1945's "The Flying Serpent" brought George Zucco's five picture reign at PRC to a close with its completion in August of that year (held back for release for several months), inspiration running dry as it turned out to be a thinly disguised remake of the company's horror debut, Bela Lugosi's "The Devil Bat" in 1940 (both sharing the same writer, John Thomas Neville). Bela's portrayal of Dr. Paul Carruthers was an absolute joy, delivering seemingly innocuous lines with sardonic aplomb to let the audience in on the joke, while Zucco as Professor Andrew Forbes is a decidedly antisocial sourpuss saddled with a daughter that Lugosi never had (perhaps paving the way for PRC's final horror outing, the outrageous sequel "Devil Bat's Daughter"). Quetzacoatl is the name of this 'feathered serpent,' half bird, half reptile, the legendary Aztec god tasked with guarding the hidden treasure of Montezuma, discovered by Zucco's Forbes some five years earlier, learning of the creature's penchant for swooping down on its victims (attracted by the scent of its own feathers) to tear out their throats and consume their blood because his own wife became its initial target. Greedily coveting the treasure for himself, the nutty professor sics the monster on anyone who gets in his way by planting a single feather on his enemies, who must rank in the dozens considering how many feathers the poor beast must retrieve! The flying effects are actually superior to its predecessor, and Quetzacoatl has a fearsome look that adds some weight to the attacks (actually clamping down on sheriff Henry Hall's neck), imprisoned within the cave beside Montezuma's treasure and only set free as an instrument of murder. Zucco's performance is intensely similar to that in "The Mad Monster," a thoroughly disagreeable fellow whose every action calls attention to the hidden location, seemingly oblivious to losing his wife, then deciding to off his daughter as well. Not as much fun as "The Devil Bat" but a more unique monster for Poverty Row, making up for the dull stretches involving the radio station's investigation.
Review of The Flying Serpent
