Short - The Seventh Turn : Amy Lee’s Voice Becomes the Film’s Entire Soundtrack

By Mulder, 22 june 2026

In an era where film music is increasingly shaped by digital libraries, artificial intelligence tools and sophisticated virtual instruments, psychological short film The Seventh Turn is taking a radically different path. Composer Michael Wandmacher, whose career has spanned television, blockbuster genre cinema and acclaimed video games, has unveiled what may be one of the most unusual scoring experiments in recent memory: an entire soundtrack created exclusively from the voice of Amy Lee, the Grammy-winning frontwoman of Evanescence. Rather than relying on traditional instruments, synthesizers, samplers or AI-generated elements, Michael Wandmacher spent months transforming thousands of vocal recordings into a complete cinematic score, effectively turning Amy Lee herself into what he describes as a “biological synthesizer.” The result is a haunting and deeply emotional musical landscape that serves as the sonic backbone of The Seventh Turn, a psychological drama inspired by the Spanish urban legend “La Chica de la Curva.”

Written, produced and directed by Eric D. Howell, with Marta Milans serving as co-director, The Seventh Turn follows a young couple traveling through the night as a pregnant woman finds herself trapped in an increasingly manipulative and emotionally abusive relationship. As the story unfolds, a mysterious ghostly figure appears on a dark roadside curve, forcing long-buried truths to surface. The film draws inspiration from one of Spain’s most enduring supernatural legends, but it also incorporates a powerful social dimension. According to the filmmakers, the symbolism of the title extends beyond folklore: studies and advocacy organizations have frequently cited that women in abusive relationships often attempt to leave multiple times before permanently escaping, with seven attempts often referenced in public awareness campaigns. This thematic connection transforms the supernatural framework into a story about resilience, self-discovery and liberation, themes that are echoed directly through the score.

What makes the project especially remarkable is the process behind its music. Working remotely between Los Angeles and Nashville, Michael Wandmacher developed a unique workflow that required Amy Lee to record an enormous library of vocal sounds. These recordings went far beyond traditional singing. Sustained notes, whispered breaths, screams, drones, chants, percussive sounds, swells, vocal textures and countless experimental articulations were captured and cataloged. Over several months, Michael Wandmacher manipulated and reshaped these fragments into every musical component required for the score. Bells, strings, percussion, atmospheric textures, sound effects and melodic elements were all derived from the same source: Amy Lee’s voice. The achievement is particularly notable because the final result reportedly does not sound like a typical vocal score. Instead, listeners encounter what feels like a fully orchestrated cinematic composition while every sonic detail remains rooted in a single human voice.

For Michael Wandmacher, the experiment represented both a technical challenge and a creative obsession. The composer has spent years exploring unconventional approaches to sound design and musical storytelling, but The Seventh Turn pushed those ideas further than ever before. Known for his work on projects such as the television comedy series The Goldbergs, the vampire action film Underworld: Blood Wars, the cult horror hit Piranha 3D, and the critically acclaimed PlayStation game Bloodborne, Michael Wandmacher has built a reputation for creating memorable sonic identities across vastly different genres. Yet even with such an eclectic résumé, he describes The Seventh Turn as the most difficult project of his career because every musical element had to be invented from scratch. The score was not merely composed; it was engineered, sculpted and reconstructed note by note from raw vocal material.

For Amy Lee, the project offered a rare opportunity to explore the limitless possibilities of the human voice. Throughout her career with Evanescence, she has become known for combining powerful rock vocals with cinematic and orchestral influences, making her a natural collaborator for such an ambitious experiment. According to Amy Lee, the creative restrictions became the project’s greatest strength. By establishing a simple but uncompromising rule—everything had to originate from a voice—the collaborators discovered a surprisingly vast creative playground. The singer has spoken enthusiastically about hearing the final result and witnessing how familiar vocal sounds evolved into entirely new instruments and textures. For a performer whose work has often blurred the lines between rock music, film music and atmospheric storytelling, The Seventh Turn represents a fascinating extension of that artistic journey.

The collaboration also continues a creative partnership that has quietly flourished for more than a decade. Michael Wandmacher and Amy Lee first gained significant attention for their work on Voice from the Stone, another film directed by Eric D. Howell. Together they created the song “Speak to Me,” which became one of the standout elements of that production and earned a Hollywood Music in Media Award. The track went on to attract millions of viewers online, demonstrating the enduring appeal of their combined artistic sensibilities. More recently, Michael Wandmacher contributed string arrangements to several tracks on Evanescence’s 2026 album Sanctuary, further strengthening a creative relationship built on mutual trust and experimentation.

Beyond its technical innovation, The Seventh Turn reflects a growing trend among independent filmmakers seeking distinctive artistic identities in an increasingly crowded content landscape. Short films have often served as laboratories for creative risk-taking, and this project embraces that tradition wholeheartedly. By rejecting conventional scoring tools and focusing entirely on the expressive power of a single human voice, Michael Wandmacher, Amy Lee, Eric D. Howell and Marta Milans have crafted a work that stands apart from typical genre productions. The approach mirrors the film’s central themes of identity and transformation, allowing music and narrative to become inseparable parts of the same emotional experience.

Audiences will have the opportunity to discover this unique experiment when The Seventh Turn premieres online on July 1, 2026, through the streaming platform Kinema, which specializes in virtual screenings and community-driven viewing events. The soundtrack, featuring music composed by Michael Wandmacher and performed entirely through the transformed vocals of Amy Lee, is also expected to receive a dedicated release in the near future. Whether viewed as a technical breakthrough, an artistic statement or simply a fascinating collaboration between two longtime creative partners, The Seventh Turn is already generating attention as one of the most innovative short film projects of the year, proving that even in a world overflowing with technology, the human voice can still unlock entirely new cinematic possibilities.

Synopsis : 
Based on the Spanish urban legend"La Chica de la Curva, the film follows a young man who drives through the night with his pregnant fiancé; his gaslighting and coercive control cause her to question her own reality until a mysterious, ghostly woman appears on the road ahead. It is a story about remembering your truth.

The Seventh Turn
Directed by Eric D. Howell Marta Milans
Written by  Eric D. Howell
Produced by Jillian Nodland, Eric D. Howell, Marta Milans
Starring  Charlotte Vega, Luke Forbes
Cinematography : Bo Hakala
Edited by Nate Maydole
Music by Michael Wandmacher
Score Performed by Amy Lee [Evanescence]
Distributed by Kinema (United States)
Release dates :  July 1, 2026 (United States)
Running time : 19 minutes

(Source : press release)