[REC] 4: Apocalypse

[REC] 4: Apocalypse

Year: 2015

Runtime: 95 min

Language: Spanish

Director: Jaume Balagueró

ThrillerHorror

With humanity facing extinction, a determined doctor embarks on a perilous journey aboard a ship engulfed in chaos and fear. She desperately seeks the origin of a mysterious contagion that is turning people into terrifying creatures. As the situation worsens, the crew and passengers struggle to survive against the escalating horror and search for any hope of understanding the apocalyptic events unfolding around them.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen [REC] 4: Apocalypse yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2015)

Explore the full timeline and setting of [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2015). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Apartment complex, Quarantined ship

Two settings anchor the story: a quarantined apartment complex overrun by infection and a sealed research ship where scientists monitor the pathogen. The apartment building is claustrophobic and chaotic, with infected residents and a rescue turning into containment. On the ship, isolation creates tension as crew and researchers race to understand and control the pathogen while reconstructing events through Ángela's camera. These confined spaces heighten danger and force hard, irreversible choices.

🏢 Apartment complex 🛳 Ship 🧪 Laboratory

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:52

Main Characters – [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2015)

Meet the key characters of [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2015), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Ángela Vidal (Manuela Velasco)

A brave reporter drawn into a deadly outbreak who becomes the narrative focal point. She remains resourceful under pressure, guiding others with information from her camera and showing resilience even when the situation grows increasingly dire.

🧭 Reporter 🧪 Resilient

Lucas

A seasoned special forces operative who survives the apartment complex mission and continues to aid the crew on the ship. He is capable and loyal, but his impulsive tendencies ultimately lead to a tragic encounter with the infected.

🪖 Soldier 🧭 Loyal

Guzmán

A tough team member who quickly becomes entangled in the pathogen’s spread aboard the ship. His alliance with others is strained by fear and the creeping infection, culminating in him becoming infected and posing a direct threat to Angela.

🦠 Infected 💥 Aggressive

Captain Ortega

The ship’s captain who must assert authority under extreme pressure. He navigates danger and mutiny, taking drastic measures to maintain control as the outbreak escalates.

🧭 Leader 🧰 Captain

Dr. Ricarte

Head scientist overseeing antidote efforts and medical experiments on the ship. He is determined and calculating, willing to push ethical boundaries to contain the outbreak, even as the plan begins to fail.

🧪 Scientist 🧠 Ambitious

Dr. Ginard

A doctor whose infection accelerates the crisis. He becomes a dangerous foe once infected and participates in the dangerous chain of events on the ship.

🧬 Doctor 🩺 Risk-Taker

Nic

A resourceful technician who reconstructs the apartment complex events and aids Angela in navigating the ship’s peril. He emerges as a key ally in the escape.

🧰 Technician 🗺️ Resourceful

Elderly Woman

A wedding survivor from the apartment outbreak who makes it to the ship but is separated and revealed to be infected, amplifying the stakes and emotional toll.

🧓 Survivor 🦠 Infected

Ship’s Cook

A crew member who becomes infected after exposure to the pathogen, illustrating how quickly the outbreak spreads through everyday routines.

🍳 Cook 🦠 Infected

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:52

Major Themes – [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2015)

Explore the central themes of [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2015), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧬 Infection

The outbreak drives every decision, spreading from the apartment complex to the ship and dictating the characters' actions. Scientists race to isolate the pathogen, attempting to develop an antidote while confronting the limits of their knowledge when the strain mutates. The parasite transfer and monkey vector reveal how fragile containment can be. Fear, improvisation, and ethical debates collide as lives depend on imperfect science.

🔒 Containment

Quarantine structures the narrative: sealed spaces, restricted movement, and desperate attempts to keep the pathogen from spreading. Self-destruct protocols and contested access to systems threaten survival and escalate tension. Isolation amplifies paranoia and forces lethal choices, blurring lines between ally and threat as trust erodes.

🔎 Truth

A reconstructed account of events, aided by Ángela’s camera and Nic’s analysis, gradually reveals what happened inside the complex and aboard the ship. Surveillance and medical data challenge beliefs, exposing deception and unintended consequences. The pathogen’s origin and the parasite transfer are uncovered piece by piece, pitting truth against fear.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:52

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies like [REC] 4: Apocalypse with claustrophobic containment horror

Stories where trapped survivors face a terrifying threat in a sealed environment.If the high-stakes survival on a quarantined ship in [REC] 4: Apocalypse gripped you, explore these stories of lockdown horror. This thread features movies where characters are trapped in confined spaces, fighting for their lives against a relentless outbreak or monstrous threat, creating a tense and desperate viewing experience.

claustrophobicquarantineoutbreakdesperatechaoticsurvival horrorcontainment failureparanoid

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically begin with a breach of safety, forcing characters to barricade themselves against an external or internal menace. The plot revolves around the breakdown of order within the confined space, failed escape attempts, and the psychological toll of being trapped with a growing, gruesome threat.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here by their shared core premise: a contained setting under siege. The similarity lies in the oppressive atmosphere, the constant high tension from limited escape routes, and the focus on survival against an escalating, often infectious, horror.

Movies like [REC] 4: Apocalypse about parasitic pandemic apocalypses

Stories where scientific hubris unleashes a world-ending parasitic infection.Fans of the parasitic horror and scientific mystery in [REC] 4: Apocalypse will find similar dread in these science-gone-wrong apocalypse stories. This thread features films where a biological contagion, often with gruesome body horror, spirals out of control, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction.

apocalypticbody horrorviral outbreakscientific hubrisgruesomedesperateparasiticchaotic

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves the discovery of a terrifying new pathogen, followed by the rapid failure of containment protocols. Characters, often scientists or survivors, race against time to find a cure or origin point while navigating a world descending into chaos, frequently ending on an ambiguous or bleak note.

Why These Movies?

These movies are connected by their central theme of a scientifically-plausible horror causing an apocalypse. They share a heavy emotional weight, disturbing body horror themes, and a tense pace driven by the urgency of understanding and surviving a grotesque, transformative infection.

Unlock the Full Story of [REC] 4: Apocalypse

Don't stop at just watching — explore [REC] 4: Apocalypse in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what [REC] 4: Apocalypse is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

[REC] 4: Apocalypse Summary

Read a complete plot summary of [REC] 4: Apocalypse, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

[REC] 4: Apocalypse Summary

[REC] 4: Apocalypse Timeline

Track the full timeline of [REC] 4: Apocalypse with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

[REC] 4: Apocalypse Timeline

[REC] 4: Apocalypse Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of [REC] 4: Apocalypse that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

[REC] 4: Apocalypse Spoiler-Free Summary

More About [REC] 4: Apocalypse

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about [REC] 4: Apocalypse: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About [REC] 4: Apocalypse

Similar Movies to [REC] 4: Apocalypse

Discover movies like [REC] 4: Apocalypse that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.