Judge Holden | Most Evil Moments from Blood Meridian

[@treavorwhitlock5606]

The line " that which exists without my knowledge exists without my consent" is about the most metal thing in literature. I say it quietly to myself when I find Oreos I forgot I still had

[@WetbackNoSetback]

You are mental but thats metal

[@dioydatt9369]

Bahahaha! I have kids, I hide snacks, too!

[@greywalker505]

I loathe Holden, but even I have to concede, that is a pretty cool line.

[@thehazyblob]

​@@greywalker505anyone who doesn't is sick in the head

[@XxAmayaSanxX]

Im howling thanks 😂😂

[@MrCritic77]

The more I hear about this Judge guy, the less I care for him. Seems like a real jerk.

[@joppy9900]

He's definitely a knucklehead

[@vingasoline5068]

Always pleased to meet a Norm fan

[@jonathanbell8887]

I found him under the Queensboro bridge - I don't even want to say what he was doing.

[@cotillion]

I knew about the murdering part, just not about him being an all around bad guy

[@chadthunder5068]

Explain to the folks at home what a jerk is.

[@bioshocked99]

Definitely one of the most evil characters in all of literature. Can’t believe you left out the chapter where he hid the batteries for the TV remote.

[@daxmarshall4969]

Real sick shit.

[@Gardeningismypassion833]

😔 how horrible I heard he bruises perfect fruits so no one can get a good lookin one

[@gongboy83]

There's a deleted chapter where he hits all of the buttons in the elevator of a tall building.

[@hyperion3145]

​@@gongboy83 Is that the same chapter where he swapped the labels on the glue and the eye drops?

[@greywalker505]

He would. And he’d wait for the family to kill each other, then tell whoever was left standing, “I never checked the remote’s batteries. In fact, it seems to be working just fine.” Basically a repeat of “I never met the preacher before today.” The guy just stirs conflict because it’s fun to him.

[@woweric]

the average height around that time for a male was about 5’7 or lower, imagine a huge almost 7’0 albino man almost reaching the top of the tent lmao. terrifying shit

[@coreyhall1150]

Thats a big burly monster. Almost other worldly. Judge seems like a demon honestly. That's what those times did to ppl's minds. Look at old pictures from that time noone smiles.

[@LTPottenger]

In europe and big cities. Different story in the country and frontiers. People in the ozarks at the time were the tallest in the world.

[@josedorsaith5261]

​@@coreyhall1150 Pictures took 10+ minutes to expose. Try holding a smile for that long

[@coreyhall1150]

@@josedorsaith5261 Buddy ppl back then didn't have a whole lot to smile about.... Times were ROUGH. And ppl were tougher and allot more brutal.

[@aregulargenericname8794]

​@@coreyhall1150Tougher in what sense? And also, no, people will always try to smile and be happy, even at the worst of situations. (And that exposure time is also the reason barely anyone was smiling + it was seen as proof of being a drunk)

[@RooneySparks]

There's a common theory of him being the devil, but it gets 10 times creepier if you look at him as just a random demon. Like, bro...please leave...

[@FookMi69]

It kinda implies that The Devil may be way worse than this

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

I believe that he represents what is called the demiurge. Which would explain his behavior far more than simply a demon.

[@Stopitpls]

@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat Yea there’s a lot of gnostic themes in the novel, but the archetype is the same. Personally I prefer the idea that Holden is the devil incarnate, the same being who tempted Eve, who tempted Christ, who tortured Job. He plays a fiddle, never sleeps and is always dancing, he is the father of all lies and he will never die, like the devil. He worships the material world and seeks to control all of it, like the Demiurge

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

@@Stopitpls in an odd way I would have to say that he's not even really evil he is simply the end result of a powerful being with absolutely no morality similar to the sorts of things that Nietzsche talked about that is Will To Power. I always point to the crime case of Leopold and Loeb who read Nietzsche and then ended up murdering a kid to prove they were an Uber man

[@bickyboo7789]

​@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat I'm kind of in the same boat. Just a massive man with unlimited will power, highly intelligent and absolutely no morals or empathy for others. Just a terrifying combination of traits for a man back in an untamed, near lawless wild frontier.

[@spencerfoote6977]

Bro really went in a tent and said a few words that got people killed. That’s a dangerous man

[@jalcomics]

Intentionally. For his own entertainment.

[@greywalker505]

@@jalcomics And he straight-up admits, “My source is I made it the fuck up.” Not verbatim, but you get the point.

[@melanisticmandalorian]

@@jalcomics and he stole the collection money.

[@tymelthompson4182]

No, those are stupid people.

[@terpdx]

For me, the real horror is the congregation who violently attack the preacher after nothing more then a few wild claims from a total stranger. It's genius plan, actually. What better place than a church to spin a fictional tale and have everyone blindly believe everything you say?

[@Cynidecia]

"This is him! The Devil, here he stands!" The scary part is that the book implies Holden quite literally is.

[@connorhlane]

He's the demiurge, not the Devil.

[@Cynidecia]

@@connorhlane Gnosticism is rebranded Satanism.

[@finchatforharambe905]

@@connorhlanewhat the hell is that?

[@BallBatteryReligion]

​@@finchatforharambe905in gnosticism the demiurge is an ignorant and/or evil God of the physical world who seeks to turn humans away from their spiritual potential and convince them that he is the one and only God that there is. While gnosticism wasn't strictly Christian, the most common version you'll find (and the one prevalent here) is an ancient offshoot of Christianity with a very different interpretation of the Bible as well as several non canon biblical books that lend to the drastically different perspective. These gnostics believed that Yahweh, the God of the Bible was a liar and actually the demiurge who created the world to be a prison to house mankind.

[@connorhlane]

@@BallBatteryReligion Damn good explanation, son.

[@skootz524]

"No fear" *Holden becoming a "Literally Me" character* "One fear"

[@stephen7587]

It's already begun. He's too much like Sundowner to not happen. I wouldn't be shocked if the Judge inspired that guy tbh.

[@publiusventidiusbassus1232]

@@stephen7587 I'm 99% sure Sundowner became a meme because of his goofy ass smile

[@stephen7587]

Yeah when the game came out, but MGR becomes an internet obsession once every couple years at this point so by now everything about Sundowner is memed@@publiusventidiusbassus1232

[@Ayahuasca98]

@@stephen7587both bald and hairless Both about 7 feet tall Both described as childlike Both fans of warcrimes Both abuse children Both have a creepy grin Both think humans in their natural state are good for nothing but war Both state “I’m fucking invincible/I will never die” Both have inhuman strength.

[@TheSupremeSussy]

Sundowner’s ‘Kids are cruel’ quote fits Holden like a glove lol

[@chelsiejakobsen3382]

When the Judge says that war was always there and even before man came, war was there waiting for them, I think of the time Glanton's party came across the Judge just sitting on a rock in the middle of the desert, seemingly just waiting for them.

[@bluegregory6239]

That passage might be the most powerful in the novel that is the best in American lit.

[@daxmarshall4969]

He brought the rock with him.

[@drobo01]

And it's embarrassingly stupid@@bluegregory6239

[@jacaredosvudu1638]

​@@daxmarshall4969 judge holden is Hank Schrader confirmed?????? (They are minerals Marie)

[@similaritiesendhere]

These seem to be clues that the judge is the devil. War existing before man could refer to the war in heaven and Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert. By the end of the book, the judge is dancing around a fire naked, playing a fiddle. It's pretty "on the nose".

[@FookMi69]

This guy makes every horror villain look like Mr. Rogers.

[@kyleshea384]

Even Griffith?

[@FookMi69]

@@kyleshea384Yes. Even Griffith.

[@MajorErection]

Holy shit its the jonkler

[@theCombine25343]

man makes griffith looks like a saint

[@WingsWithWax]

Lil Ze from City of God

[@roccosimmone1837]

4:56 "Glanton spat and shook his head" This line always stood out to me, as Glanton probably knows what the Judge is going to do with this kid

[@bman1235]

I think it can be interpreted many ways and that’s what so intriguing. Glanton knows, doesn’t care and doesn’t regulate him, but it seems as if he does for a moment there.

[@princetchalla2441]

@@bman1235 Glanton having brief moments where even his humanity surfaces is the most interesting thing to me. He never goes so far as to challenge the judge, but even he has limits to what evil he likes to partake in.

[@m3lk0r83]

wasn't the implication that the men they came across had been abusing the kid? i always thought that was what Glanton was spitting about

[@roccosimmone1837]

@@m3lk0r83 That could definitely work too, I just think that with the judge asking if anyone else is responsible for the little boy, Glanton probably knows what is going to happen to him and spits out of disgust or shame. It’s also crazy how the real person the judge is based off of did the same thing to kids.

[@-_-Code-_-]

@@roccosimmone1837well in your opinion who was he really based on? I’ve always thought he was an amalgamation of glantons men, sort of combining a bunch or peoples acts and traits to simplify writing and not assert that kind of guilt to a real name.

[@greywalker505]

You know what I think the Judge deserves? I think he deserves to be trapped somewhere filled with nothing but peace, comfort, laughter, and happiness, where nobody fights, he’s physically incapable of hurting anyone, and vice versa. Why? Because he thrives on war and suffering. The ultimate agony for someone like that is to put them in a place where none of that even exists.

[@FookMi69]

Put him in the My Little Pony universe

[@greywalker505]

@@FookMi69 Definitely. The guy would be pulling his (nonexistent) hair out, trying to get someone, anyone to fight someone else, but they’d just say, “Nah, I don’t wanna.” Karma at it’s finest.

[@o.l4890]

Won't stop him from assaulting a child tho

[@greywalker505]

@@o.l4890 Hence why I put the “unable to hurt anyone else.”

[@PrinceAliTheGreatest]

He’s lose his mind if he was put into the world of The Teletubbies. Basically, none of his philosophy can be understood there.

[@georgeofhamilton]

The most evil one to me was when the Kid said, “Are you Judge Shane Holden?” and the judge replied, “My name’s not Shane, Kid,” when in fact he was named Shane.

[@FookMi69]

Gimme a drink, bartender

[@cheefqueef6494]

Lemme tell you somethin', Kid.

[@yucatansuckaman5726]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@dankspiderman579]

"That which exists without my knowledge exists without my consent" is a *haunting* line, because if anyone else said it, it would be arrogant, but with how deceptive, intelligent, and brutally unforgiving Holden is, and how much control he has over everything, you know that if anything is out there that Holden doesn't hold to standard, it's never a matter of if Holden will exterminate and defile it, just when.

[@abbeyroad8219]

I could see homelander using that one tbf

[@dankspiderman579]

@@abbeyroad8219 Consent isn't in his vocabulary, though.

[@pyerack]

It's the type of quote and rationale I'd expect from the Imperium of Man as well.

[@archiestrachan2832]

The day judge holden becomes a literally me sigma edit character is when we are truly doomed. Literally the embodiment of the devil and pure evil...

[@TygerHillis]

He’s one of the few villains that genuinely should not be in any of those edits.

[@diegojimenez5937]

Bruh...i have bad news for you. Because its happening... I already saw a few of those...obviously most of them are ironic... It only takes one dude to think is genuine

[@bitnn4703]

Now wait for the edits of AM and Qu.

[@Bob_99.1]

Those are satirical

[@averyfishyfish]

​@@bitnn4703fellow all tomorrow's fan?...

[@slis3578]

I just read him as either the manifestation of the brutality of the Wild West. Or the horsemen of war.

[@amansizedduck]

I've heard the devil take a million times, But I am really liking the horseman of war theory. It makes a ton of sense with the gunpowder story, his diatribes of war as more of a personification...etc. Good stuff

[@caleb3909]

I saw another analysis that he's a manifestation of The Enlightenment's overall effect on the Wild West or really any wild lands left in the world and the kid is the West itself. He's powerful, violent particularly to the innocent, educated and long-winded, and has no regard for human life. He is only interested in dominating all other life, categorizing it, and labeling it by any means necessary.

[@ashtonchane6126]

Or maybe the personification of Death itself.

[@zackburke5459]

He is Manifest Destiny and all of it's terrible exploits.

[@iamamaniaint]

Maybe he represents the violence and chaos one had to embrace to survive in that era? Like... the brutality involved in survival, because survival is always at the expense of some other living thing? I'm still mulling it over honestly, his significance seems like it would be obvious but it somehow isn't to me. (Currently reading it for the 2nd time)

[@IrishTechnicalThinker]

This reader is extraordinary, he was meant to read this book. The characters come to life through it, especially the judge. I love reading but some audio books are so much better in capturing atmosphere, even more so with Cormac McCarthy writing style, the monologue is just magnificent. I mean I'm a massive Tolkien and Stephen King fan and his books Carrie, the Green Mile, Stand by Me, The Shinning and Shawshank Redemption list goes on, all top tier books but no book of his has such powerful monologue like this. The writing is like Tolkien in it's beauty whereby the judge is the opposite of a Gandalf, like if Saron/Morgoth wrote a memoir. Especially when the judge says Binds Them. Like one ring to rule them all into the darkness bind them. McCarthy was truly brilliant.

[@charleywhaley]

Definitely agree with you. I don’t think it would’ve been as enjoyable if I had read it myself.

[@davidtester3239]

Richard Poe. Great reader. Funny thing is he played Chopper Dave on Frasier. 😅

[@jeffbezos3200]

@@charleywhaleynah the monologues are just well written. They’re amazing no matter how you experience them

[@OwenL2020]

He also reads East of Eden. It's on Spotify.

[@Grayfox354]

Really feels like the judge should've been the villain of the dark tower. He gives off more horror than the crimson king ever did

[@TCovenantUnbeliever]

It's interesting comparing Holden to Chigurh. Holden says he'll never die and you kind of believe him. He may not be human as we understand it. Chigurh will die one day, and violently. He limps away injured at the end. He's the scariest man in the narrative, but he is a man, and men die senseless deaths, just like Moss did. They're both monstrous characters who wax poetic and don't always make sense, but Holden doesn't even seem like a person. It makes narrative sense that Chigurh lives through the book. He has to at least outlive Llewelyn and Carla Jean , it would fail as a tragedy if he didn't. But it still seems like he's mortal because 1) the text calls attention to it and 2) the expendability of life is part of the point. In contrast, it only makes narrative sense if Holden keeps living forever. He's too emblematic of evil as a concept to actually die. I always think of the line where the Kid says "You ain't nothin" and Holden replies "You speak truer than you know". If evil is the absence of God, maybe Holden is Nothing, a void where goodness can't reach. How could such a thing die?

[@publiusventidiusbassus1232]

Holden's characterization has unnerved me like no other before or after. Saying he's the devil or a personification of evil always seemed like such a lacking, insufficient description. He's like a black dot in space, without a start or an end yet still irradiates a terrible permanence and familiarity, like a memory you can't recall but still know to exist. There's this sense of disturbing vastness to his presence but also a very tactile, earthly individuality to his existence. I honestly can't even put to words half the emotionas it elicits out of me, he's one of the biggest testaments to McCarthy's titanic literary skill.

[@gattzflappa6306]

@TCovenantunbeliever Chigurh won't die because he never existed in the first place. He's a stand in for the cartel. Chigurh is how Sheriff Bell sees the cartel, as a single man that he failed to stop, but "that's vanity". In reality, Shigurh is an entire criminal organization and much like Holden no man can ever defeat him, just oppose him. Evil is pervasive, Good must therefore be persistent.

[@universome511]

I've always thought that the Judge is the personification of the World in Cormac McCarthy's works

[@robertswitzer990]

Bravo

[@TallicaMan1986]

Holden is basically The Shadow. He exists in quite literally everyone and will til the end of days.

[@itbeWOLFLINGS]

'The freedom of birds is an insult to me.'

[@russianfederation4160]

Imagine cassualy writing something so cold

[@Pitts_not_Pitty]

I love how judge Holden straddles that line of does he have supernatural abilities or doesnt he!!! Hes so well written because the only thing scarier than him actully being a demon is him being a human you could mistake as one!!!

[@enzoarayamorales7220]

Honestly it would be even scarier if he really was just a normal man capable of all this

[@fynnthefox9078]

Holden really does blur that boundary.

[@wandiriswan6116]

He crushed a mans skull with his bare hands like a watermelon wdym "is he supernatural or not?"

[@Pitts_not_Pitty]

@@wandiriswan6116 takes between 1000-1400 psi to break a skull. Holden was supposed to be 7ft tall with a huge frame. a skinny 7 footer would be like 250 lbs so Holden would be like what 300-400 lbs. Mike Tyson punched 1500 psi at 5'10" 220 lbs. Conclusion. . . Iron Mike is clearly a wizard. I'd say him having the knowledge and ability to Macgyver gunpowder outta dirt and piss would be less likely than him being able to smash someones skull.

[@adamantiiispencespence4012]

​@@Pitts_not_Pitty the Jidge literally just squeezed a guy's head.

[@cheshire_skatkat9093]

I think he represents the worst in humanity at its core.

[@JackieBillyTom]

He represents the awful people who just like to hear themselves talk

[@silver1340]

He was embodiment of evil, Heart of Darkness incarnate. There were many subtle references hinting he's The Devil, AKA the guy that invented sin itself. He relishes in tainting and corrupting God's work, making Man fall into sin and apathy for one another, to sustain their selfish desires. In the end, he won. For what more could we provide, that he hadn't asked for?

[@JaceDanielFilms]

Who said he was human…

[@Aryan-qv5qk]

@@silver1340 god should’ve had a back up save I guess

[@silver1340]

@@Aryan-qv5qk Ironically, God let Lucifer live for a reason, otherwise the latter would face Annihilation (which is God itself destroying ones very soul).

[@daxmarshall4969]

This manifestation of evil was unchained from the mind of a single individual and released into our worlds, our minds, our thoughts, and sometimes, even our dreams.

[@jingalls9142]

That right there is terrifying. I suppose everytime we read the book or talk about him he lives again. The judge will be immortal more so than Cormac could have imagined. I suppose anything that exists without his knowledge exists without his consent right? Edit spelling

[@thememeguy2195]

Apparently Holden was based on a real man of the same name. Samuel Chamberlain's autobiography was the basis of Blood Meridian, detailing the real life escapades of the Glanton gang. And according to Chamberlain's account, the real Judge holden was just as smart and evil as the book paints him out to be.

[@Deadman1000]

​@@jingalls9142"he says he never sleeps and that he'll never die"

[@lennarthagen3638]

Holden is my hero.

[@jamesbaker3153]

.... Yeah thats called a fictional character....

[@davyjones3755]

I feel like all the crimes he accused the preacher of are crimes he did before the book

[@AveryMMartin]

He definitely did.

[@brandonblakey2015]

consort with a goat?

[@davyjones3755]

@@brandonblakey2015 yeah

[@gerrit8480]

Yeah that sounds about right.

[@penscrap]

@@brandonblakey2015 The goat was practice on how to keep your prey quiet during the act.

[@johnlocke4715]

There’s something so horrific in the combination of both his stature and intelligence. I know a 21st century-Holden type who is 6ft 7 and over 120kg and heard stories of him being stabbed over 30 times and not dying. Only to find he got his retribution. A man who has plagued my home town since he was a kid. I could not imagine if he was also hyper intelligent to go along with his brutality. That’s Judge Holden. What a character. It’s scary as there have probably been many of his kind throughout the world: intelligent, but also MASSIVE. Instilling the purest , deep-seated fear into people.

[@blinginlike3p0]

There's little equity in the Lord's gifts...

[@JH-lb3kc]

Everyone is human. Enough high caliber bullets always do the trick.

[@johnlocke4715]

@@JH-lb3kcit’s true guns made all men equal, but firearms are illegal in my country without a strict license, and if you did shoot someone like this man, you’re going to prison for at least 20-25 years, where you’ll meet his kind over and over again. Where they’ll torture, rape or kill you. Or fight you every single day until you commit suicide. I’d rather pick my battles and avoid people like this altogether, especially if they have nothing to lose, or have no fear of prison.

[@sam-ht6qv]

​@@JH-lb3kcIf you can find them😂

[@steveelder5306]

one in the head always does the trick @@JH-lb3kc

[@Truffle_Pup]

The slaughter of the Gileños is still the most horrific things ever put to paper. Brilliantly horrible.

[@insertname1129]

I went into the book thinking that the judge being the devil was just a metaphor for how evil he is but then as I read I went "nah he's definitely the devil crawled up from hell in the ugly shape of a human"

[@harryb12993]

The thumbnail is how I imagine him looking when watching something horrible. I imagine he silently laughs like with the fortune telling, his head bobbing up and down but no sound coming out. I always felt there to be a cartoon goofiness to the judge so clear in my mind and the thumbnail face fits it so well

[@appleboat8632]

Ive always thought that too, compelling and grotesque as this story is, some of it is looney toons in the best way, like the judge holding the howitzer in one arm and a cigar in the other, or black Jackson cutting off white Jacksons head

[@gravito1573]

His face is child like, so it may be the best representation we have of him

[@prouddaddyofdos]

I would definitely listen to the whole book if he read it out loud!

[@huverdoose]

Sean Rothman's channel has this guy reading the whole book (in two videos). Don't tell everybody though, or KZbin might take them down.

[@TommyFunderburk803]

It's on Audible.

[@greywalker505]

Holden becoming a “literally me” character is something that I dread but that the pessimist in me says is inevitable. Guy speaks too deeply about the evil of humanity for people not to say, “You know, he has a point.” Basically, the same thing people did with the Joker and his “One Bad Day” monologue from “The Killing Joke” or his “social experiment” in “The Dark Knight”, ignoring that he was proven wrong on both counts.

[@imbombur]

Good thing incels that watch those edits don’t read

[@greywalker505]

@@imbombur Very true.

[@greywalker505]

@@Skeletontiger Fair point.

[@proletariatworker7622]

It's rather chilling to imagine the judge leading real people astray like he did with Glanton's men and eventually the kid. Not even his unreality can contain his corrupting influence.

[@greywalker505]

@@proletariatworker7622 Sheesh. You ain’t kidding, friend. It's surprising to me that Chigurh never became an “L.M.” character.

[@depressedgum9303]

I like when judge holden says “I’ll be the judge of that” and judges all over the place

[@jankington216]

Yolo

[@mistertre80]

Womp womp

[@WozzyWatkins]

A man in Wendigoon's comment section said that. You stole that and put it on another video.

[@depressedgum9303]

@WozzyWatkins Damn I didn’t see it on wendigoons. Same wavelength as the original commenter ig

[@WozzyWatkins]

@@depressedgum9303 Oh, damn. Nvm, mb

[@mustardbiscuits9750]

Someone should write a fanfiction about Steven Universe meeting Judge Holden

[@kyon813]

If it ends the way I'm thinking, have at.

[@yellowpig1026]

steven is grossly overpowered so i don't think holden would actually be able to kill steven, but he'd definitely traumatize the fuck out of him

[@williammorahan4907]

@@yellowpig1026Steven killing Holden for good by *accident* would be the most epic thing ever.

[@crimsondynamo615]

Steven tries making the Judge stop with his usual spiel of saying he’s hurting people, but the Judge would just place his hand on Steven’s shoulder and you’d just see the Judge grin as it cuts to black.

[@mustardbiscuits9750]

@@yellowpig1026 “stopppp this isn’t youuuuu” Steven cries, as the judge unbuttons his pants

[@Sam-rf8yh]

This book has been seared into my mind since I read it several years back. The most gruesome, disturbing piece of literature I’ve come across. A masterpiece of writing.

[@EmptyMan000]

Honestly if they ever make a character who is a God of War, they need to use Holden's speech. An eloquent monster who destroys armies and commits unspeakable brutality while spouting philosophy on War.

[@HoneyTheFracking]

Xivu Arath from Destiny 2 is heavily inspired by the Judge

[@cashthecurator666]

@@EmptyMan000 My theory is that the Judge is actually Ares, the Greek god of war. Or Set, the Egyptian god of evil.

[@sergiolucio947]

Whenever Holden talks I kind of imagine Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin. He was intelligent and sophisticated but also so brutal and immensely stronger than everyone.

[@inthedeadhours]

the creepypasta music over blood meridian 🤣

[@cascadianrangers728]

The judge isn't the devil. The judge is the literal manifestation of all the evil that exists in man. The judge scares us because he is us, he is us without repercussions or consequences or restraint. He will never die because the evil inside man will never die

[@bazuso___]

Those two things would go hand in hand though, apart from the reason he says he’ll never die. The devil would seemingly be the source of all sin that man adopted, and if he’s a manifestation then he’d be the exact same thing, just in reverse. But I think the many references to the satan would indicate that it was actually one of mcarthys ideas when writing holden

[@TheOneAboveAll723]

There was this social experiment where people were given the chance to do whatever they wanted to a woman without consequence although some helped her others attempted to cut her

[@ethanbishop802]

Whilst he may be evil incarnate we can take joy in this somewhere out there, there is a embodiment of the good of humanity

[@WATCHMYCLIPSZ]

Except the Judge doesn't troll snowflakes on the internet. 😮

[@brixx079]

I really don't feel that my actions, completely without boundaries, would not in the slightest be like the actions oft the judge but I know far to many people would sadly act in similar ways..

[@stephandesme123]

I love McCarthy. His prose is so wonderful when it needs to be, and yet his work is brutal and gives an illusion of a dry world… sucked dry by humanity. Blood meridian is my favorite of all his work because of the judge character.

[@antibull4869]

Dude’s inability to use punctuation and dependence on run on sentences makes me think he is a poor writer. Though much can be said for movies adapted from his books.

[@Seyanoo]

@@antibull4869he won awards with a lot of his books and is considered a renowned writer. I don’t think you have any weight with what you are saying.

[@antibull4869]

@@Seyanoo it’s just my opinion on his writing style. Can the man produce amazing stories? Yes. Would they be better represented by a more diversified writing talent (an opinion)? Also yes, in my opinion.

[@Nantosuelta]

My favorite part of the book is when Glanton says "we'll camp near that small moon." and then the Judge says "thats no moon, its a space station.." gives me chills every time

[@CodeeXD]

Lame

[@WastingTime1878]

Typical meme crowd, no originality, all lame terrible repetition

[@georgeofhamilton]

Dumb but funny joke.

[@tanner201x8]

@@WastingTime1878 Your name suits you

[@tanner201x8]

@@CodeeXD Sorry it doesn’t appease you

[@invisi-bullexploration2374]

Judge Holden is like somebody got the CROSSED infection but they kept their cognitive skills fully intact. But also make them brilliant so every neuron firing in that galaxy brain is dedicated to plotting the most depraved acts imaginable. And humanity is locked in a cage with this thing.

[@Mike_Oxlong07]

Don't some infected keep their cognitive skills if they're already deranged/depraved?

[@snowblind9551]

So, Beauregard Salt then.

[@Cajaquarius]

@@Mike_Oxlong07 Yes. That is what made it the scariest "Zombie" style apocalypse. They keep their intellect. Later in the series they were ejaculating semen onto the bullets and blades they used because they knew it would change anyone who got mildly wounded into one of them.

[@Mike_Oxlong07]

@@Cajaquarius they do it early in the series too. I think it comes up again in the "Wish you were here" arc also dolphin grape. But i could be wrong. I've got the full physical collection around here somewhere. I'll check later. I'm pretty sure they do "hotloads" more than once though. But apparently they know everything they knew before turning, but most lack the sanity to use said knowledge.

[@greywalker505]

…I’m sorry, you have me at a disadvantage. What’s the CROSSED infection?

[@PocketGatoSleeps]

The craziest thing about Blood Meridian to me is there’s absolutely no theory to the ambiguous ending where the Kid doesn’t end up dead, becoming the embodiment of the devil like Judge, or adopting Judge’s worldview & committing more atrocities with him. If any book could have one word to describe it perfectly, all this book would need is “despair”

[@dominicbeller8700]

Because there isn’t an ambiguous ending. The Kid clearly dies.

[@bmad1386]

Wait up, here "his hands are small" , But on the part about the child who was seemingly grabbed by a large hand in the neck, the judge is the main suspect, because he's the only one with hands THAT big????

[@adikavita436]

His hands are small compared to how large his body and arms are. Compared to everyone else, his small hands are still huge.

[@leitmotif7268]

The first description of small hands comes from McCarthy’s book, the second is from the memoirs that inspired Blood Meridian. The real man that the character Judge Holden is based on was alleged to have murdered a child because of how her wounds matched the size of his large hands.

[@princetchalla2441]

His shape seems to shift throughout the book. His hands may be small, but on a child’s neck they probably appear larger than usual. Or maybe he is a demon brought into human form

[@bluegregory6239]

This is excellent. Judge Holden is high on my list of the best characters in American literature. So are a couple of the other characters in "Blood Meridian'.

[@drobo01]

This says a lot about American literature.

[@KToll5784]

@@drobo01what does it say, lil bud?

[@mitchjames9350]

Holden is most likely the embodiment of evil taken human form, there is a possibility of a counter to Holden that is the embodiment of good.

[@jonathanbell8887]

Not my comment but I saw John Coffey from The Green Mile is who it could potentially be.

[@Ratface0007]

⁠@@jonathanbell8887 That’s a pretty interesting idea. Both are massive, bald, and strong. Holden is unnaturally stark white Coffey is a black man with nothing outwardly unnatural about him Holden is a ruthless, sadistic monster Coffey is a gentle soul and a healer Coffey is a prisoner Holden is a judge, which sentences prisoners They’re like shadows of each other

[@greywalker505]

@@Ratface0007 If anyone would distress poor John, it would be Holden. A “bad, bad man”, indeed.

[@nuclearstuff9442]

I think of him as more like just chaos. Helping (when he helped the mercenaries exterminate the natives) but also doing damage (literally everything else he does)

[@theenderdestruction2362]

@@greywalker505 John seems to me more like redemption then anything, so the embodiment of good to me would be a normal sized preacher, who's face,hands,feet, and body are constantly covered and we never know his race or his face, and he be the only thing to scare Holden cause I imagine when he comes around to places like the fort, shit gets biblical real fast, i'm talking huge swarms of bugs flying in out of nowhere, diseases and storms and just darkness signaling that the preacher is approaching, and unlike Holden who rides a horse the preacher just walks, but the judge can never truly escape him, wherever the judge goes, the preacher follows and heals in his wake, that would be Holden's opposite

[@NeedNepsis]

upon reading the latter part of this book(last like 6 chapters) i became somewhat obsessive over it to the point where it was most of what i thought about, reading parts like the siege on the yuma tribe and judge scalping the little boy in the same day actually made me feel like i was going insane, the horror permeated me and i couldn’t feel anything but dread and stress. This book is pure evil

[@zombi3luvr]

the yuma tribe? is that the one near the lake?

[@NeedNepsis]

@@zombi3luvr I think so

[@ConfusedRevolutionary]

Poor dog. Got out of hell temporarily just get shoveled right back in.

[@iamamaniaint]

Yes after awhile it's just a total deluge of innocent bloodshed. I was nervous everytime they entered a new encampment. Like... can't we just skip this one Cormac Mccarthy?

[@DrFunkman]

The most horrifying thing about this is that the Judge was based on a real person, who was said to be the most evil person to go unhung.

[@kenthefele113]

Blood Meridian isn’t a horror novel, but it’s one of the scariest books ever written.

[@ghulla5126]

judge holden makes me think that maybe the joker isn't so bad at least the joker is completely insane, holden isn't he is lucid and meticulous he knows consciously what it is he does and does it anyways. he is the true embodiment of evil and may be the devil in flesh

[@NigelJinx]

Joker is Fully Aware Of His Actions.

[@ghulla5126]

@@NigelJinxyes I’m aware my point is he’s insane so even if he is aware he can’t care

[@mikekhouri7]

The Joker ISN'T insane, actually.

[@zxtwist]

@@ghulla5126The joker isn’t considered to be legally insane. The joker is an Excellent planner and strategist, everything he does is premeditated. He doesn’t hear voices, nor does he see apparitions. The jokers only issue is that he’s hyper sane.

[@ButtersCCookie]

Narration is outstanding! Thank you.

[@willmoore7582]

I read the book a few years ago and if Hollywood thinks it feasible - the film would be just as stand alone awesome as the rest of his work, if made into film.

[@bluegregory6239]

There are several other videos on KZbin speculating about making a film based on 'Blood Meridian'. I recently read that they are trying again. It is certainly filmable by the right director(s), but I think today's more 'sensitive' audiences might be 'offended'. Having said that, 'Oppenheimer' was the best film of this year, and one of the best of the last 10 years, and it is long and its subject matter grisly, but not nearly so grisly as any serious adaptation of BM could conceivably be.

[@fungus_am0nguz644]

This book is almost undaptable, the way the prose flows, the way is written, the brutality of it all is just....even if it was a good film it will never be as great as the book, it will loose something.

[@SexGod225]

@@fungus_am0nguz644on top of that I doubt Hollywood would want to make a film with this much pedophilia given their history

[@lildubbs1]

I think the implication that the judge is mystical or the personification of the devil is terrifying, but the idea that he was just a mortal man is much, much scarier imo

[@8tvh6gjigh56]

Legend has it judge holden one time drank all of the milk and left the empty container in the fridge so that an unsuspecting person may pour cereal thinking there is still milk left 😢

[@THE-KILLER-CLOWN]

😢

[@ThisGuyAd.]

I've stopped it at 24 minutes and I'm going to go read it 😂

[@Deadman1000]

I think the thing I really loved about this book and I'm not religious but it was that it raises a question to us all and that's what would you do if the devil himself was standing right in front of you?

[@lovingdemon2932]

Why would i harm you?My secret is i do not interfere with humans what better way to prove god wrong than to let it fail on it's own😊The real devil was my "dad" the whole time.

[@commercialairliner]

I'd try to become even more religious since I would have full confirmation that there is some sort of afterlife.

[@Deadman1000]

@@commercialairliner well in this hypothetical, would you ask him the how and why of everything? I'd be curious the nature of this god and if indeed the devil is his opposition

[@antmon3515]

Jesus is kind

[@avery6371]

The way Richard Poe voices Holden is legendary.

[@zerofreespeech3002]

I've been around an evil man working in a remote camp the weird thing is no one did anything about him and I quit because no one was willing to do anything about it

[@barroldtrumboma9162]

@@jacekmakeshe quit

[@Doom_Head95]

@@barroldtrumboma9162 but they also could've done something before they quite

[@dannypitcherenterprises2414]

You gotta give it to the narrator, he did an exceptionally fantastic job.

[@nicholasjackson358]

Anyone else think toadvine is a dope name?

[@Minka-ot9xl]

So does bathcat

[@tobypeterson1737]

I think he is a descendant of Hot Pie from GOT

[@lowrider81hd]

I reeeeeally wish we could get an amazing movie adaption from this book!

[@uranomichiaruki1]

You just wait til HBO makes a series of this

[@goosebumpsgaming4404]

New regency films actually just got the rights to this

[@williammorahan4907]

@@goosebumpsgaming4404Good luck finding any theatre that will show it. Blood Meridian makes every NC-17 film look like the Clangers. EDIT: I’m referring to these guys in case anyone doesn’t get the reference - kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3fTaKyFj52fgtEfeature=shared

[@lowrider81hd]

@@goosebumpsgaming4404 no shit? That’s Robert Eggers!

[@amansizedduck]

@@lowrider81hd That could be interesting. He can do dialogue. Lighthouse vibe in the psychedelic, bloody southwest with the Glanton Gang. That could work.

[@Unitedfruitco]

They’ve tried to make this a movie a few times but the producers always pull out because it’s too dark. The Judge would fit right in with some of the Global Executives in the world today.

[@KToll5784]

Pfizer moment?

[@guythathatesbull462]

You know, every time I think I find a villain that will truly take the title of the most evil in all of fiction another one pops up out of nowhere. I haven’t seen a character that can top the judge, and I dread the day when it comes.

[@bradleyhauertheedtruncanfa5020]

Have you ever heard of Vukmir from “A Serbian Film”? Vukmir is essentially Holden but even worse. You know how Holden grapes kids? Vukmir does the same… *BUT TO LITERAL NEWBORN BABIES.* He also makes snuff films about it, and even called his acts towards infants *”ART”!!!*

[@zxtwist]

@@bradleyhauertheedtruncanfa5020vukmir ain’t shit compared to Holden. Vukmir does it for profit, Holden does it because he WANTS to and for no good reason. Also Serbian film is nothing but shock value.

[@SuPeRNinJaRed]

I’m sure that Cormac (probably wasn’t a fan) but I have to admit that the description (and behavior) of Judge Holden is almost like a villain out of the Dark Tower (or the Stand) especially when he was described as “he bald as a stone... and was close on to seven feet in height” just sounds so much like early Stephen King (all due respect, of course!)

[@Mike_Oxlong07]

Probably because King is a derivative hack

[@valentinov901]

I automatically though of randall flagg/the man in black The type of man that is so evil and skilled that borderlines with being paranormal A bringer of chaos and pain in the big and small ways A perversive influence that sets father against son and brother against brother

[@morgott13]

This is one of the people king plagiarized and outright stole from. Mccarthy, Lovecraft and chambers being the most prominent

[@JudgeHolden2003]

He's more symilar to Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now in both apperance, character and actions as well as being representstions of war itself. McCarthy was most likely inspired by it

[@pleasekillyoursef]

He should make this into a top 10 and use dubstep as backgrownd music

[@jasonjean5333]

That idea is so autistic I love it

[@michaeljones1304]

Before I die I hope to see a live action rendition of this epic book

[@Scarlet_Officer]

They are no doubt gonna have to cut a lot of scenes.

[@michaeljones1304]

@@Scarlet_Officer yes for sure

[@jamesbob9235]

The last image is beyond haunting. Great for capturing the horror of the moment.

[@Sleep_SDE1979]

Nice complication....I thought I was the only one who takes the existence of birds as a direct insult to me personally!

[@Verdun16]

Truly the greatest sports video of all time

[@JaceDanielFilms]

When judge Holden said “I’m Judge Holden… DEEEZ NUTS!” and shat his pants

[@ethanlancaster819]

I literally cried at that part, no wonder people call him pure evil 😭

[@Anon26535]

House Harkonnen's proud lineage extends far back to the pre-spaceflight days of Ancient Terra...

[@phoenixrivers5414]

The face in the thumbnail looks a lot like the lady who killed her workers and fed them to her pigs. She also shit herself in the interrogation room at the police station. Where she stewed in her muck for the remaining interview.

[@MydasAU]

Ew

[@Realrockruss]

Anyone else randomly started getting blood meridian vids on their algorithm?😂 shit just started popping up for me a couple weeks ago and now I can’t get away from it

[@hashslingingslasher2613]

Yeah me as well lol it started from reading Bezerk manga break downs now I see blood meridian everywhere

[@Realrockruss]

@@hashslingingslasher2613 SAME🤣

[@Xanrax]

There are people exactly like the judge alive and well today in our society and the only difference between the judge and them is the judge dosen't hide his nature and they do.

[@JudgeHolden2003]

That would be me 💪

[@Xanrax]

@@JudgeHolden2003 He rapes and kills children and everything. You do also?

[@xora8366]

@@XanraxI do

[@Cynidecia]

​@@xora8366 Join your father in Hell.

[@Randy_Flamethrower]

nice pfp

[@curlyfrysamurai]

The audiobook is so damn good

[@danielglenn915]

Before man was, war waited for him"

[@TheBermudaMan]

I'm not trying to question a book everyone regards as a literary classic, but who in the _HELL_ would take Holden's words over the reverend's, considering he looks like an actual demon? Unless Holden had some kind of legitimate supernatural influence over the crowd, I just can't buy it.

[@Wulfyr]

Or maybe he was just the more authoritative and charismatic of them both and realised it. I really like the ambiguity of not really knowing what Judge Holden is.

[@CheesecakeXIII]

Simple. He was just that charismatic.

[@dennisfinan7977]

Listened to this book 2 times. Love it

[@radicalcentrist4990]

Judge Holden is the type of guy that knocks on people's doors then runs away. He is the type that puts pineaple on pizza. He is the type of guy that says bad morning to his teacher. He is the type of guy that ninja loots in online RPG's. He is the type of guy that wakes people up just to tell them he's going to sleep.

[@evillamar372]

Listening to this got me angry I hate bullies and people who abuse children 😡

[@ethanmanning938]

Great narration!!!

[@hardcoreromeo2111]

I like when he said ‘I AM THE LAW!’

[@williammorahan4907]

Wrong Judge dummy.

[@darkgardener9577]

Dredd did it better tho.

[@sonofeyeabovealleffoff5462]

​@@darkgardener9577Dredd kicks ass.

[@georgeofhamilton]

There’s literally a corrupt judge in _Dredd_ named “Judge Holden.”

[@Dan-N22]

Kinda wild that Judge Holden was based on a real person's account of a guy he met in Tx.

[@jorgizoran4340]

An exaggerated account. Irl the alleged real judge wasn't bald, just clean shaven and wasn't 7ft.

[@fz7788]

@@jorgizoran4340he did violate 11 year olds

[@brandonbigham3053]

he holds a presence over every page , haunts the entire story.

[@hyugalubbok7770]

didnt read the book, but his characters intrigued me - Judge's charismatic, elegant and highly intelligent personality remind the tales of our supernatural elders, the Fae from germanic folklore, Trow from nordic folklore... fae/alfar mean "fair, bright, sun", and the albino condition said to be one of the inspiration for the fay, and his habit to dance naked and play violin remind the water-elf the Nacken.

[@DanielHenrion]

The sad thing is that as I was reading the book and imagining the scenes in my head as they played out, I couldn't help but install Phillip Seymour Hoffman into the role of the judge, and it saddens me that that is a thing that won't ever be.

[@Diditallforthexp]

Judge Holden could represent action without consequence. From his introduction when he dooms the priest, we are shown that even when he fully confesses his lies, no one cares. Those few who chastise Holden for his actions have no way of forcing change or punishment on the man, and are forced to withdraw or are killed outright. The Judge lives a life free of internal or external law. Death and domination are his laws, and he as the Judge dispenses this justice according to his twisted ideology. It's interesting if you think of him as a devil as his lawful evil alignment lines up with the m.o. of some supernatural evil. I think he's just a man. Bigger, smarter and wealthier than those around him, he wears the cape of modern-day billionaires. Enslaving, exploiting and killing those deemed as unimportant is paired with a zero chance of fighting back. Exerting will against evil forces simply draws their attention. The judge is a personification of those same ideals. He acts without consideration of others because he has no fear of reprisal. He is the representation of our lack of control in the face of savage selfish impulsiveness being wielded by a superior force.

[@Wubdarg]

I’d love to see an onscreen depiction of the judge. It probably will never happen tho sadly. I feel if blood meridian was made into a film it would’ve already happened and really can’t see it happen

[@JudgeHolden2003]

Marlon Brando would have been Perfect for the role considering how McCarthy most likely Drew inspiration from Brando's portrayal of Colonel Kurtz when making the Judge. unfortunately Brando is dead now

[@chrispontrelli4513]

What if the judge is the kid? Like a manifestation of the worst parts of his subconscious?

[@JCdental]

Interesting, but kinda baseless

[@dandanz7877]

Isnt that kinda what the ending is about. Like they are both hands of colonization?

[@christhechilled]

@@dandanz7877don’t think so

[@AveryMMartin]

⁠​⁠@@dandanz7877definitely not. The kid growing into the man is the bridge, metaphorically, of his psyche/character maturing and developing into an individual who seeks to merge with his surroundings, give witness and allowance to nature. The Judge on the other hand seeks only to obtain and possess and control, subjugating nature to bend to his desire. The judge swims against the current while the kid rides it down following its own natural force.

[@AveryMMartin]

The kid, if anything, showcases the ability of an individual, even defeated and cynical, over exposed and burnt out, to reject their beginnings and roots, their trained social and economic behaviors. The kid/man doesn’t pursue control over others ever, just wants control of himself. That confidence and assurance the Judge always saw and marked him out.

[@tony_dogs]

The more I hear about this judge guy, the less I like him. Seems like a real jerk

[@boreddad6805]

Def doesn’t own a dog house

[@Sapsche]

I wonder where he gets his ideas from.

[@andreaholcock8992]

@@SapscheRalph’s

[@wrecker132]

@@andreaholcock8992any particular Ralph’s?

[@sabreena5611]

I know the ending is supposed to be open ended and up for interpretation. I can only imagine he made The Kid/The Man's death very slow and as painful as possible.

[@jph7941]

No he corrupted the Kid/Man into raping and murdering the missing child. That’s why he’s dancing in the bar, he knows he succeeded in corrupting the Kid

[@zxtwist]

I’d ask him to spread em, but considering it’s holden, he’d probably spread me

[@alexhansen8937]

@@jph7941isn’t it more the fact that after the entire book he finally was able to get the man alone and do what he has been aiming for the entire book to the man

[@thesavagereservation]

Most terrifying is that Judge Holden is based on a real person...

[@ratman202]

When I clicked on this video I got an amber alert lol

[@jokerraton8183]

It’s rumored that the Judge is hosting the AVN awards

[@jonahd.536]

I like the part where he goes “I’ll be the judge of that!” and then judges all over everybody.

[@mistertre80]

Womp womp

[@moldybread2445]

I've never read the book, i like to think its literally just this. Just some random evil ass dude and his moments for 30 minutes

[@fz7788]

Nah its more a journey a journey with tons of fucked up murder and death. There are moments you see good, and then moments you see it all crumbling down. The ending and the epilogue really change it for me. I can spoil it if you want but it early wont have the same impact the actual ending has

[@KanyeMeatrider47]

Guys excuse me for being a bit mean but, this judge guy is a bit naughty.

[@AlexFletcher-r2q]

Yeah he’s kind of a meanie

[@nensha5084]

Cormac's ability to write villains is just like non other. impressive stuff

[@sanghoonlee5171]

0:03 So he is a walking, talking, cigar-smoking Moby Dick.

[@commercialairliner]

a dripped out white whale

[@masterchief4136]

The devil himself

[@zacharythompson9791]

The Devil would probably not let the Judge enter Hell. Too evil.

[@masterchief4136]

@thedeadamongus the hints and the clues are in the story.

[@scharlesworth93]

Nah too simple

[@masterchief4136]

​@@scharlesworth93Why tho, he is one of the best villains in fiction and him being the devil elevates that in my opinion.

[@swaggernautilus3891]

@@masterchief4136 Because him being the devil would make him boring. It would make the book worse.

[@upcomingperson4098]

To anyone willing to make the Judge become your personality (your "literally me character"), just remember: do NOT follow in his footsteps. _Please._

[@tehonlyFreeman]

The thing I find intriguing is he is this devil like man, and yet is basically just another one of the gang. They might notice he sticks out but doesn't stop any of them from going and staying with them.

[@TheCorrodedMan]

I fear no man…but that _thing…_ that thing scares me. Seemingly though, you can avoid his depravity if you just play along with his bullshit. Sure he might come back ten years down the line and crush your skull, but it’s better than giving in and becoming a part of his madness.