Midnight movie madness going strong in NYC

NYC has played an integral part in the midnight movie tradition, a timeless moviegoing experience.

Audiences have flocked to the city's theaters as the clock strikes 12 since at least the '70s, when Alejandro Jodoworsky's "El Topo" and, especially, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" became full-on midnight sensations.

In 2012, the culture of 12 a.m. screenings is thriving. Here are some of the flicks you'll find at midnight across the city this Friday and Saturday:

At the Landmark Sunshine Cinema: 'Psycho' and 'The Room'
"Psycho," of course, is one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces. "The Room," this generation's midnight classic, takes hilarious awfulness to a whole new level. ("Psycho" shows Fri. and Sat.; "The Room" is Sat., Both films are $10, 143 E. Houston St., landmarktheaters.com)

At the IFC Center: 'El Topo' and 'Small Soldiers'
Jodoworsky's "El Topo" is widely credited with being the first true midnight movie. It's a surrealist spectacle. "Small Soldiers," from "Gremlins" director Joe Dante, is the dark flip side of "Toy Story." Toys go to war in suburban Ohio. Phil Hartman and Co. are caught in the middle. (Both films show Fri. and Sat.; "El Topo" is $20 and at 12:05 a.m., "Small Soldiers" is $13.50 and at 12:20 a.m., 323 Sixth Ave., ifccenter.com)

At Nitehawk Cinema: 'Tron' and 'Silent Night Deadly Night'
Nitehawk Cinema, a mainstay of Williamsburg's burgeoning film scene, is showing the original "Tron" with a score played live by the band Black Lodge, and the epitome of cult flicks: "Silent Night, Deadly Night," the '80s horror movie about a man on a Christmas killing rampage. (Both films show Fri. and Sat.; "Tron" is $16 and at 12:05 a.m., "Silent Night, Deadly Night" is $11 and at 12:15 a.m., 136 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn, nitehawkcinema.com)