The Flying Serpent (1946)

The demented archaeologist Dr. Andrew Forbes discovers a living, breathing serpent creature known to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl, the Killer Bird God, and accidentally kills his wife by ... See full summary »

Director:

Sam Newfield (as Sherman Scott)

Writers:

John T. Neville (screenplay by), John T. Neville (original story by)

Stars:

George Zucco, Ralph Lewis, Hope Kramer

Cast

Cast overview:
George Zucco	...	Prof. Andrew Forbes
Ralph Lewis	...	Richard Thorpe
Hope Kramer	...	Mary Forbes
Eddie Acuff	...	Jerry 'Jonsey' Jones
Wheaton Chambers	...	Louis Havener
James Metcalf	...	Dr. John Lambert (as James Metcalfe)
Henry Hall	...	Sheriff Bill Hayes
Milton Kibbee	...	Hastings (as Miltin Kibbee)
Budd Buster	...	Head of Inquest
Terry Frost	...	Vance Bennett

Storyline

The demented archaeologist Dr. Andrew Forbes discovers a living, breathing serpent creature known to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl, the Killer Bird God, and accidentally kills his wife by giving her one of the beast's feathers, causing the creature to track her down and slaughter her. Now Dr. Forbes uses this twisted knowledge to extract revenge upon his enemies by placing one of the serpent's feathers on his intended victim and letting the beast loose to wreak havoc.

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Plot Keywords:

feather | quetzalcoatl | bird | poverty row film | aztec indian | 

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Taglines:

Relic of an ancient terror born a billion years ago!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Killer with Wings

Filming Locations:

P.R.C. Studios, 7324 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sigmund Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is a virtual rehash of The Devil Bat (1940), which had been one of Producers Releasing Corporation's (PRC) biggest successes.

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Goofs

Mary Forbes (Hope Kramer) is referred to as the daughter of Professor Andrew Forbes (George Zucco) in the first half of the movie. Later she is called his stepdaughter.

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Quotes

Mary Forbes: Doctor Lambert, I wish there had never been any such thing as Aztec Indians! Father does nothing but think, dream and talk Aztecs!

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Crazy Credits

Director Jean Yarbrough's name spelled as ``Yarborough'' in credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Nightmare in Blood (1977)

User Reviews

For Zucco Completists Only

George Zucco's archaeologist character has a major problem at the beginning of the 1946 cheapie "The Flying Serpent." He had recently discovered Montezuma's treasure horde in an Aztec cave in New Mexico, and now fears that the locals might start to get snoopy. Good thing he's also found Quetzalcoatl, the legendary Aztec serpent/bird god, and has learned that the creature will track down and kill whoever is in unwitting possession of one of its feathers. Thus, pretty soon, Zucco is planting Q plumage left and right, sitting back and enjoying the carnage... Anyway, this 57-minute film is minimally fun, and Zucco is always interesting to watch, but the picture is unfortunately done in by supercheap production values, a tediously talkative screenplay, occasional goofball humor, and the simple fact that we never get a solid, steady look at Quetzalcoatl itself. Worse, the film's resolution is asinine and inane, with Zucco behaving uncharacteristically stupid and contrary to common sense. Matters aren't helped by the badly damaged film print offered to us on the Image DVD that I just watched, with problematic sound, to boot. Many other viewers have noted the similarity between this picture and another PRC effort, "The Devil Bat," a Bela Lugosi vehicle released five years earlier. In that film, Bela had lured his flying killer to the intended victim by using a special shaving lotion; here, those darn feathers have been substituted. Bottom line: I would have to say that "The Flying Serpent" is a movie for George Zucco completists only, if such an animal exists. Other viewers who are interested in a film featuring the feathered serpent god alive and well in the 20th century would probably be better advised to seek out Larry Cohen's 1982 film "Q."