The monster was the subject of a 1988 film by Louisville filmmaker Ron Schildknecht called
The Legend of the Pope Lick Monster. The 16-minute, $6,000 film premiered on December 29, 1988, at the Uptown Theater. Most of the film was shot at the Pope Lick Trestle, but scenes showing the characters up on the trestle were shot at another, safer location.
Norfolk Southern Railway officials were very upset about the film, as they thought it would encourage teenagers to visit the trestles. They found one scene in particular dangerously misleading. In the scene, the main character, a high school student, narrowly escapes an approaching train by hanging off the side of the trestle. In reality, few people would have the strength to hang on for the 5 to 7 minutes it takes for a long train to clear the trestle; in addition, the vibrations from the train are so strong that the ground beneath the trestle shakes as the train passes. Because railroad officials were worried that the film would add to the death toll, Norfolk Southern issued a statement, read at the premiere, which warned of the trestle's dangers and informed the audience that anyone caught on the trestle could be prosecuted for trespassing. The story of the monster was featured in an episode of
Destination America's
Monsters and Mysteries in America titled "Ozarks". ==Deaths==