Bridges Ablaze List Their Top 10 Under-the-Radar Horror Films

For Bridges Ablaze, their history so far is a short but highly successful one. An absolute powerhouse of a duo, they first began to gain recognition thanks to a brilliant cover of 30 Seconds To Mars’ “The Kill.” Then came the release of their debut single, “Hellbent,” and the train was barreling forward. The Austin-based pair combines the best of the hard rock and alternative scene of the 2000s and combines it with some sharp, biting metallic riffs. Listeners have also taken to Bridges Ablaze thanks to the personal touch inherent within their music. Their newest single, “Heartbroken Angel,” is about the aftermath of suicide and the gut-wrenching elements of that experience.

Based in Austin, Texas, Brien Allen and Ruben Zamora are driven by passion and a love for music. They’re not too hung up on style and instead gun for uniqueness and authenticity. Neither Allen nor Zamora are partial towards the status quo and strive to make their musical act a distinctive, raw, and relatable experience.

Horror films and rock n’ roll tend to go quite well together, and Allen and Zamora happen to be big fans of both. Today, they join us to run down their Top 10 under-the-radar horror films that you may not be familiar with.

1. Talk To Me (2023)

“This horror film was genius to me. It was very dark in terms of atmosphere, had a good plot, and had high quality scares that didn’t rely too much on CGI. Some of the spirits were truly horrifying to look at because of this. I also loved how the characters were portrayed, acted, etc. All in all, truly one of the greatest horror films of all time.”

2. Cube (1997)

“This is truly a fascinating movie, with a larger mathematically based torture device being the antagonist. Cracking the machine’s mechanisms via prime numbers and exponents was truly singular and unique. Another element of this movie is how it portrays what people are willing to do to survive. Some of the traps were also terrifying; acid traps, gigantic razor grids, etc. The gore was quite shocking, but also beautifully portrayed. All in all, this movie is very unique.”

3. Hereditary (2018)

“This movie is truly a different class of horror. The most iconic and memorable scenes would be the decapitation scenes (the daughter with the telephone pole and the mother with chicken wire), as well as the mother climbing on the walls. This movie truly has very shocking images to deliver to the audience, but does so in a tasteful way that is congruent with a larger story.”

4. Oculus (2014)

“This film is like a haunted maze of mirrors. It really is a wild ride, and is honestly extremely *trippy* in how they deliver the horror. The film really makes the characters and even the viewer question, ‘what is reality,’ and what isn’t. The level of reality warping the antagonist force employs on the characters is unlike any movie I’ve ever seen. Other scenes are just downright visceral and difficult to watch.”

5. Evil Dead (2013)

“This was film madness. I loved how jarring and visceral the scary scenes were. The amount of physical injury the characters take on is honestly unreal, and difficult to watch. They really challenged the audience with how extreme and realistic (little to no CGI) they were. Also, the effects used to depict the arising of the demon at the end were honestly very organic and beautiful.”

6. The Autopsy Of Jane Doe (2016)

“This film was just plain creepy. When I first watched it, it was 3:00 am or so and I had to turn it off and finish it the next day. The scene where the dead start animating, yet are quite concealed was very creepy to me. Also, the incorporation of texts and clues during the autopsy was quite intelligently done, as well as an unresolved ending, where the body/curse moves on to another group of innocent and unsuspecting people.”

7. The Ring (2002)

“The thought of dying after watching a film brought a different type of horror upon our childhoods. Seeing Samara slowly climb from the well and through the television, with water flowing out of the electronics gave us childhood nightmares for months. This movie has an absolutely brilliant atmosphere too. The rain, the post-production LUTs/colouring, and the few but very tasteful scares as well.”

8. The Grudge (2004)

“Seeing this movie at a young age truly terrified us, especially walking up a set of stairs at night. The scene where Kayako crawls down the stairs at the end is truly unearthly and horrifying to witness. Kayako’s death rattle became a staple among kids at school, simply because it was so memorable. The atmosphere is also genius. The hair, the cat, the meowing, and the death rattle, all just add up to a very weird, unnatural atmosphere.”

9. Jeepers Creepers (2001)

“This movie is brutal. It was a great watch as a kid. We will never forget the throwing stars made out of flesh, or the ending scene where the protagonist has his eyes removed. The idea of something waking up periodically and being unstoppable while it is awake is a truly terrifying concept. How the concept is portrayed through the film is even creepier, especially with how sadistic the creature is.”

10. 13 Ghosts (2001)

“We have always been fascinated by ghosts, ghouls, spirits, etc. as kids. After finding this movie for rent at our nearest blockbuster, this film gave us actual nightmares. The amount and quality of jump scares was high, and each ghost brought a unique and different style of horror to the film.”

Bridges Ablaze ‘Heartbroken Angel’ album artwork