A new Kickstarter campaign is bringing one of Junji Ito’s short stories, his 1997 horror story “Old Records,” to vinyl as a limited-edition audio drama.
Titled Junji Ito’s IN OLD RECORDS, the script adaptation is written by Ryan Cady. Plus, the story will feature performances from Poppy in English and Shoko Nakagawa in Japanese.
The original story follows a record containing the final song from singer Paula Bell. Anyone who listens to the record is said to suffer a deadly curse. The project leans into that concept by presenting the adaptation as an actual vinyl record.
The audio drama was developed with Ito’s involvement and features fully produced narration in both languages. The vinyl packaging includes artwork designed by Acky Bright and incorporates Junji Ito’s own bloody handprint as part of the cover design.
Several versions of the vinyl are planned as Kickstarter rewards. The standard release contains the English audio drama, while special editions include a Blood Splatter variant exclusive to the campaign, a Ghost Blue Edition limited to 500 copies, and a Glow-in-the-Dark Edition limited to 100 copies. The latter two versions will be signed by Poppy.
A Complete Collector’s Bundle will also be available, featuring all three variants signed by Junji Ito, limited to just 10 sets. Backers can also add a vinyl single of “The Last Song of Paula Bell.”
The project’s recording is already complete, with only vinyl pressing and shipping remaining. If production proceeds as planned, the release is expected to ship to backers by July 2026. The Kickstarter campaign is asking for $20,000 within 30 days.
