MOVIE: The Flying Serpent (1946)

 

The Flying Serpent

Directed by Sherman Scott (pseudonym for Sam Newfield)

Starring George Zucco, Ralph Lewis, Hope Kramer, Eddie Acuff

PRC 1946

 

Quetzalcoatl, a flying serpent deity of South American culture has somehow ended up being kept in a cage by megalomaniacal archaeologist Dr. Andrew Forbes (George Zucco), in order to keep his grip on Mentezuma’s treasure. Forbes has discovered that planting one of the creature’s feathers on his perceived enemies will lead the creature to them, attacking them on the jugular in a vampire-like fashion.

It’s a wonder Zucco could keep a straight face during his opening speech, in which he fills the audience in on what’s happened before we join the story, but then George was a professional and never gives less than 100% throughout the picture. He’s far more interesting than the asinine characters who flesh out the cast, so much so that one finds themself cheering against hope for the crazed Dr. to get his way.

It’s not long before Zucco opens his on-screen murder account by setting Quetzalcoatl on a colleague who dares to alert the world to the existence of the treasure in a newspaper article, and in-between the usual talky interludes there are more attacks on anyone who threatens to blow the gaff on his hidden riches.

Dress it up all you like, this is basically a rehash of the same studio’s Bela Lugosi vehicle The Devil Bat (1940), but that doesn’t detract from a fun 59 minutes. Truth told, the effects of the creature flying and diving on its prey are rather effective, and more accomplished than you’d expect from a film of this vintage and provenance, although I will concede that the scratches on the print I viewed likely distracted my eyes from any visible wires.

The same seam of Mesoamerican culture would later be exploited to much grander effect by Larry Cohen for Q: The Winged Serpent (1982).

TRIVIA NOTE: Director Sam Newfield frequently used pseudonyms on his work for PRC, likely because he made so many films there. With his brother, studio head Sigmund Neufield also appearing on the credits of the company’s output it may otherwise have looked too much like a two-man operation.