The Bloody Judge

aka Il trono di fuoco; El proceso de las brujas; Der Hexentöter von Blackmoor; Night of the Blood Monster

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Horror will hold you helpless!

The Bloody Judge (1970) follows an overzealous 17th‑century English judge who uses his judicial power to condemn alleged rebels and witches, igniting a brutal campaign of persecution and rising unrest. As the judge’s authority and cruelty escalate against both political foes and those he deems pagan, tension mounts across communities fearful of both torture and injustice. This historical horror blends grim period drama with exploitation‑tinged horror elements, a stark reflection on power and cruelty in a chilling study of corruption and fear.

  • The Bloody Judge, like many Jess Franco features, is certainly not for everyone. And that, in many ways is its best asset. Something about its need to provide distance between itself from the mainstream idea of what is either acceptable or unquestionably popular gives it a significance which can be missed by more conventional forms of criticism. Just because it’s not about eloquence or subtlety does not preclude it from being about honest artistry.

    Andrew Graves, Court in a Dream (88 Films, 2023)

The Bloody Judge 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD editions

See which disc extras are included across selected editions.

Disc Extras
Blue Underground BD-ALL 4K/US 2024
88 Films BD-B/UK 2023
Umbrella BD-ALL/AU 2022
Koch BD-B/DE 2020
Blue Underground DVD-0/US 2003
Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
Audio Commentary by Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman
Audio Commentary by David Flint and Adrian Smith
Introduction by Christian Keßler (In German, 4:37)
Franco-Philes: Musings on Madrid’s B-Movie Maverick [Extended Version] (65:19)
Bloody Jess - Interviews with Director Jess Franco and Actor Christopher Lee (25:10)
In the Shadows - Interviews with Alan Birkinshaw and Stephen Thrower on Harry Alan Towers (24:15)
Judgement Day: Looking Back at a First Class Franco Frightener - Interview with Stephen Thrower (33:32)
Alternate Ending from German Version (1:41)
Alternate English Opening Title Sequence as “The Bloody Judge” (2:06)
Alternate German Opening Title Sequence (2:15)
Alternate Scene 1 [In English] (1:27)
Alternate Scene 1 [In Spanish with German Subtitles] (1:12)
Alternate Scene 2 (0:55)
Alternate Scene 3 [In English] (1:21)
Deleted and Alternate Scenes (x5, 12:15)
Deleted Scene 1 [In Spanish with English Subtitles] (5:45)
Deleted Scene 1 [In Spanish with German Subtitles] (5:45)
Deleted Scene 2 [In German] (0:32)
Scene Comparison Between Spanish and International Versions [In Spanish with German Subtitles] (0:30)
Stills Gallery [88 Films] (4:32)
Stills Gallery [Blue Underground 4K] (x6)
Stills Gallery [Blue Underground DVD] (272 Images)
Stills Gallery [Koch]
Biography: Actor Christopher Lee - Written by Avie Hern (20 Screens)
Biography: Director Jess Franco - Written by Perry Martin (21 Screens)
US Theatrical Trailer 1 as “Night of the Blood Monster” (0:56)
US Theatrical Trailer 2 as “Night of the Blood Monster” (1:02)
US Theatrical Trailer as “Night of the Blood Monster” with Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) (1:53)
US TV Spot as “Night of the Blood Monster” with Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) (0:34)
Super 8 Version as “Der Hexentöter von Blackmoor” (In German, 31:39)

Edition and Packaging Notes

  • Blue Underground’s 4K UHD includes a Blu-ray, which is also available separately.
  • 88 Films’ Blu-ray includes a 16-page booklet with writing by Barry Forshaw (“The Other Mathew Hopkins: The Bloody Judge”) and Andrew Graves (“Court in a Dream”).
  • Umbrella’s “Retro Horror Double Feature, Vol. 2” Blu-ray also includes Circus of Fear (1966).
  • Koch’s Blu-ray includes a 16-page booklet with writing by Oliver Nöding (in German) and a soundtrack CD.
  • Blue Underground’s DVD contains a 4-page booklet with writing by Tim Lucas. It is also available in “The Christoper Lee Collection” box set with Circus of Fear (1966), The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968) and The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969).
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Collector’s guide

Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.

The Bloody Judge title screen
  • Screen shot for Franco-Philes: Musings on Madrid’s B-Movie Maverick [Extended Version]
    Franco-Philes: Musings on Madrid’s B-Movie Maverick [Extended Version] (65:19)
  • Screen shot for Bloody Jess
    Bloody Jess (25:10)
  • Screen shot for In the Shadows
    In the Shadows (24:15)
  • Screen shot for Judgement Day: Looking Back at a First Class Franco Frightener
    Judgement Day: Looking Back at a First Class Franco Frightener (33:32)
  • Screen shot for Biography: Actor Christopher Lee
    Biography: Actor Christopher Lee (20 Screens)
  • Screen shot for Biography: Director Jess Franco
    Biography: Director Jess Franco (21 Screens)
Editions
Blue Underground box art
Blue Underground 4K 2024
  • Video
      • HEVC
      • 2160p
      • Dolby Vision, HDR10
      • 2.35:1
      • International Version
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p23.976
      • 30.98 Mbps
      • 2.35:1
      • 1:42:41.822
      • 24.18 GiB
      • International Version
  • Audio
      • English DTS-HD MA 1.0
      • 48 kHz
      • 737 kbps
      • 24-bit
  • Subtitles
    • English SDH
    • French
    • Spanish
88 Films box art
88 Films BD 2023
  • Video
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p23.976
      • 40.00 Mbps
      • 2.36:1
      • 1:42:40.155
      • 32.86 GiB
      • International Version
  • Audio
      • English LPCM 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 2304 kbps
      • 24-bit
  • Subtitles
    • English SDH
Umbrella box art
Umbrella BD 2022
  • Video
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p
      • 2.35:1
      • International Version
  • Audio
      • English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
  • Subtitles
    • English SDH
Koch box art
Koch BD 2020
  • Video
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p23.976
      • 37.00 Mbps
      • 2.36:1
      • 1:42:40.155
      • 28.67 GiB
      • International Version
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p23.976
      • 37.00 Mbps
      • 2.36:1
      • 1:19:04.531
      • 21.26 GiB
      • German Version
      • MPEG-2
      • 576p
      • 8.50 Mbps
      • 2.36:1
      • 1:44:07.000
      • 6.47 GiB
      • Integral Version
  • Audio
      • English LPCM 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 1536 kbps
      • 16-bit
      • International Version
      • German LPCM 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 1536 kbps
      • 16-bit
      • International Version
      • German LPCM 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 1536 kbps
      • 16-bit
      • German Version
      • English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 192 kbps
      • 16-bit
      • Integral Version
      • German Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 192 kbps
      • 16-bit
      • Integral Version
  • Subtitles
    • English
    • German
Extras Audio Commentary by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson Blue Underground 4K
Audio Commentary by Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman Blue Underground 4K
Audio Commentary by David Flint and Adrian Smith Blue Underground 4K
Franco-Philes: Musings on Madrid’s B-Movie Maverick [Extended Version] (65:19, 576i) Koch BD
Bloody Jess - Interviews with Director Jess Franco and Actor Christopher Lee (25:10, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
In the Shadows - Interviews with Alan Birkinshaw and Stephen Thrower on Harry Alan Towers (24:15, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Judgement Day: Looking Back at a First Class Franco Frightener - Interview with Stephen Thrower (33:32, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Alternate Ending from German Version (1:41, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Alternate English Opening Title Sequence as “The Bloody Judge” (2:06, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Alternate German Opening Title Sequence (2:15, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Alternate Scene 1 [In English] (1:27, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Alternate Scene 2 (0:55, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Alternate Scene 3 [In English] (1:21, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Deleted and Alternate Scenes (x5, 12:15, 1080p) 88 Films BD
Deleted Scene 1 [In Spanish with English Subtitles] (5:45, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Deleted Scene 2 [In German] (0:32, 576p) Koch BD
Scene Comparison Between Spanish and International Versions [In Spanish with German Subtitles] (0:30, 576p) Koch BD
Stills Gallery [88 Films] (4:32, 1080p) 88 Films BD
Stills Gallery [Blue Underground 4K] (x6, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
Stills Gallery [Blue Underground DVD] (272 Images) Blue Underground DVD
Stills Gallery [Koch] Koch BD
Biography: Actor Christopher Lee - Written by Avie Hern (20 Screens) Blue Underground DVD
Biography: Director Jess Franco - Written by Perry Martin (21 Screens) Blue Underground DVD
US Theatrical Trailer 1 as “Night of the Blood Monster” (0:56, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
US Theatrical Trailer as “Night of the Blood Monster” with Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) (1:53, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K
US TV Spot as “Night of the Blood Monster” with Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) (0:34, 1080p) Blue Underground 4K

Notes

  • “Franco-Philes” is also available on Blue Underground’s Blu-ray of Cecilia (1983), and in a shorter edit on 88 Films’ Blu-ray of Devil Hunter (1980).
  • Scream Factory’s Blu-ray of Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) includes a different TV Spot.

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