Netflix is famous for having a rich catalogue of television shows and movies that cater to every type of viewer, from horror fanatics to rom-com lovers.
However, one thing that the app can fail to do at times it to show you all of its content when you’re scrolling through looking for something to watch.
Luckily, there is a way around this which makes finding something to watch on the app a lot simpler. Below, we are going to discuss how to do this.
How to unlock movies on Netflix app
Netflix uses bizarre genres to categorise their films and shows as opposed to the more standardised ones. Then, they only list a certain amount of films/tv shows within that genre instead of everything they’ve got.
First things first, to do this you are going to need your phone or laptop to do this because the app on your smart tv isn’t capable of doing it.
You need to load up an internet browser, preferably Chrome or Safari, and head to Netfix.com where you will be asked to enter your login details.
After you’ve logged in, you then need to highlight the URL bar and enter the following in: https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/.
Before hitting enter, you need to add in a specific code at the end of the URL to unlock a page that will have every single tv film or movie that is geared towards that specific genre.
Netflix Secret Codes
To get you started on this journey we have provided a list below of some secret Netflix codes. These secret codes includes those of the most popular genres, but also some hidden categories too.
However, if you want the full list then check out this radio times article.
- Action and Adventure (1365)
- Anime (7424)
- TV Cartoons (11177)
- Film Noir (7687)
- Stand-up Comedy (11559)
- Cult Comedies (9434)
- Independent Dramas (384)
- Japanese Movies (10398)
- B-Horror Movies (8195)
- Classic Musicals (32392)
- Spy Action and Adventure (10702)
- Sci-Fi and Fantasy (1492)
- Gangster Movies (31851)
- Psychological Thrillers (5505)
There are also other secret Netflix codes for various other categories like Lesbian movies and spirituality movies, but you’ll have to do a little more digging to find the secret codes for those genres!
Why do Netflix have these hidden codes?
It is unclear as to why Netflix have these hidden codes built in to their system but it is a question worth pondering.
It may be because they believe that the current interface of the website works well and that users don’t need longer lists of movies and tv shows to look through.
After all, if they were to make these subgenres ‘unhidden’ and accessible via the home screen then the home screen would be filled with even more links that could result in the user getting lost in the navigation.
By having these codes and pages hidden, it also adds an air of mystery to Netflix with them almost acting as ‘easter eggs‘.
This is very fitting given that many of movies and tv shows that feature on Netflix will also contain hidden easter eggs too.
How are these codes built?
Now time for the nerdy bit! It is thanks to a combination of both human and machine intelligence that these codes have been created.
Essentially, Netflix hired a large group of people to watch, rate and tag their ginormous catalogue of shows and movies in order to gather metadata about them.
They even created guidelines called ‘Netflix Quantum Theory’ to assure the integrity of the exercise.
Given that the amount of data gathered through this exercise was huge, content was then divided into various different ‘altgenres’ as Netflix likes to call them.
These codes essentially give users the possibility and opportunity to gain access to these alternative genres and therefore access to every single piece of content that Netflix have rights to.
Can these hidden movies and shows be watched on your television?
Although to find or unlock these hidden movies and shows you need a web browser, it is still possible to watch them on your television, albeit not directly through the app.
In order to do this, you will need a smart tv to mirror your phone’s web browser to your television or a HDMI lead to link up your laptop to your television.
So don’t worry, you can still sit back and relax on your sofa and enjoy these hidden shows on a bigger screen than your phone or laptop.
Conclusion
Netflix is a brilliant app with a huge array of content for film and TV lovers. There’s a wide variety of family movies, serial killer movies and more you can download to your phone or smart TV.
The hidden feature of the app that allows users to find hidden content is something that adds a different dimension to the Netflix app, and it actually makes finding something to watch that bit easier.
