Lisa Wilcox talks to Macabre Daily about 35 years of “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master!”

This week marks 35 years since the release of “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.”  Helmed by future blockbuster director Renny Harlin, “Dream Master” was a massive hit, known for being louder, brighter, quippier, and just BIGGER than any entry in the series before or since.  While the film is memorable for its special effects, including several eye-popping deaths, it also introduced us to one of the best Final Girls in horror, Alice Johnson, played by Lisa Wilcox.  

Buoyed by Wilcox’s memorable performance, Alice has a powerful arc as a shy wallflower who blossoms into a fighter who goes toe-to-toe with Robert Englund’s legendary Freddy Kruger.  She and Englund would return in “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” the following year, and unlike most horror film characters, (Spoilers, I guess.  It’s 35 years, guys) she survives a second film, along with her son Jacob.  Wilcox sat down with me to discuss the legacy of Alice, her unique DIsney connection, and her decades-long friendships with her co-stars.  Oh, and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” as well.

You joined the franchise at a time where it was gaining a ton of momentum.  What was it like to jump on that train?
It was absolutely amazing!  I’ve always been a horror fan since I was little.  Dracula, Frankenstein and all that good stuff.  So to be a part of “Nightmare on Elm Street” was a dream come true.

Besides the original “Nightmare,” there isn’t much out there about the making of the films.  There’s the documentary and Mick Strawn’s book, but that’s about it.  What we know about “Dream Master” and “Dream Child” was that they had chaotic productions.  How did you navigate them?

I felt it was very organized chaos, honestly.  You do a lot of filming, sometimes with another crew on another stage for the special effects. So you do a lot of revolving from set to set, but I never felt I was unsafe or I didn’t know where I was going.  Most times, it wasn’t chaotic at all.  I think the hardest part for me was that they asked to dye my hair red.  I was a natural platinum blonde and I asked them if they could put a rinse on it instead.  The rinse had to be put on every morning, and you can’t just towel-dry your hair.  I had 2 blow dryers going every day [Laughs].  

Sometimes Renny would want a quick rehearsal, and I would leave the makeup trailer with my hair still dripping. When we filmed the scene where Kristen dies and I meet Freddy, I’m wearing this white nightgown and I’m kind of wet. Renny says “Cut!  What is that all over you?”  Well, the rinse came out of my hair and stained the nightgown.  So we had to stop filming and they had to wash my hair [Laughs] to get the rinse out.  I needed a new nightgown before we could proceed with the scene.

Englund (L) and Wilcox (R), a tale of 2 make-ups

So is Robert Englund just laughing at you this entire time and saying “you have NO idea?”

[Laughs] Exactly.

Did you spend time with him while you were in the makeup chair?

Oh yeah, we spent a lot of time talking in the makeup trailer while I got my makeup done and he got his elaborate makeup done.  They actually experimented with my old-age makeup throughout the course of filming, until we filmed the “Old Alice” scene.  They tried 2 or 3 different ways to see how they wanted me to look, so Robert and I had time to chat a lot.  It was interesting, because he’s being turned into this monster and we’re talking about the colors of the grout he’s using to remodel his bathroom!

Of course, we love Robert Englund, but the casts of these films are truly unsung.  There isn’t really any merchandise celebrating the other characters, aside from your nunchuk.  When did you first notice Alice made an impact?

I first noticed when I would meet fans at my table at conventions, and they would tell me a personal story about how Alice’s strength got them through hard times.  I heard so many stories, through tears, about how much Alice Johnson meant to them.  It’s an incredibly huge compliment.  One of the joys of being an actress is the impact you can have on a person’s life and their choices.  I love film, and certain performances have had an impact on my life, as well.  It’s wonderful to hear and to know that it made a difference.

Meeting a fan who loves Alice just like we do. Source: Instagram

She’s certainly celebrated among Fredheads.  Alice is one of the rare characters to survive both of her films.  Tell me the story behind the “Alice Lives” shirts you made.

It’s interesting, because there was a period of time where I was like “hey, I never got my death scene.”  Then one day a lightbulb went off and I realized “Alice LIVES.”  The monster never gets her.  She’s a true heroine!  For me, “Alice Lives” means you can have anyone’s name there for anyone who’s gone through personal strife.  You live through it. 

Was there anything cut from the “Dream Master” script that you missed?

There was a scene where I’m sleepwalking and I go into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, and blood spews out all over me.  And I’m wearing a white nightgown [Laughs].  It was very “Carrie”-esque.  Believe me, seeing yourself in a white nightgown covered in blood is very memorable. [Laughs].  It’s a memory that sticks with you.

Did you and Robert have to learn fight choreography for the final battle?

We definitely had a stunt coordinator, no question.  In the beginning of the fight, we were on a platform a few feet above the ground.  We had people around us in case we fell off, but being in that elevated space definitely helped us add tension.  They also sent me to karate school, and I had excellent stunt doubles.  We all know the scene when Alice is looking in her mirror and she’s using the nunchaku.  When you see my face, that’s me using the nunchaku, but when you see the shot from behind with my stunt double, you see the terrible wig.  So sorry Hair and Makeup!  The fans and I kind of laugh about that, but my stunt double made me look good, man!  And she was like 4 inches taller than me, which was funny, but she was definitely a pro.

One of the other unique aspects of part 4 is how close the cast is, even to this day.  What do you think led to that bonding experience and how do you maintain your friendships to this day?

Annette Benson was the Casting Director for the first 5 entries.  I met her years after the films and I told her “you know, you unwittingly cast best friends for life.” Particularly with part 4, since we all lived in Los Angeles.  We all bonded and it shows in the film.  Brooke Thiess’s [Debbie] son and my eldest son were the same age, so we’d do things like go bowling with the boys.  Toy Newkirk [Sheila] moved to New York for about 10 years, and we maintained a friendship, so when she came back to LA, she lived with me for a year.  Tuesday Knight and I had a business, Toe Brights, for almost 10 years.  It’s very, very rare for those kinds of relationships to be maintained.  Typically, once a project is done, you don’t see those people again.

Switching gears, you’ve worked alongside some pretty iconic actors.  Any stories about Chuck Norris from “Walker Texas Ranger” or Angela Lansbury from “Murder, She Wrote?”

I never had any scenes with Chuck, unfortunately, but of course I met him.  Very nice and professional guy.  I’ll never forget working with Angela Lansbury.  We had a scene where we were sitting in the bleachers and in between takes, we were chatting away.  She was a super-cool lady. She had worked with my ex-father-in-law, Robert Sherman, who was one of the Sherman Brothers.

You mean THOSE Sherman Brothers?

Yup, the same ones who wrote “Mary Poppins” and so many others.

When your ex-father-in-law is a Disney icon, are there Disney movies that you just can’t watch anymore?

Never! [Laughs] I’m originally from Missouri, so becoming part of that family was amazing, actually.  Someone who can write “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?” Brilliant.

We’ll get to part 5 another time, but do you ever think about where Alice and [her son] Jacob are today?

Oh my goodness, I do!  I think Alice might have become an attorney who defends the innocent.  She would have gone to law school or to become a nurse or a doctor.  Once she broke out of her shell, she could do anything she set her mind to.  I think she would have gotten remarried, and she and Jacob would’ve had a fabulous family life.

I wonder if their version of “the talk” was Jacob asking “Mom, did we kill a guy when I was a baby?”

[Laughs] He would say “I have this recurring dream where we killed this monster guy.”  And I think Alice would’ve told him the truth.  Then he’d go “mom, what kind of drugs were you on back then?”

Lisa today.

Interview edited for length and clarity. For more on Lisa Wilcox, check out her site https://lisaewilcox.com/ and Instagram @thelisawilcox.

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