Popping in this 4K restoration felt like unearthing a medieval manuscript—except Death himself sat on my couch. The opening scene of Max von Sydow’s knight challenging Death to chess on that stormy beach? Chills. My cat knocked over a glass during the silence, and I nearly joined the flagellant procession.

Watching Jof and Mia share strawberries with the knight in their sunlit caravan was my first ‘Bergman comfort food’ moment. Then reality hit: their idyll is sandwiched between plague corpses and witch burnings. My apartment suddenly felt very… mortal.

The 4K transfer makes Gunnar Fischer’s cinematography brutal—you can count the stitches on Death’s robe. When the squire drunkenly mocks the church fresco painter, I caught myself laughing before remembering this was a film about existential dread. Classic Bergman whiplash.

That final dance of death? I’ve seen it a dozen times, but in HDR, their skeletal hands looked close enough to grab my popcorn. Pro tip: Don’t watch this after your existential crisis group chat—it answers zero questions but makes you feel fancy for asking them.