Horrible
Turn Takes Fan Fiction to a Higher Level
When it was announced in 2008 that Dr. Horrible’s
Sing-Along Blog, the online webseries created by television writer
Joss Whedon and members of his family, would be released on DVD, the
call went out for fans to create short video “applications”
to join the fictitious Evil League of Evil. The ten best were subsequently
included on the DVD; ranging from Tur-Mohel, a Jewish practitioner of
evil, to L’Enfant Terrible, a genius female child, the submissions
showcased the imagination and innovation of Internet fans.
Chance
McClain of Houston, Texas, took the invitation further, however, by
writing and filming an unofficial prequel to Dr. Horrible,
the hour-long Horrible
Turn.
Released online in November 2009, this web production tells the story
of high-school-age Billy and fellow student Kenny Hammerstein, who would
later evolve into the grown-up Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer of the
original webseries. Incorporating original songs of its own and numerous
references to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, this inventive
endeavor has taken fan fiction to a whole new level.
“I
have wanted to write and direct a movie for a long time,” McClain
explained to mikemcguff.com.
“I got swept up in Dr. Horrible mania and decided to
give it a go. I figured if I was going to shoot a movie, why not do
a musical? Most of the people that worked on the film have some kind
of musical background so everything came very naturally to us.”
The story
involves an idealistic Billy (Tyce Green) determined to thwart the actions
of the Evil League of Evil by devising a love potion that would bring
peace and harmony to the world. He needs the assistance of Hammerstein
(Jacob Buras) to pull the plan off, however, which causes events to
go awry and eventually transforms Billy into a proponent of evil instead
of good.
The songs
in Horrible Turn are simplistic in nature but catchy nonetheless,
and often mirror the musical segments of Dr. Horrible. Hammerstein,
for instance, sings “you’re all winners to me” at
a high school math competition, just like the adult Captain Hammer later
told a crowd of homeless people that “everyone’s a hero
in their own way.” While the original had the Bad Horse Chorus,
the fan-made prequel has a trio of female Australian Outbackers, and
young Billy and his Horrible Turn love interest Katie (Kristin
Massa) share a fractured duet, just like Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia
Day.
Various
references to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog populate
the narrative, including passing mentions of Evil League of Evil members
Dead Bowie and Bad Horse, which adds to the viewing enjoyment. We also
meet Johnny Snow (Christian Haile), who is briefly alluded to but never
seen in the original, and witness his initial attempts at bullying his
perceived “nemesis.” The characterizations of Billy and
Hammerstein are also spot on—whereas the older Dr. Horrible would
later comment that “the world is a mess and I just need to rule
it,” his younger self declares, “The world is a mess and
I just need to save it.”
The future
Captain Hammer, meanwhile, is just as self-centered and egotistical,
more interested in fame and womanizing than actually doing the right
thing. When Billy first approaches Hammerstein in regards to helping
him, for example, the one-day superhero asks whose lives the plan would
actually save. “If I’m going to waste my time saving people’s
lives I need to know that they’re worth saving,” he explains
to Billy. Apparently even in high school, Captain Hammer displayed an
arrogant indifference.
Although
not necessarily taking the online world by storm like Dr. Horrible’s
Sing-Along Blog did in 2007, Horrible Turn has become
a success story in its own right and has been mentioned by the likes
of TV Guide and The New York Times. “The response
for this project has been incredible,” McClain told Tubefilter
in late November 2009. “We are awed and humbled by all of the
positive press and comments and we are trying to learn from the negative
stuff. Horrible Turn was our film school and we are chomping
at the bit to start another project.”
The Internet
has proven to be fertile ground for fans of popular culture to gather,
discuss and exchange opinions ever since its incorporation into every
day life. It also enabled fans to become more involved in the entertainment
mediums they most enjoy through interaction with creators, the offering
of instant feedback on projects and the emergence of online fan fiction.
Horrible Turn has taken that involvement even further, however,
while likewise demonstrating the creative opportunities the Internet
offers to anyone with an idea and the willingness to pursue it.
Anthony
Letizia (January 18, 2010)
