At one point in the film, the three main characters — playing a brother and sister and their mutual friend, Clancy — are sitting in a parked car.
Ben: “Man, where you been all your life, band practice?”
Clancy: “No! What is it?”
Katie: “It’s this half-man, half-sheep creature that lives out near the train trestle.”
Ben: “Yeah, and at night he comes out and lures people out on the tracks.”
Clancy: “Where did it come from?” (Swigs from beer can)
Ben: “Do you really want to know?”
Clancy: “Yeah.”
Ben: “Well, there was this horny old farmer...who had a torrid affair with a ewe!” (Exaggerated laughter)
Schildknecht was 25 when he made The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster with a six-person crew and three actors, one of whom did double-duty and played the monster — complete with makeup and furry leggings. The 16-minute black-and-white short, which premiered in March 1988, is inspired by the ’50s horror genre, with such timeless touches as letterman’s jackets, high school football games and teens cruising for booze. The film’s endearing kitsch has made it a cult favorite for some. “Own a copy,” one of my friends wrote on Facebook. “The legend will NOT die!”
Schildknecht had contacted Norfolk Southern Corp. about using the trestle, and the company agreed — as long as the filmmaker provided $3 million of production insurance. “That wasn’t going to happen,” Schildknecht says. “So we trespassed.” For years no fence surrounded the tracks, making for easy access. But it also led to tragedy. During the two years Schildknecht spent filming and editing, two separate deaths (unrelated to the movie) occurred at the site. Before the premiere at Uptown Theater (formerly at the intersection of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway), Schildknecht received three phone calls: one from Norfolk’s attorney, one from its public-safety representative and one from the mother of one of the boys killed on the tracks. “They requested a private screening, which I agreed to,” Schildknecht says. “They weren’t huge fans of the movie, but all they asked me to do was include a statement to be read at the premiere warning of the danger, which I did.” Soon after, Norfolk installed the fence.