THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: STREAM THESE SCI-FI AND HORROR GEMS BEFORE THEY DEPART NETFLIX

Yearning for their latest bit of escapist magic, we’re forever on the edge of our seats, wondering what tidbit of sci-fi or horror Netflix and its streaming peers will stream into our living rooms next. Meanwhile, the platform’s uncanny ability to acquire new content can blind us to the fact that stuff also slips away. Until we realise it, gems that were there one day – films and shows we’ve watched and re-watched – have disappeared from Netflix without a farewell. What have you missed? That’s why we’ve put together a list of 10 sci-fi and horror films (and the sequels for some of them, because we’re huge horror fans!) that you’re bound to be missing because they’re all leaving Netflix soon. It’s not just about watching movies, it’s about the countdown race to view horror, mystery, and a little bit of the supernatural that’s not one-click away anymore.

A JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE WORLD: "2012"

Fit this one into your schedule before it too sets a departure date: Roland Emmerich’s 2009 disaster epic 2012 (31 May). Starring John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor – plus a slew of other sensitive actors – the film follows a collection of hopeful souls desperately trying to keep their heads above an ever-increasing succession of disasters. Nature strikes back in a massive and spectacular way, and this is one tale of humanity against the elements that will leave you constantly checking the floor beneath your feet.

VENTURE INTO THE FURTHER: "INSIDIOUS"

One of many that you might want to watch before it disappears is James Wan’s Insidious, the sleep-shredding foray into The Further that gave viewers the chills from Hollywood to Hong Kong. Don’t let lazy procrastination keep you from watching this original horror that would come to shape the genre for an entire generation.

THE SUPERNATURAL JOURNEY OF "SILENT HILL"

Meanwhile, the clock is winding down for fans of the videogame franchise adaptation Silent Hill — available to stream until 31 May, in which Radha Mitchell’s desperate mother searches for her stolen daughter in a town shrouded in fog and filled with monsters, in a film that weaves horror’s dread with survival’s tension in mixing equally potent doses of both.

UNRAVEL SECRETS WITH "THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR"

Summer is almost upon us – or at least it will be, when the time comes: but the shadows around Bly Manor grow deeper as the days count down towards 23 June. Our heady mashup of Dracula-inspired gothic, dark family secrets and bloody revelations – as told by Nathalie Emmanuel – is your last chance to tour Bly Manor, before Netflix closes for business.

THE JOURNEY DOESN'T STOP HERE

While these titles might be fading from view on Netflix, the trek through the dark peaks of horror and sci-fi on the site goes on. Even as titles leave, others join them – and with them, an endless flood of stories and worlds to be experienced. Keep your eyes peeled regarding what comes and what goes, so your journey through the Netflix library remains uninterrupted.

WHAT DOES THIS JOURNEY TEACH US?

There’s a bittersweet quality to those endings, but also an opportunity to take a step back and think about the travel at hand. A walking tour can be a small and limited experience that serves only as a memory of what has passed. Streaming, too, will meet its end someday – though perhaps only to be replaced by another naming scheme. Until then, our perambulations through movies and series will be defined as much by what departs as by what we choose to arrive at – and what we choose to stay at – before it disappears into the ether.

THE INEVITABLE JOURNEY OF DIGITAL CONTENT

Following a movie or a series from modest premiere to graceful exit on the shifting sands of the digital streaming frontier is a measure of the volatile new relationship among content-makers, streaming services and consumers that emerges as we chomp at its tail.

CONCLUSION: EMBRACE THE JOURNEY

With this in mind, think of every viewing as but one more step along your particular cinematic path – be it in the race to watch a title before it departs, the excitement of a title arrival, or something completely different. embrace the journey with enthusiasm and curiosity Whether you watch more movies on DVD than you do Netflix, it’s still a viewing journey worth appreciating. Keep exploring!