The Turn of the Screw is an opera by Benjamin Britten . The Turn of the Screw is a 20th century English chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper , `` wife of the artist John Piper , who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas '' . The libretto is based on the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James .