee described as “scenes of extraordinary depravity!”
Featuring performances by Howard Vernon, Margaret Lee, Maria Schell, and Academy Award® nominee Leo Genn, Night of the Blood Monster is a mixture of horror, sexuality, and sadism that you won’t soon forget.
Christopher Lee gives one of his most unforgettable performances as Judge Jeffreys, the infamous 17th Century witchfinder.
![Night Of The Blood Monster (AKA The Bloody Judge) [4K UHD + Blu-ray]](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0naHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmcnIHZpZXdCb3g9JzAgMCAyMTYgMCc+PC9zdmc+)
HORROR WILL HOLD YOU HELPLESS!
Christopher Lee (THE WICKER MAN) gives one of his most unforgettable performances as Judge Jeffreys, the infamous 17th Century witchfinder whose unholy obsession with a luscious wench (Maria Rohm of EUGENIE) fuels a jaw-dropping spree of torture, brutality and flesh-ripping perversion. Howard Vernon (SUCCUBUS), Margaret Lee (FIVE GOLDEN DRAGONS), Maria Schell (99 WOMEN) and Oscar® nominee Leo Genn (QUO VADIS) co-star in this landmark epic of sexual violence and sadism, complete with a superb score by Bruno Nicolai (COUNT DRACULA) and directed with spectacularly deviant glee by the one and only Jess Franco (VENUS IN FURS).
Blue Underground is proud to present the most complete and uncensored version of NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER (also known as THE BLOODY JUDGE) from a brand-new 2023 Dolby Vision HDR 4K master, painstakingly restored from various European vault elements featuring additional nudity, bloodshed and what Christopher Lee himself calls “scenes of extraordinary depravity!”
Bonus Materials
- Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) and HD Blu-ray (1080p) Widescreen 2.35:1 feature presentations
- Audio: 1.0 DTS-HD MA (English)
- Subtitles: English SDH, Francais, Espanol
- 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
