It’s almost suspicious that there are three different tributes to the strange, spooky and weird genres of film on May 9. From the Music Box Theatre to Facets Cinematheque to the Viaduct Theatre, it seems that something in the air has made this day an unofficial “strange film” appreciation holiday.

Whether one wants to appreciate horror films through the guise of scantily clad ladies, sci-fi films by staying in a theater for 14 hours or cult classics by attending a lecture after midnight, there are three excellent options for film nerds to duke it out to see who truly has the larger DVD collection.

Cult films

Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., is one of the great Chicago institutions dedicated to films that have been planted firmly under-the-radar. The institution is a center for film education, rental and, of course, film viewing.

For years, the group has run a program called Facets Film School. Phil Morehart, an editor at Facets, wanted to do an offshoot of that.

“This is my baby, I guess you could say,” Morehart said. “We’re all film obsessives here. We love the traditional foreign cinema and everything else that people associate with Facets, but we love cult films.”

Morehart said he and a group of people at Facets wanted a program that catered to the dark, bizarre and obscure films that the staff loves so much.

“It’s devoted only to those strange, off-the-beaten-path, weird cult films that most people associate with the ‘midnight movie’ phenomenon,” Morehart said. “So we decided there’s no better time to do the class than to actually have them at midnight.”

Facets Night School began on May 2. Every week, a different staff member at Facets will present a screening and lecture on a cult film of his or her choice. Since it’s an educational experience, students who attend the event will receive a packet with articles, bibliographies and further readings. Included in the series are Dawn of the Dead, Labyrinth and Quadrophenia.

On May 9, the group will screen Street Trash, a film by the group who produced The Toxic Avenger. Giving the lecture to coincide with the screening is Chicago performance artist and comedian Bruce Neal. Morehart said he has a very “interesting” lecture planned.

The film is about a bunch of Skid Row winos who find some tainted street wine and, of course,  spontaneously explode in DayGlo colors.

“It was made in ’87, so it’s got some slightly subversive comment on the political air of the time, but also it’s just a gross-out horror comedy,” Morehart said.

As time goes on, Morehart said he’d like to see them do more “fanatic-based” lectures-horror films, films by one director and “summer-themed” were all different series he mentioned.

Right now, however, Morehart refers to the current line-up as a “mixtape of a series.”

“It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be good times, but it’s going to be an educational experience, as well,” he said. “And for five bucks, it’s a steal.”

Facets Night School takes place every Saturday at midnight. Tickets for the event are $5 per lecture, $40 for all nine lectures and free for any member of Facets. Visit Facets.org for more information.

Sci-Fi films

It’s an age-old college tradition. A group of guys get together and say, “Let’s stay up for hours and watch all six Star Wars movies.” Perhaps Star Wars is replaced with a genre of films or another franchise, but film festivals, caffeine and junk food are still held in high regard for film aficionados (until the next morning).

The Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., is ready to fuel that need with their third annual Sci-Fi Spectacular. The theater will host 14 hours of classic sci-fi movies in a row, as well as some special guests. Among the films being screened are Planet of the Apes, Aliens, The Fly (1985), War of the Worlds (1953) and The Incredible Shrinking Man.

Dave Jennings, the general manager at The Music Box, said the theater is an excellent venue for the films-especially the ones from the ’50s.

“The Music Box is an amazing place to see a film because it gives that experience of almost a bygone era,” Jennings said. “It’s something about seeing films with a group-it’s a shared experience that you can’t possibly get when you just rent them off of Netflix.”

The theater’s long history won’t only serve the 14 hours of sci-fi films. Between the screenings of each movie, the theater will screen vintage 35mm trailers of old films.

They’re also going to be screening 2001: A Space Odyssey. After the screening, there will be a Q&A and autograph signing with Gary Lockwood, one of the film’s stars. For those who can’t make it to the screening, the theater will screen the film again on Sunday night.

The event will be hosted by local MC and promoter Rusty Nails, who has hosted the event every year since its creation.

Jennings emphasized that the event will be nowhere near as large as a sci-fi convention, but there will be dealer tables at the event featuring sci-fi merchandise.

“If you go to a lot of sci-fi conventions and things like that, you end up paying a lot of money at the door.  Then you end up paying a lot of money on stuff,” Jennings said. “In our case, it’s more about seeing and enjoying the films.”

Although the day will undoubtedly have people walking in and out between films, there is expected to be a group of people who stay for the entire event. To assist with the few, proud endurance viewers, there will be free energy drinks provided.

Jennings is excited to see how many people are in it for the long haul.

“Our theater seats 750 people, and if we had a core group of 100 who made it through all 14 hours, that would be great,” he said.

Tickets to the event are $20 in advance or $24 at the door. For more information, visit MusicBoxTheatre.com.

Horror films

Perhaps a trip to see the same old movies doesn’t feel right. Perhaps a live review in tribute to those great old films is the way to go.  Add some partial nudity to aforementioned tribute and, like magic, there’s an enormous crowd of people waiting to show their appreciation of horror films.

Yes,  nothing mixes better than promiscuity and horror. Hot & Heavy Burlesque is ready to strengthen that relationship with their review, “A Burlesque Tribute to Classic Horror Films” at the Viaduct Theatre, 3111 N. Western Ave.

The show will feature 20 acts of burlesque-style re-enactments of different horror movies, including Carrie, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Hellraiser, It, Rosemary’s Baby and Re-Animator.

Danielle Call, a fan of horror films, produced the event after producing a heavy metal-themed burlesque show.

“The heavy metal thing took off really well,” Call said. “People really seemed to be liking it, and then I was like, ‘OK, what can we do to kick it up a notch for this next one?'”

As a big fan of horror films,  she decided to craft a burlesque event after them.

Call said the event is much more satisfying than staying at home to watch old horror films.

“Not only do you get the thrill of the horror movie you could watch sitting at home, but you also get to see a gorgeous girl re-enact your favorite film live,” she said.

Ari Lehman, who played Jason in the original Friday the 13th film, will host the event. Also, any customers in the first three rows will be given a tarp for the gorier re-enactments. After all, what’s a horror show without splattering blood?

“I almost like to think of it as one long montage of horror movies,” Call said. “The acts are very theatrical for this one.”

Tickets to the show are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. For more information, visit MySpace.com/HotAndHeavyBurlesque.