The Four of the Apocalypse... (1975)

Four petty criminals, three men and a woman, wander through the trackless terrain of the Wild West Utah and are hounded by a sadistic bandit.

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Ennio De Concini (adapted for the screen by), Bret Harte (stories) (as Francis Brett Harte, Brett Harte)

Stars:

Fabio Testi, Lynne Frederick, Michael J. Pollard

Cast

Cast overview:
Fabio Testi	...	Stubby Preston
Lynne Frederick	...	Emanuelle 'Bunny' O'Neill
Michael J. Pollard	...	Clem
Harry Baird	...	Bud
Adolfo Lastretti	...	Rev. Sullivan
Bruno Corazzari	...	Lemmy
Giorgio Trestini	...	Saul
Donald O'Brien	...	Sheriff of Salt Flat
Tomas Milian	...	Chaco

Storyline

Follows the adventures and travels of four petty criminals in 1873 Utah whom include gambler and swindler Stubby Preston, pregnant prostitute Bunny O'Neal, drunkard Clem, and a mental disturbed man, named Bud, who's obsessed with the dead. The quartet travel aimlessly through the Utah Badlands looking for food, water and people to swindle, while they are harassed by a villanous Mexican bandit, named Chaco, whom Stubby vows revenge after the bandito sexually assaults Bunny.

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Plot Keywords:

topless female nudity | pregnant prostitute | revenge | gambler | prostitute | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

12 August 1975 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Four of the Apocalypse

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coralta Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technospes)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two scenes where deleted from the final cut of the film. One of them was after Chaco leaves the group for dead, an injured Clem crawls on his wounded leg and unties Stubby. This scene was deleted because it dragged the film on. Despite the fact the scene was deleted it was seen on one of the lobby cards issued for the film. The other scene omitted from the film was a full blown love scene between Stubby and Bunny, but it was deleted because it was considered excess. To this day the scenes are considered lost or have yet to be discovered.

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Goofs

When Stubby takes the doll from the dead little Swiss girl, she moves her left hand.

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Quotes

Chaco: Chaco is the name my friend, and I would be very happy to join your group.
Stubby Preston: Nobody invited you.
Chaco: But I did. I'm a damn good hunter you know. Wherever you go you'll have a piece of meat every day.

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Connections

Featured in Fulci Flashbacks: Reflections on Italy's Premiere Paura Protagonist (2011)

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Soundtracks

Movin' On
Music by Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi, & Vince Tempera
Words by Rink Greenfield & Peter Cook
Sung by Greenfield & Cook and Benjamin Franklin Group

User Reviews

Rare and violent Italian Western about an enjoyable group who is harassed by a brutal Mexican bandit

Quattro dell'apocalisse (original title) is a bloody Spaghetti Western with usual Mexican desperado Tomas Milian who steals the show as a merciless bandit and filmed , of course , in Almeria . An Italian production full of action , exaggerated characters, shootouts and lots of violence . For money, for pleasure, for revenge, he doesn't care why he kills or how ¡ ... A group of misfit characters are taken prisoners by the Utah Sheriff (Donald O'Brien) but later they are freed . Four petty criminals, three men , a card player named Stubby Preston (Fabio Testi) , a drunk (Michael J. Pollard) , a crazy African-American (Harry Baird) obsessed with the dead and a pregnant prostitute (Lynne Frederick) , wander through the trackless terrain of the Wild West and are hounded by a hearless outlaw who rapes , slashes, ravages and murders each person involved in his attacks . The quartet looking for food, water is submitted a tempestuous trap by evil Mexican bandit and receive violent knocks, punches, kicks and wounds . The group sees the atrocity over a Mormon family and Stubby Preston executes a single-handedly revenge . He is relentless in his vendetta , deadly in his violence. The conflict is a simple one between avenger , swindler Stubby and oppressors, nasty bandits commanded by cruel outlaw named Chaco .

It's an exciting and tragic western with breathtaking showdown between the protagonist Fabio Testi against the sadistic Tomas Milian and his hoodlums . In the film premiere attained bit success , nowadays is best valued and I think it turns out to be a good Spaghetti Western. The Cuban Tomas Milian as a cruelly baddie role is terrific , he is fine, he cries, ravages the screen , shoots, hit and run and kills . The film packs violence, gore, gun-play , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shootouts or stunts every few minutes . Appears S. W. usual support cast as Bruno Corazzari , Charles Borromel , Donald O'Brien , Lorenzo Robledo , all of them turn up in multiple Italian/Spanish Western productions . There are many fine technicians and nice assistants as Goffredo Unger, also secondary , habitual master of arms in numerous Spaghetti Western. Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a glimmer sun and a fine set on Austria , Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain and Elios Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy (studio) . The soundtrack is full of sensible songs and sad ballads , furthermore haunting musical leitmotif . Striking cinematography in Eastmancolor by Sergio Salvati , Fulci's ordinary .

The motion picture is realized by one of the most controversial filmmakers of terror movies , Lucio Fulci in his usual style with some flaws a but is professionally made because he is a skilled craftsman . He creates a strange Western that manages to be both scary , tragic and skilfully made . Reviewers are divided over booth the morals and talents of Fulci (1927-1996) who sometimes directed under the alias ¨Louis Fuller¨. For some critics many of his movies are gore-feasts that tried to be disguised itself under many other titles , were cruel and shockingly violent, yet their gory surface often conceals religious, social commentaries or intelligent issues. Whether he should be viewed as a cheap sensationalist or just a genius Fulci has a loyal fan base and undeniably has an important and unique influence on the terror genre , creating great works on a low budget and deserving its cult status such as proved in ¨ The black cat ¨, ¨Manhattan baby¨, ¨Gates of Hell¨, ¨Island of the living dead¨, ¨New York ripper¨ , among them. ¨Four of Apocalypse¨ is one of his more imaginative Western , Fulci also directed another Spaghetti as ¨white Fang¨, ¨Challenge of White Fang¨, and ¨Massacre time¨. It's just one passable Western and acceptable budget movie that still packs a punch for those who like to be entertained out their wits . This peculiar Western will appeal to Lucio Fulci aficionados .