Yahoo Movies Netflix: The secret codes that unlock 1000s of hidden movies and TV shows
Netflix's incredibly niche, personalised subgenres have long captivated movie nerds, from "Steamy Crime Movies from the 1970s" to "Period Pieces About Royalty Based on Real Life".
The genres, based on a complicated algorithm that uses reams of data about users' viewing habits to recommend exactly what a particular user is into, number in the tens of thousands.
When Netflix thinks you'll like sentimental Spanish-language dramas or gritty tearjerkers, they'll show up on your home screen, but aside from that, they're not easy to find.
But a simple web address trick has emerged showing how you can find any one of these genres simply by switching a number in a URL.
How it works
If you're logged into Netflix, enter www.netflix.com/browse/genre/XXXX into your browser's toolbar to bring up one of the thousands of genres in Netflix's library.
"XXXX" is a series of digits - 1089 is "Mind-bending Movies", for example; while 354 is "Movies Starring Matthew McConaughey" - currently a genre of one film.
Not all numbers will result in a subgenre, and given Netflix's ever-changing algorithms, they might move around every now and then, while there may be regional differences meaning that some codes don't work.
Codes for the main genres are available here. At the foot of the list is a link to a list of even more.
NetFlix streaming by alternate genres (main list)
Children & Family Movies (783)
There's an even more comprehensive list here...
...and a huge 27,000+ selection of specific genres here.
The 90 best films to stream and download on Netflix UK...
