Junji Ito’s classic horror short In Old Records is now a vinyl-exclusive audio drama

In Old Records comes to life with audio performances by Shoko Nakagawa and Poppy

In 1997, horror manga artist Junji Ito published House of the Marionettes, a short-story collection centered on the macabre. Among them is the horror short “In Old Records,” in which a haunting melody on an unmarked vinyl record drives people to the brink of madness. This classic short is now a vinyl-exclusive audio drama named In Old Records, featuring performances by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Poppy and iconic voice actor Shoko Nakagawa. This Kickstarter project, created by Zero Zero Enterprises, brings the atmospheric horror of Ito's story to life, taking a metatextual approach to the haunted object aspect of the tale.

Ito’s evocative manga panels have been adapted into audio drama form by comics and horror writer Ryan Cady, who has written for Marvel (Venom, The Punisher) and DC (Green Lantern, Batman: Urban Legends). Cady previously collaborated with Poppy on the graphic novel Genesis 1. Japanese manga artist and illustrator Acky Bright designed the vinyl jacket art, bringing decades of collaborative experience with brands like Netflix, Meta, and Hasbro to the table. Ito also played an intrinsic part in the collaborative process, and one of the available versions of In Old Records features the horror mangaka’s bloody handprint on the cover.

Poppy, who kicked off her career as a YouTube sensation and later ventured into alt-music, has performed the English version of the tale. Poppy’s distinctive voice and cadence, which have shaped her foray into bubblegum pop, industrial metal, and experimental rock, lend In Old Records an appropriately eerie quality. Shoko Nakagawa, who sang the opening theme for Gurren Lagann and voiced characters in popular franchises (Pokémon, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon), has performed the Japanese rendition. Poppy and Nakagawa play Nakayama, the disoriented protagonist whose obsession with an unmarked vinyl takes a really dark turn.

The Kickstarter campaign for In Old Records is now live with the goal of raising $20,000. Apart from the early bird and standard vinyl editions, limited Blood Splatter, Ghostly Blue, and Glow in the Dark variants are also available as rewards for backers. Limited versions featuring Ito and Poppy’s signatures are also available.