The Ingmar Bergman influence

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Van Halen

The hair band wrote a song called The Seventh Seal in tribute to the Bergman films The Seventh Seal and The Virgin Spring. (Robert Gauthier / LAT)

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Wes Craven

The director’s 1972 film, The Last House on the Left, was a remake of Bergman’s The Virgin Spring. (Matthew Simmons / Getty Images)

By Deborah Netburn and Rebecca Snavely

Sept. 16, 2014 7:32 AM PT

Times Staff Writers

Over the next few days, you’ll hear a lot of talk about the great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.

Film critics will praise his genius. Actors will recall what it was like to work with him. Filmmakers will describe how his vision inspired them, how he pushed film forward, how he was one of the last great living directors.

But maybe you’re not so up on your art house film scene. Of course you know Bergman’s name, but maybe you’re not really clear on his contributions.

Fear not! Even if you’ve never seen a Bergman film, chances are you’ve seen Bergman-inspired images in the unlikeliest of places -- such as the “Bill and Ted” franchise or on “The Colbert Report.”

Bergman’s ideas trickled down into the popular consciousness in all kinds of ways. are just a few.