Choice paralysis is a byproduct of the digital age and late capitalism. Everyone has felt it — you’re standing in the blindingly fluorescent supermarket aisle, surrounded by hundreds of brands of crackers, wondering just which one you want, thinking that it would almost feel easier to live in a totalitarian society with one simple choice (‘Crackers-Brand Crackers’). People experience this in the streaming world as well, scrolling through title after title, reading or doing research about each, until more time has been spent searching for a movie on Netflix than it would’ve taken to watch one.

Algorithms don’t exactly make it easier, either. These predictive strings of mathematical code anticipate one’s every want, changing the titles on a home page based upon what’s previously been watched. The problem is, this can create a feedback loop in which one only sees what one has already seen (or something close to it). The anticipatory algorithm can keep people on Netflix locked in the same loop of similar movies, often with diminishing returns. It’s akin to what happens on Facebook or social media in general with ‘filter bubbles‘ or ‘ideological bubbles,’ in which the algorithms only show you what you already like or agree with, keeping anyone from learning anything new.

Fortunately, there’s a hack of sorts for the Netflix conundrum. There are literally hundreds of secret codes for Netflix which allows for a very specific look at what to watch. The Netflix browsing menu can be notoriously vague or difficult, so these codes narrow things down into palatable groupings which are so distinct that you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. The codes have a wide range, with everything from sub-sub-subgenres (‘Feel-Good Sports Movies for Ages 8-10’) to very specific casting decisions (‘Dark Movies Starring Robert De Niro’). You can find what to watch for any possible type of cinema with these codes.


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You can simply use any search engine and type ‘Netflix’ followed by the specific code, and the first item to appear will be the curated collection of movies on Netflix based on the code. To use the codes if you’re using a web browser, you can type: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/

At the end of the URL, type in the specific code that you’re using, and you’ll be taken to that page. Below are a few great codes to find out what to watch on Netflix, followed by links to the complete listing of the codes.

75804 (Vampire Horror Movies)

Netflix has a small but fantastic collection of vampire films, which can probably only be beat by Shudder. There are a couple of retro classics, prerequisite films like The Lost Boys and Interview With the Vampire, along with the underrated and most Gothic Dracula tale, Bram Stoker’s Dracula from Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a surprisingly beautiful blend of romance and horror, with excellent performances from Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, and Winona Ryder. The sound and costume design, sets, and makeup are all especially incredible (and Oscar-winning), and the cinematography and entire tactile feel of the film is wonderful.


One of the most underrated vampire films of recent year, He Never Died, is also on Netflix. The movie features the great punk rocker Henry Rollins (from the band Black Flag, along with his excellent spoken-word career), in a bulked-up and intimidating turn as a depressed immortal who is debating whether to stop eating people and finally let go of life. It’s a wryly comic, surprisingly moving, delightfully dark little horror comedy that has gone underrated for too long.

5286 (Sports Comedies)

Netflix has a surprisingly large amount of international sports movies, but the best are arguably their sports comedies. They have a great selection of international sports comedies, especially Indian ones (Sur Supata, Hattrick, Ferrari Ki Sawaari), but also Mexican (Penalty Kick) and even Chinese, including the extremely fast-paced Pegasus, a very fun and energetic racing comedy.


Of course, Netflix also has Caddyshack 2, if you’d prefer to go the ‘so bad it’s good’ route and see one of the most disliked sequels ever made. Wheels of Fortune is another racing comedy, a very dark and offbeat one featuring Matt Jones from Breaking Bad in a hilarious turn. Netflix also has the Goon sequel, Goon: Last of the Enforcers. The original is one of the greatest (and startlingly authentic and heartfelt) sports comedies of all time, but the sequel deserves more love. Most of the whole cast (Sean Williams Scott, Allison Pill, Liev Schreiber) returns, and it’s directed by Jay Baruchel, who shows off his aptitude for comedic timing seen before in This is the End and Man Seeking Woman. It’s a genuinely great sequel to a classic film (sorry, Caddyshack 2).

Related: These Are Some Offbeat Funny Movies You Can Watch on Netflix

9916 (Romantic Independent Movies)

Netflix isn’t playing around with this code, which features not only several of the best romantic films of all time, but some of the best movies of recent years. With the codes, it’s a little unclear how Netflix qualifies and defines ‘independent;’ it seems to be more of a feeling than a budgetary situation for Netflix. Nonetheless, many of the films featured here are stunning — Howard’s End, Phantom Thread, Middle of Nowhere, and The Artist are all excellent and extremely different, but unified by an aching and beautiful love at their core. The collection in the Netflix code also has Silver Linings Playbook, a great romantic dramedy about mental health with some of the best acting in a romance film in decades.

One of the best and most understated of the films here is the excellent little Blue Jay, starring indie darling Mark Duplass and Ryan Murphy go-to Sarah Paulson. The two make an unlikely but sweet couple as a pair of old high school sweethearts who meet again by chance at a grocery store 20 years later and proceed to spend some time catching up and rehashing old business. Beautifully filmed in black and white, and with an utterly magnetic charm, Blue Jay was the best romantic dramedy nobody saw.

74652 (Cult TV Shows)

Again, what classifies as ‘cult’ is rather abstract and vague, but judging by the excellent suggestions from this Netflix code, it seems like anything pretty offbeat or niche which has developed a rabid cult following. This could be something massively (and surprisingly) popular like The Walking Dead, or it could be something a bit more obscure, like the wacky British sitcom Kath & Kim. The From Dusk Til Dawn TV series is here, along with offbeat cult comedy classics like Trailer Park Boys and the endlessly rewarding Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

There’s also the tremendous Stargate SG-1, which remains one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time; Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Battlestar Galactica are often mentioned, but Stargate SG-1 deserves a strong reconsideration as one of the most consistently excellent and downright cool sci-fi shows ever made, with a wonderful cast of characters who became easy to fall in love with. Another ‘Cult TV Show’ that deserves ceaseless praise is the absurdist British sitcom The IT Crowd, starring Richard Aoyade, Chris O’Dowd, and Katherin Parkinson as the three bickering members of a massive corporation’s IT department. Over the course of four seasons (plus a final episode), the show created some of the deepest belly-laughs of any British TV series in history, and is utterly repeatable and quote-worthy.


While some only work in certain countries, and others only have a small selection of movies and TV shows on Netflix, these codes are ultimately rewarding nonetheless. They help narrow down the infinite queue and specify titles in the sea of streaming, something which everyone can use from time to time. You can check out a truncated version here, courtesy of Netflix-Codes, and a ridiculously lengthy and complete listing of Netflix codes here, courtesy of Ogre’s Crypt. Happy streaming.

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