This Week in Horror History | New Year Horror — Kwaidan, Witchboard & One Missed Call (Dec 29–Jan 4)

New Year’s horror, horror movie history, and messages from the other side—welcome to This Week in Horror History, the weekly horror podcast where we track what happened on these dates across film, books, and cult classics.In this episode, Henrique Couto follows a haunting thread that runs straight through the holiday: a phone that calls from the future, a killer hiding in the power grid, a cursed ghost anthology, and the original “new year, new monster” that’s been chasing us since 1818.This week in horror history (Dec 29–Jan 4):

• Dec 29, 1964 — Kwaidan premieres in Tokyo, Japan: a gorgeous Japanese ghost anthology that feels like a curse you can’t look away from.
• Dec 29, 1993 — Ghost in the Machine is released: serial killer + electricity + early internet panic = a surprisingly fun tech-haunting nightmare.
• Jan 1, 1818 — Frankenstein is published: Mary Shelley’s warning label for ambition, still echoing through modern horror.
• Jan 4, 2008 — One Missed Call opens in North America: a remake built on dread you can’t silence—because the voicemail is already there.

Horror birthdays this week: Barbara Steele, Eliza Dushku, Anthony Hopkins, Shelley Hennig, and Jaden Martell.

Where to watch / read (U.S., this week — availability changes fast):

• Kwaidan — HBO Max
• Ghost in the Machine — Rent: Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube
• Witchboard — Free w/ ads: Tubi (plus Roku Channel and other ad-supported options); also available via subscriptions on select platforms
• One Missed Call (2008) — Tubi, Apple TV
• Frankenstein — Read free via Project Gutenberg / Archive.org

Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Savorista Coffee — premium half-calf and decaf blends. Grab yours at Savorista.com and use promo code SPOOKY for 25% off at checkout (and you support the podcast with every purchase).If you love horror movie history, spooky trivia, and date-driven deep dives, follow This Week in Horror History on the Weekly Spooky feed and ring in the new year the only proper way: with the lights low and the dread turned up.

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