The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Christopher Lee plays Welsh Judge Jeffries (who was in fact a real judge back in the 17th Century in England) in this Jesus Franco directed horror-biography from 1970. He has known as "The Hanging Judge" and would convict with a heavy strike from his gavel. Lee does quite a fine job in the lead role and almost all on his own leans me toward recommending this one, but alas it is close, but no cigar on this one. As I mentioned earlier directed by the late Jesus Franco and over his career I would commend him on the amount of work he ended up directed and writing, even though at the time of writing this review I have seen 3 of his pictures and none of them I really liked or would recommend to anyone. This one was the best as his I have seen to date. The personal problem I had with this movie was at times (always happens when Lee was not on screen) I would get bored. It became too talky and not enough action for me. Although to me the 3rd act was the best and does pick up, but wasn't enough for me.

George Jeffreys (Christopher Lee) is the hanging judge under James II during the 1680s... he was a personally vengeful man.This is apparently Jess Franco's answer to "Witchfinder General". Both this film and that one seem to focus on historical figures and then twisting them to have a witch/horror theme, with a lusty undertone. Witchfinder was based on an actual witchfinder... but I am not sure how much the real Judge Jeffreys dealt with witchcraft.Anyway, always nice to see Christopher Lee in a sinister, menacing role. And with great power! I found his lecherous tendencies a bit disturbing -- not surprising for the character, but seemed to me to be beneath the classy presentation we normally see from Lee. (But certainly not beneath Franco!)

...Spoilers hereI generally like anything Christopher Lee is in (as a main character and mostly as a supporter actor) but this movie is just a mess.The movie gets confused about what it is supposed to be: historical re- telling of the "Hanging Judge," a horror film, a romantic story, or a porno?All those elements are present in this film, and despite best attempts, the film cannot weave it all together.Lee plays the Hanging Judge, known as Judge George Jeffreys. Jeffreys, by historical account was a severe issuer of justice in the wake of Monmouth's rebellion and up until the Glorious Revolution. His portrayal as the stern, lustful judge is well-done but the rest of the film is just mixed up.While I always appreciate a nice nude scene, there were some in this film that were just there to keep the audience interested. Some of the torture scenes are heavily erotic in terms of the BDSM aspect. Including a scene where the main female character licks the body of a chained and tortured (and nude) woman. It is a rather long scene and really makes no sense...The jailers had been ordered to bring this woman to the judge, but instead they strip her down and she voluntarily decides to give another woman a tongue-bath while they eagerly watch. It was a bad porno intro scene if you ask me.Anyway...there is some history here...Monmouth's Rebellion and the politics of the Glorious Revolution play a role, but not enough of one to make this an interesting film.The horror aspect is really not there...the torture scenes are not horrifying; scantily clad beauties being randomly tortured isn't enough to classify this as a horror film.The love story is odd as well...highly unlikely that a nobleborn man would fall in love with a 'wench' from the town. And that story is interspersed with everything else, not giving it enough room to grow, even if it were plausible.You can probably go without seeing this movie...also the version I saw had a couple of sections where the dialogue went German with English subtitles. This occurred at the especially graphic sex and sex/torture scenes leading me to believe that the original of this movie had those edited out to avoid a XXX rating or a ban by some nations. Just odd.

"The Bloody Judge" is unquestionably one of Jess Franco's finest accomplishments, and there are several elements that contributed to this. First of all, Christopher Lee depicts another unforgettably mean-spirited and frightening horror protagonist. This doesn't always guarantee a great movie, mind you, as Franco and Lee previously collaborated to make a couple of sequels in the Fu Manchu series, and they were dreadfully boring films. The character of medieval witch hunter Judge Jeffries clearly suits Lee a whole lot better than the oddly mustached oriental master-criminal and his performance confirms this. Secondly, for one of the few times during his entire career, Jess Franco could actually rely on a decent budget! There was enough money for fancy costumes and atmospheric scenery, and even the editing and cinematography were clearly handled professionally. Finally, you can hardly go wrong with the subject matter of medieval witch-hunting, political corruptness, vile torture footage and robust executions. Although clearly inspired by the popularity of "Witchfinder General" (starring Vincent Price), "The Bloody Judge" contains more than enough own ideas and ingenuity to be considered as a success in its own right. The film opens with the extended and compelling trial of a young girl accused of witchcraft, leading to her relentless execution burning at the stake. The long opening adequately introduces the character of Judge Jeffries, but the actual plot only unfolds after this. The executed girl's sister flees up the country and falls in love with the son of an eminent politician, who also happens to rebel against the corrupt English crown. The obsessive Judge Jeffries orders his followers to capture all the rebels and submit them to torture, but the army of William of Orange is slowly approaching England to conquer the crown. The amounts of graphic violence and – especially – gratuitous sleaze are admirably kept rather low, and this in favor of character development and tension building. Naturally, there are a handful of brutal sequences on display (notably the "interrogation" of poor Alicia) but "The Bloody Judge" is mainly story & atmosphere-driven. Franco regular Howard Vernon (Dr. Orloff!) has a small but terrific role as the sneering executioner Ketch. Like another reviewer already stated, Vernon here strangely resembles Marty Feldman when he played Igor in "Young Frankenstein". Maria Rohm is enticing and beautiful as ever playing Mary or "that wench" as people insist on referring to her. "The Bloody Judge" is a good film that easily deserves a spot in my Jess Franco top five, alongside "The Diabolical Dr. Z", "The Awful Dr. Orloff", "Faceless" and "Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun".