This is one of my favourite films of Jess Franco, maybe on my Franco Top 3
and it's for sure one of Jesús Franco's most "normal" directed films.
The hardcore psycotronic Franco lovers may NOT think that's a good thing
though as they are hooked on this highly idiosyncratic Spanish filmmaker and
his unique way of directing a film. I respect that, but Jesses films are an acquired
taste and I may prefer his more "normal" films.
But I've spent a fortune through the years to see his films, or some of them as
he directed over some 200, at first by buying expensive VHS copies in the 80's
and then on DVD and Blu-ray. Ooooh, it pains me when i think of all the crappy
WIP, Jungle Queen - Cannibals and vampiress movies of his i've seen, or Not!
As there's something about his style that gets you, it's as a Non-Mainstream
approach to direction as possible, maybe rebel filmmaking.

Below are my Jess Franco favourite films (read about them in my Horror film
page as they're scattered around there):

The Bloody Judge is a well made and well acted dark historical horror-drama
taking place in 1680's England, and it's another film about Judge George Jeffrey,
the feared witch-hunter, most famously depicted on film in Michael Reeves
"The Witchfinder General". Howard Vernon plays the creepy torturer.

The film could have the record in alternate titles: The Bloody Judge/Der
Hexentoeter von Blackmoor/Night of the Blood Monster/Il Trono di Fuoco/
El Juez Sangriento/The Witch Killer of Blackmoor/Throne of the Blood Monster /
The Witches Trial or The Trial of the Witches, and it was Jess answer to the
harrowingly dark horror film masterpiece "The Witchfinder General/The
Conqueror Worm (1968)" by Michael Reeves, and with some extra torture and
sleaze added then by Jess naturally.

Night of the Blood Monster / The Bloody Judge takes place in 1685 and one of
the Stuarts, James or Jacob the II are King of England, but the times are dark
with social unrest and with the country on the brink of Civil War.
The Duke of Monmouth as well as William of Orange want to usurp the throne.
The King who wants to suppress the rebellion appoints the brutal Judge George
Jeffrey to quell the uprising by a merciless hunt of dissidents and witches
where in both cases the punishment was death.

Jeffreys has sentenced a woman, Alicia Gray (Margaret Lee) being burnt by the
stake and her sister Mary Gray (Maria Rohm) has joined the son of the Earl of
Wessex (Leo Genn) in the uprising against the King. In a oppositional region a
whole village is emptied of their women and taken to the witch trial.
Judge Jeffrey and his executioner (Howard Vernon, Jess favourite actor and
playing some part in most of Jess many movies) takes on their royal mission
with gusto, but their days of terror is soon to end.

Above pic: The Old Blue Underground 2004 or 2005 DVD edition
restored and with inserted extra scenes of Euro Continental sleaze

The scenery looks a bit southern (an orange tree could be spotted?) and the
film was shot in Portugal and Spain by cinematographer Manuel Merino.
In the big battle scene probably situated in some recreation area you can spot
wooden benches.
Uncredited as Sally Village Girl is the beautiful spanish actress Diana Llorys
ignored by everyone. She acted in early Franco "The Awful Dr. Orloff" 1961
and later in Franco's experimental "Nightmares Comes at Night". She also
makes an impact in my favourite spanish giallo "Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll".
Christopher Lee is magnificent as Judge Jeffreys and the film radiates doom,
hopelessness and Evil. The Battle scenes looked pretty good too.

Blue Underground presents the film in 2.35:1 widescreen with english audio
DTS-HD 1.0 with english subtitles

Extras 4K UHD Disc 1 - Three Audio commentaries with Troy Howarth and
Nathaniel Thompson, with Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, with David
Flint and Adrian Smith

Extras Blu-ray -
The three audio commentaries above
Bloody Jess: Interviews with Jess Franco and Christopher
Lee where Jess seems to be very pleased with the film, and rightfully so)
(25 minutes made in 2003),
Judgement Day: Interview with author Stephen Thrower (33 minutes, and
he do mention Diana Llorys, more of him please),
In the Shadows: Interviews with filmmaker Alan Birkinshaw, Stephen
Thrower and producer Harry Alan Towers (24 minutes),
Deleted and alternate scenes, US trailers and TV spot, still galleries