The Flying Serpent

THE FLYING SERPENT stars George Zucco as Professor Andrew Forbes, a greedy archaeologist who fervently protects an Aztec treasure he's discovered. How does he protect it? He has the titular Quetzalcoatl kept in a cage. Knowing how much the legendary creature covets its feathers, Forbes leaves one with anyone he sees as a threat to his wealth. Then, throats are torn out and jugular veins severed!

As others have already stated, this is a "re-imagining" of THE DEVIL BAT with Bela Lugosi. This time, the mythical monster stands in for the big bat. Rather than special shaving lotion, it's lost plumage that drives this beast wild! Zucco is his old, perfectly stolid self, and Quetzalcoatl is serviceable enough, especially for a PRC release.

An enjoyable yarn...

One of my favorite Poverty Row movies. Yes, it's cheap. Yes it's corny. No, it's not a milestone in film achievement. What it is, though, is a camp classic featuring the always awesome George Zucco as an insane archaeologist using the Aztec bird-god Quetzalcoatl to kill his enemies. If that simple description doesn't pique your interest, then this isn't the movie for you. Of course the special effects are limited. It was a PRC movie shot on a shoestring budget. But if you can look past its limitations you will see that it's a good solid hour of fun. Recommended for all fans of George Zucco or 1940s horror movies in general.

This disposable cheapie stars George Zucco as an archaeologist who discovers Montezuma's treasure and uses the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl, to kill those he thinks might pose a threat to his secret fortune.

This is basically a remake of the 1940 Bela Lugosi picture, 'The Devil Bat'. In other words, there's nothing new here. Nothing particularly memorable either, though Zucco does well enough in his role. The special effects for Quetzalcoatl were better than I expected, but they're still not all that convincing. This is just your typical 40's flick with all the predictability and lousy attempts at humor you'd likely expect. We also get an unappealing hero played by Ralph Lewis. I was rooting for Zucco all the way.

It's not a long movie, so at least you won't waste too much time on it. Still, there are far better 40's films out there. I'd suggest seeing one of them and letting this serpent fly right on by.

PRC Pictures, the cheapest of the B studios in the '30s and '40s, specialized in "horror" movies, few of which were "horrible" and most of which were barely movies. British actor George Zucco starred in many of them, and Sam Newfield--the brother of PRC president Sigmund Neufeld--directed many of them; neither Zucco nor Newfield had reason to be proud of any of them. The one thing they all had in common was shoddy production, technical ineptness and fifth-rate storytelling. This one is no different. The "story" concerns a mad doctor who has captured Quetzlcoatl, a mythical Mexican bird god of death, and uses it to kill his enemies. The bird model is laughable, with the strings used to move it clearly visible in almost every shot. Flubbed lines, pauses where actors forgot their lines for a second are all left in; in fact, there is one scene where the camera follows someone walking down a city street, and as the person walks by a plate glass store window, the reflection of the entire crew is clearly visible! Director Larry Cohen used the basic idea for his film "Q" in the 1980s, but with far better results. The fact that Cohen remade the film is astounding enough; the realization that he actually must have sat through to the end of this movie in order to do so is absolutely mind-boggling.

Of all the horror films cranked by the poverty row studio's in the 1940's, those made by PRC were the most outrageous. THE FLYING SERPENT is a case in point. George Zucco, who was always entertaining as the villain in these films, plays a mad archaeologist who discovers a hidden Aztec treasure and living Archaeopterx. Zucco is convinced the prehistoric bird he has found is the actual feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs. Zucco discovers the bird is very jealous of its feathers and will kill anyone who possess one and uses the bird to knock off his enemies.

A lot of people have mercilessly trashed this minor little thriller. I must confess, I have a lot of affection for it. Its actually very entertaining if viewed in the right frame of mind. Scenes of the big bird flying stiffly through the air and landing on the people, border on the surreal. George Zucco was always entertaining in these pictures and he is very entertaining here. I don't think one could say Zucco ever walked through a part.