Cult Films - Donnie Darko

Why Are People Attracted to These Sort Of Films

Sep 23, 2008 Martyn Coppack

Since its release Donnie Darko has gained popularity through word of mouth and can now be seen as the epitome of cult film making.

In 2001 a film about a troubled teenage who had visions of a giant rabbit telling him that the world was about to end hit theatres. The film, Donnie Darko was not a success but then as with all cult films something started to happen which raised its profile. Word of mouth gathered apace with the DVD release and a new cult was born.

What Is Donnie Darko About?

A cult film is hard to pinpoint as there are various factors which go to making it one. Donnie Darko seemed to enjoy many of these factors and this is why it can be seen as the ultimate cult film. Filmed in 28 days it was an independent movie which enthralled audiences with its strange plot. Viewers were confused by what the film was actually about resulting in countless internet forums and discussion groups trying to unravel it.

It is a film which can be looked at from various angles with one side of the argument being that Donnie was mentally ill and the other focusing on the science fiction aspect of time travel. The clue should have been there on the DVD cover which showed it to belong in the science fiction area of the video store. Then again we could never be sure so instead we payed a visit to the website.

New Media Marketing

The internet has played a big part in the making of a modern cult film with Blair Witch Project being a prime example. Donnie Darko's website offered no straight answers and was instead a journey where you had to answer questions to get to the next page of the site. This gave the film even more opportunity to confound and confuse and only the hardiest film watchers could make it to the end of the site.

The release of a directors cut didn't help matters. With deleted scenes restored it certainly pointed to the time travel theory a lot more but it also took some of the more interesting aspects of the film and toned them down. It does help to watch the new version if you want to get to the end of the website as you need to read the pages of the book on time travel.

Audience Participation

With an audience now there for the film it rapidly became an icon of another cult, that of the midnight movie. Audiences flocked to midnight showings to be with like-minded people and discuss the film as it happened in front of them. It was a return to the golden days of midnight movies which sadly are rare these days.

This audience participation also resulted in lines of dialogue being shouted out (something akin to what happens at a Rocky Horror Picture Show convention). It also highlighted certain scenes which would become favourite parts of the movie. Two of these were without doubt the SparkleMotion dance sequence and the school sequence. Both of them became scenes which took on a life of their own which ultimately leads to parody: another sign of cultdom.

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Donnie Darko