diff --git a/libs/subliminal_patch/core.py b/libs/subliminal_patch/core.py
index 2963988e9..363477e1f 100644
--- a/libs/subliminal_patch/core.py
+++ b/libs/subliminal_patch/core.py
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ def _search_external_subtitles(path, languages=None, only_one=False, scandir_gen
     subtitles = {}
     _scandir = _scandir_generic if scandir_generic else scandir
     for entry in _scandir(dirpath):
-        if not entry.name and not scandir_generic:
+        if (not entry.name or entry.name in ('\x0c', '$', ',', '\x7f')) and not scandir_generic:
             logger.debug('Could not determine the name of the file, retrying with scandir_generic')
             return _search_external_subtitles(path, languages, only_one, True)
         if not entry.is_file(follow_symlinks=False):