This screenshot is so cool. I’m using it as my desktop image now. So thanks for it. 
Long overdue a re-watch, this one. Going to have to kick it up the priority list.
Welcome to the SWDB, Spaghetwest! Nice review!
I just watched this for the first time and didn’t like it very much. I thought the episodic feel was great but as a huge fulci fan, it wasn’t great. The gore especially is really bad by fulci standards. Overall it was cool, but disappointing after waiting so long to see it.
Fulci’s Four of the Apocalypse does what many modern film makers try to do but can’t, and thats mix genres, break all the rules, and deliver a cool story! One second he can shock you ( Stubby discovers “the meat” came from Clem) then deliver in a romantic way ( Stubby and Bunny fall in love,) and spaltter gore all over the screen! ( Chaco torturing the sheriff) and present great action sequences ( the burning of the jail for example) But the true genius of this film lies in our villian. From the moment he appears on screen, Chaco carries with him a sense of danger and dishonesty.
Second thing I want to note is that this film has everything Fulci specialzes in ( beatiful landscapes, close ups, dark, haunting, out of this world soundtrack, great lead actors, great action sequences, plenty of twists and a great ending) Its all here. Plot is something good but not great. I think it works though, seeing no other western film has a card shark, whore, drunk, and madman who see’s ghosts as it’s protagonists, all on a wagon traveling through the desert, meeting miners, a religious group, and a total badass villian (as I mentioned earlier, Milan is truly great!) The plot dosen’t bounch around much, and but overall its a fun, gory, and sometimes disturbing watch. Either way, Fulci is a genius.Only Fulci could pull something like this off. His combination of dark humor, western landscapes, horror, gothic, and haunting imagery, gore, torture and explotation scenes, and even romance deliver a atmosphere like no other. Each time I watch it it seems I enjoy all that much more. As a director, its a shame we haven’t seen anyone quite like him in recent years.
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A couple of cast notes:
Giorgio Trestini is not the doctor, Saul or Montana. He is Mel, the man who donates his horse to Stubby.
Saul, one of Altaville’s leading citizens, is Carlos Borromel (not Montana or the town drunk). Here seen with Gofreddo Unger (credited as the stunt co-ordinator)
The aforementioned Montana convincing Lemmy (Bruno Corazzari) to employ his mid-wife skills
Salvatore Puntillo (recovering man); not sure about this one as no one really recovers from anything, ANICA has (uomo che riposa disteso) which googles as resting or reposing. Here’s Puntillo in The Strange Exciting Smell of Dollars (1973).
I did not see Alfonso Rojas or Lone Ferk.
Cheers Carlos. I have made those changes to the film’s page now.
Thanks Phil.
Chaco and his men are definitely resting when Stubby discovers them. Maybe this one could be Puntillo?
Yes, I think so.
Just gave this another viewing…
Excellent film!
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Agreed.
I’ve seen this film maybe 5-6 times (and sometimes I only watched a scene or two) and it seems to get better with each viewing. Last night I watched it again and thought it was brilliant. Only the scenes in the snow town are too long in my opinion but otherwise it’s just pure gold.Great acting and directing. Milian is superb as a Chaco who is probably my all-time favorite sw villain. It’s also very good looking film with this constant soft light. It will very probably end up in my next updated top20.
Agreed. I wasn’t keen the first time i watched it but now I love almost everything about it and it’s in my top 30 without. It’s one of only three spags that I didn’t enjoy first time round but loved on a second or third viewing, the other two being $10000 Blood Money (now in my top 40) and Johnny Hamlet (now in my top 10).
Where can I buy the X-Rated Blu-ray?
Started watching some of my favourites outside of my top 20 the other night and started with this one. It’s definitely one that gets better with repeated viewings and it now lands just outside of my top 20. It has a couple of flaws, I think Clem should have had a slightly larger role especially (especially given how great Michael J Pollard was) and the ‘meat’ scene was unnecessary but short of that it’s great (hell, I even don’t mind the music and I’m the first to bash the music in Keoma and Mannaja). I’m not overly familiar with Fulci (I’m not a fan of horror) but I have seen his westerns, Contraband and a few of his gialli and from what I’ve seen I think this is his best movie.
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This is a nice looking spaghetti western but the story itself is rather boring. I’ll try and give it another watch sometime but it didn’t really impress me. Fulci’s best western is definitely Massacre Time and this is his weakest for me.
A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin is his best movie in my opinion.
P.S. I forgot about his Jack London films.
I’d say White Fang is definetely his weakest that I’ve seen. I’ve still never got round to the sequel to that one.
Anyone seen any of the available blu rays? I didn’t know this received blu ray releases
https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/Quattro_dell'apocalisse,_I/BluRay
I have the x-rated blu that came out in 2017 and it’s pretty good for the most part… some scenes are kinda soft-blurry but I believe that’s how the movie was filmed to begin with.
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And straight into my Top 20 it goes. Undoubtedly Fulci’s best and most heartfelt movie.
More so than any other SW I’ve ever seen. It’s ridiculous how better it gets with each viewing.
My thoughts exactly.
If Arrow really are just copying Blue Underground’s catalog right now, i’d love to see this one the most.
You like Silver Saddle more than this? 