Donnie Darko (2001) – WTF Happened to This Horror Movie?

It’s time for a new episode of our WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? video series, and in this one we’re taking a look back at writer/director Richard Kelly‘s stunning 2001 feature debut Donnie Darko (watch it HERE). Some may not consider it to be a horror movie, but it’s a tough one to categorize. Donnie Darko is a bit horror, a bit sci-fi, a lot dark drama. So we might as well cover it here.

The film has the following synopsis:

During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness – or will the world really end?

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Donnie Darko himself and is joined in the cast by Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Duval, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Holmes Osborne, Daveigh Chase, Jolene Purdy, Seth Rogen, and Beth Grant.

This is what the WTF Happened to This Horror Movie series is all about:

Hollywood has had its fair share of historically troubled productions. Whether it was casting changes, actor deaths, fired directors, in-production rewrites, constant delays, budget cuts or studio edits, these films had every intention to be a blockbuster, but were beset with unforeseen disasters. Sometimes huge hits, sometimes box office bombs. Either way, we have to ask: WTF Happened To This Horror Movie?

The Donnie Darko episode of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie was Written by Emilie Black, Edited by Zack Burkett, Narrated by Jason Hewlett, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Some of the previous episodes of the show can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!