Hardcore Netflix fans looking to diversify their binge experiences might already know that the company uses a complex system to categorize its huge collection of movies and TV shows. Kept secret for a long time, there are thousands of hidden content categories that Netflix uses to organize things behind the scenes, so making them all available to users would be overbearing. But using a small selection of them can be a great way to find new movies and TV shows to watch.
We have already told you how to search for and access these secret categories from your browser if you want to check them out. In what follows, we'll show you some of the quirkiest hiddem categories you can find on Netflix right now.
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To get things started, The Street reminds us that you just have to make sure you save this simple URL, http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/%5BNUMERIC CODE]. Then you just have to input the numeric code that fits the category you want. Here are some of the strangest ones you'll find:
Code 851: Quirky foreign action and adventure
Code 852: Independent movies about food
Code 855: Feel-good sports movies for ages 8 to 10
Code 876: Critically-acclaimed dark French-language movies
Code 1458: Wine and beverage appreciation
Code 2611: Dark war movies
Code 2747: Cerebral experimental movies
Code 8560: Understated courtroom movies
Should you watch any of the movies in the categories above? Not necessarily. The point is that Netflix’s secret categorization provides a treasure trove of movies that you might not find otherwise. It’s not likely you'll go searching for “understated courtroom movies” anytime soon, but these categories do reveal the immense amount of work that goes behind the scenes, as Netflix seems to be interested in satisfying all sorts of movie tastes and preferences.
You should also browse the detailed lists provided at the source link to find your favorite micro-genres – and yes, you'll find categories based on types of movies starring a certain actor (Code: 857 lists only “Action and adventure starring Harrison Ford”) as well as movies helmed by a certain director.
Finally, we'll point out that depending on the market you’re watching Netflix from, these mini categories might return different results. And they might even come up empty. In addition to geolocation, one other factor affects these categories: Netflix’s catalog is dynamic, and the streaming service adds and removes titles on a monthly basis. So don’t be surprised if your favorite “wine and beverage appreciation” film suddenly disappears.
