THE FLYING SERPENT (1946)
Article #45 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 4-30-2001
Posting date: 9-13-2001

An archaelogist finds the living incarnation of Quetzelcoatl (a living flying killer serpent), and discovers that it will attack anyone in possession of one of its feathers. He plants its feathers on his enemies, and then releases the serpent.

For all practical reasons, this is a remake of THE DEVIL BAT. George Zucco plays the Bela Lugosi role. The bat has been replaced by a flying serpent of roughly the same size (making it hard to believe that this is supposed to be an Aztec god), and the feathers replace the shaving lotion of the original. All these changes are for the worse, unfortunately. Zucco does an adaquate job, but he lacks the inspiration that drove Lugosi’s performance. The flying serpent is even less convincing than the devil bat, and the use of its feathers is nowhere near as interesting as the shaving lotion was in the original. In fact, in order to emulate the ending of THE DEVIL BAT, the use of feathers requires that a key character in the story to act with monumental stupidity at the end of the movie. This badly contrived ending makes this movie the next recipient of the DS Rubber Brick award, for movies whose endings make you want to throw something at the TV.