utgard14 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.

Cujo108 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.

Scarecrow-88 The diabolical Professor Andrew Forbes(George Zucco)holds possession over an ancient Aztec feathered flying serpent, Quetzacoatal, and Montezuma's treasure it was assigned to protect, imprisoning the beast in a cell within a hidden cavernous lair. Forbes plucks a feather from the serpent, using it to lure the beast towards victims. Anyone who threatens to expose his secret(..possession of the treasure and the serpent)are targeted. The serpent is a half-bird/half-reptile which feeds on blood..it severs the jugular vein of victims, draining their bodies of blood. A popular mystery writer, Richard Thorpe(Ralph Lewis), is hired by a radio station to solve the mysterious case of a murdered ornithologist who posed a threat towards discovering Forbes' secret. Forbes learned about how his bird follows the "scent" of his removed feathers when Quetzalcoatal murdered his wife. His step-daughter, Mary(the cute Hope Kramer)begins to question pop's odd behavior and temperament possibly endangering herself. It doesn't help that Mary and Richard begin a courtship as he sets his sights on catching her step-dad in his fiendish acts. After a successful series of murders, it's only a matter of time before Forbes leaves a trail Richard will sniff out.Poverty row no-budgeter benefits from Zucco's sinister villain..he's quite hissable. I was hoping for stop-motion effects being a fan, but the Quetzalcoatal is mostly an embarrassing puppet. The film itself is rather talky, unatmospheric and feels a lot longer than it is. Probably for Zucco completists more than the average horror fan unless you like these little schlocky B-movies with failed attempts at slap-sticky physical humor. It'd probably help if the monstrous bird didn't look so damn silly and unconvincing(..although this might appeal to fans of cheese).

JohnHowardReid If ever there was a far-fetched story, The Flying Serpent is it. The script-writer doesn't even bother to offer any logical explanations for the principal event, let alone gaping holes in the subsidiary story line. Even the size of the title serpent itself seems to vary considerably from that of a large parrot to a small orang-utang.Admittedly, by the extremely humble standards of Producers Releasing Corp, production values are slightly above the usual level of extreme poverty. Director Sherman Scott (Newfield) does his best to whip up an occasional bit of interest in the lethargic proceedings and the players, led by the indomitable George Zucco, all struggle manfully to lend a bit of credibility to their roles (though often defeated by an over-talkative screenplay).The ending is especially ridiculous as all the villain needed to do to ward off the killer serpent… well, I won't spoil the plot by telling you what a dope this guy actually turns out to be! Mind you, he has done plenty of stupid and illogical things already, so I suppose you could say he runs true to form right through to the end.