The Seventh Turn is based on a famous Spanish urban legend. The girl in the curve, La Chica de La Curva, is perhaps Spain's most famous ghost story. A driver picks up a young woman who's hitchhiking late at night on a dark highway. The ghost warns the driver to be careful going around the next curve, as it's especially dangerous.
The film was financed entirely through charitable donations to a non-profit fiscal sponsor, FilmNorth. The film is intended to create dialogue about gaslighting as a form of emotional abuse and mental coercion as used in intimate partner violence, family dynamics and even human trafficking. The film is available as a tool to organizations that support victims and survivors.
The film was shot on location in Burgos and Bilbao Spain and at MO&MO Studios in Madrid Spain.
The production team of Eric Howell and Jillian Nodland had previously collaborated on short films such as "Ana's Playground" and "Strangers", music videos for Evanescence and "The Revolution of Cassandra", a graphic novel based on an award-winning screenplay by Howell.
The original story for "The Seventh Turn" was bought to writer/director Eric Howell by long-time friend and collaborator Marta Milans who had previously acted in short film "Strangers" with James Denton. "The Seventh Turn" was set up as a mentoring opportunity for Milans as a co-director, and a producer. She also played as the Ghost whom she dubbed Lucia.
The production in Spain utilized the family home and family farm of Marta Milans for several locations and a base of operations.
The visual use of windmills in the film is an homage to Miguel de Cervantes 17th Century novel Don Quixote.
The color reference and visual imagery of the film was inspired by Sandro Botticelli's painting from the 1480's titled The Birth of Venus.
Another Spanish cultural reference appears as a sticker on the red jeep at the end of the film. The yellow scallop shell sticker represents the Camino di Santiago. The shell matches the shell on the woman's necklace and is the symbol of the journey of a pilgrimage. It is also a symbol of the Apostle James. Finally, the shell also appears in Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus.
Music for the film was composed by Michael Wandmacher and entirely performed by Amy Lee (Hartzler) of Evanescence. The entire score is made from Amy's vocalizations, even sounds that don't appear to be a human voice are manipulations of Amy's voice. Michael and Amy are in the process of creating an entire album of music based on this approach.
The entirely-vocal score plays as the voice of the protagonist's anxiety.
Multiple Academy Award winning re-recording mixer Gary Rizzo designed and mixed the soundscape of the film with his team at Skywalker Sound & Ranch.
