There are distinct qualities that make a movie a cult: a devoted and niche following, popularity based on word-of-mouth enthusiasm, and a tendency to remain in fans' memories years after release, as well as many other intricacies, often hotly debated by film buffs. Sci-fi & Fantasy: The Essential Cult Movies sifts through the greatest movies of the genre ever made, to bring together a list of the best cult classics that ever graced the cinema screens or didn't, in some cases!

This is where our flights of fancy are allowed maximum wingspan as even our wildest dreams are no match for such imaginative cinematic achievements. Going slightly against the grain, we've grouped fantasy and sci-fi in the same category, but really they're just two sides of the same coin – whether you use technology or magic as the preferred method to explore the furthest reaches of your imagination, you still qualify as a visionary. Here you will find movies that completely reinvent reality as well as those that merely view it from a new angle or one step to the side; these are the stories that transport us from the humdrum of the everyday to the wonders of the "other."