Four of the Apocalypse

Starring: Fabio Testi, Lynne Frederick, and Michael J. Polland
​Written by: Ennio De Concini
Directed by: Lucio Fulci

Lately I've been on a Fulci kick. I knew him mostly for his horror films like House by the Cemetery and Zombie but I had never really explored his filmography outside of the horror stuff he did. I wasn't aware the Fulci made an Italian Western and that is exactly what we have here.

Four of the Apocalypse is a very deceiving title as it doesn't really have anything to do with the apocalypse and the main characters don't team up to terrorize the land. The film focuses on four unruly people making their way across the desert. There's a conman, a prostitute, a drunk, and a crazy dude. As they make their way across the desert, they come across a stranger who asks to team up with them.

Naturally, the stranger screws them over and the conman swears vengeance. Then the four continue their trek across the desert, each one succumbing to an ailment along the way.

I feel conflicted about this movie. It's got some nice gore, even when compared to movies like Django. For example, Chaco (the stranger) tortures a lawman in a very gruesome fashion. You can definitely see the beginnings of a horror filmmaker here.

The music is extremely out of place. You remember that scene in Django Unchained where Tarantino dropped in Jim Croce's I've Got a Name? Yeah, it's like that, but for the whole movie.

The movie feels meandering at times. As I said, a large part of the film focuses on them crossing the desert. If you go into this expecting some crazy revenge movie like Hang 'em High, you're going to be disappointed. However, if you're okay with just watching these people cross the desert and seeing the people they meet. You'll be entertained.

Overall, I feel like Four of the Apocalypse is an adequate Italian Western and is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Fulci.