COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER (BLUE UNDERGROUND BLU-RAY)
History is often a great resource for those seeking inspiration in the horror genre. More often than not, our past is filled with violent, gruesome, and seemingly evil acts that have been carried out in a myriad of different ways and reasons. For the most part, the most horrific parts of history have to do with how we human beings treat one another and the lack of acceptance we prescribe to others. What makes history and horror such great bedfellows is that often the truth doesn’t require much embellishment, so relaying things as they happened can be just as horrific as trying to add-on elements that serve the same purpose. One part of Western history that has strong ties to the horror genre is the inquisitions and witch finders. Rife with stories of women murdered on more than suspicion and brutal torture carried out against those who won’t conform, one doesn’t need to look farther than these parts of our collective history to see that fact is often more startling than fiction. One such historical horror story comes from none other than Jess Franco and one of his go-go leading men, Christopher Lee. In Night of the Blood Monster (aka Bloody Judge) we get to see the duo teaming up for a horrifying recount of Judge Jeffreys with a brand new Blu-Ray and 4K UHD disc out now from Blue Underground. Is this sordid tale a hallmark of the genre, or is it just another rehash of a film best left forgotten?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Sir Christopher Lee plays the Lord Chief Justice of seventeenth-century England who condemns women as witches to further his political and sexual needs.
HOW IS IT?
Jess Franco may be one of the most divisive filmmakers in the genre's history. Pinning him down to one genre or style can be difficult as he often traffics in multiple genres all at once borrowing liberally and with varying degrees of success. The Spanish filmmaker certainly makes horror movies, but not all of his movies are traditionally horror and some are at best tangentially related. “Night of the Blood Monster” (“Blood Monster” for brevity) is one such Franco film where to call it “horror” would only be partially true as it has much more in common with a period drama than it does any such “blood monsters” as the title promises. This is not to say the film is without merit, rather, it should be met with a significant expectation check before proceeding.
The film’s star is Sir Christopher Lee who appears both young and stunning in the titular role of “Blood Jude” or “Blood Monster”. A character loosely based on the real-life Judge Jeffreys, albeit with some significant embellishing as is the case with these types of films, whose sole purpose is to convict rebels, traitors, and most of all witches as part of his remit from the King. Lee is expectedly infectious to watch on-screen as he handles the role of the Judge with a playfully diabolic smugness, which is met with a significant amount of emotional depth as we see throughout the film. He is unrelenting and savage in his characterization, which is part and parcel of many a Franco film. The broader story surrounds the conviction of a witch, her sister, and the ensuing entanglement that happens with a local leader and his son who may or may not be intending to overthrow the government. The plot has all of the fixings to be an episode of Outlander (I am making some assumptions as I’ve never seen an episode) which may disappoint fans looking for more of the horror elements as promised by the title.
The real genre elements are more exploitative than horror, and for those who know Franco, that means gratuitous amounts of T&A. “Blood Monster” certainly brings all the softcore skin you’d expect to see from Jess, mixed with a helping of bondage and torture which is again part of the Franco Filmatic Experience. It is far less exploitative with the violence here than it is with some of his other films, and you wouldn’t be mistaken for thinking you’re watching something on Lifetime After-Dark as the heavy-handed melodrama is only matched by the moments of passionate and periodic sex. It's not bad, it's just not what you may be expecting when you reach for a title so intentionally horror-aimed as this one is. Franco completists are likely to get more out of this as it is far more serious and cinematic than some of his other films, and credit where it’s due, the film looks outstanding. Still, it is hard to recommend “Blood Monster” largely because it doesn’t do much to appease many of what horror fans want, except the select group that prefers their horror baked in history and more mellow than massacre-like.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
“Blood Monster” comes out on Blu-Ray courtesy of the William Lustig-founded Blue Underground label. Easily one of the longest-running genre labels around, BU is consistently one of the better labels when it comes to A/V quality given their history and pedigree in the film industry. “Blood Monster” comes to us in 1080p HD with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and has been remastered from the original elements with added scenes found in a European film vault. The presentation is quite stunning, and while we have no frame of comparison for a previous release it is safe to say this is likely the best this film has and will look. The colors are vibrant and the tweaking doesn’t over-compensate any of the natural grain. Images from this release are used throughout this review and seen below:
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
The audio options on this disc are minimal but effective. A 1.0 DTS-HD mono audio track is here along with English subtitles for the hearing impaired. The sound itself is crisp and void of any cracking or popping from the original masters. For a mono track, it also packs a wallop of boasting a big sound without losing quality and having no range to work with. It’s more than sufficient and likely wouldn’t benefit from any sort of upgrade.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
When it comes to releases such as “Blood Monster”, it can be hit or miss concerning additional features. Given how old some of these films are, especially ones just getting the HD treatment, tracking down sources and people able to speak on these topics can be a challenge. A challenge that Blue Underground steps up to wholeheartedly! The first feature we took in was the 25-minute Bloody Jess - Interviews with Director Jess Franco and Star Christopher Lee. This interview is an archival one as both legends are no longer with us, and the split interview format showcases two very different sides of the film for viewers to get a better sense of. Lee tends to focus more on his performance and his desire to articulate the character with as much authenticity as possible. On the other hand, Franco is far more concerned with the filmmaking process and goes over in quite specific detail how certain scenes were done and how the production went. Of note was the fact that almost none of the film was filmed on a set as most shots were filmed on location in Portugal and Spain. Of similar interest is the 7 times that Lee and Franco collaborated together, this was the only film they ever argued over. Lee wasn’t too keen on some of the embellishments Franco was making, and as such Lee still hasn’t seen the film given his protests.
The other, and most commonplace special feature is a series of deleted and alternative scenes. Most of these are international alternative scenes swapped in to appease various country-level censors. One scene has Maria Rohm fully clothed as an alternate to a scene where she is sans clothing, while others are more elongated scenes left on the cutting room floor. The one scene that is of note is the Alternate German ending which sees a far more diabolical and graphic end to Judge Jefferys than what ends up in the final version on the disc. A full list of special features included in this release is listed below:
Bonus Materials
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
Judgment 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
LAST RITES
“Night of the Blood Monster” is one of the more tame and mellow Franco films that should appeal to fans of the more lavish periodic pieces over the more sleazy exploitation fare. While the film is more middling than maniacal, it is elevated by an outstanding A/V presentation from Blue Underground and some intriguing extras for Franco fans!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! Night of the Blood Monster is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!
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