Poppy Narrates Junji Ito’s Cursed Vinyl Horror Project

Poppy is stepping deeper into the horror world, this time lending her voice to a seriously unsettling project tied to manga legend Junji Ito.

Grammy nominated artist Poppy has been confirmed as the English language narrator for ‘In Old Records’, a new audio drama that’s already pulling serious backing online, if you know Ito, you know where this is heading.

Originally released in 1997 as part of House of the Marionettes, ‘In Old Records’ centres on a cursed vinyl that drives listeners into madness, not metaphorically but proper, spiral into the void madness.

So naturally, someone decided the best way to adapt that story was to press it onto vinyl and let people experience it first hand (per Metal Sucks).

It’s a concept that feels dangerously on brand.

In old records trailer

A cursed record, brought to life

The adaptation comes from horror writer Ryan Cady, with artwork handled by Japanese illustrator Acky Bright, Ito’s presence is stamped all over the release too, literally. The cover features his real bloody handprint, pushing the whole thing further into collector territory.

Poppy voices the English version of protagonist Nakayama, a character who becomes increasingly obsessed with the mysterious record. A Japanese language version will run alongside it, featuring voice actor Shoko Nakagawa, with both versions leaning into the slow burn dread that Ito’s stories are known for before everything snaps.

There’s no safe middle ground with his work, it escalates fast.

The project is currently running through Kickstarter, where it’s already blown past its initial goal, what started as a $28,122 target has climbed beyond $63,652 (at time of publishing) backed by hundreds of supporters looking to get their hands on the release.

Physical copies will come in multiple variants, including limited editions signed by Poppy, which feels like it’ll only fuel demand further, it’s a strange crossover. Industrial pop meets one of horror’s most disturbing storytellers, all wrapped around a piece of media that’s literally about losing your mind through sound.

If nothing else, it’s a reminder that some formats are better left untouched, especially when the story itself is warning you not to press play.

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