ABSTRACT
When Count Floyd of SCTV’s Monster Chiller Horror Theater presented the Ingmar Bergman spoof “Whispers of the Wolf,” his promise that “vee ver going to bee scared right out ov our pahnts” seemed hilariously absurd. 2 Although spectators reacted with snickers and chortled giggles, Count Floyd may have had a point. After all, in 2007, the WIOF Die-Witness News team of fright.com posted a news update with the headline: “The Death of Ingmar Bergman: Yes, Even Horror Fans Can Say Goodbye.” 3 However, with the exception of Hour of the Wolf, can any other Bergman film truly be classified as horror? This is up for debate, especially given recent studies that probe the boundaries of the genre. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that Bergman tipped his hat to horror in films such as The Virgin Spring, The Seventh Seal, Through a Glass Darkly, Persona, Cries and Whispers, The Serpent’s Egg, Shame, Fanny and Alexander, The Magician, and From the Life of the Marionettes.
