Movie connections for
Donnie Darko (2001) More at IMDbPro »

Followed by

S. Darko (2009) (V)

References

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
 -  Main character sees vision of "the world without me" and decide whether or not to commit suicide
Harvey (1950)
 -  Donnie Darko is visited by a giant 'rabbit' that no one else sees.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
 -  Family problems, end of the world, escapism, social outcast.
"Bonanza" (1959)
Psycho (1960)
 -  The scene where the boy imitates Norman Bates when he makes fun of Gretchen's father stabbing her mother, complete with the sound effects
La rivière du hibou (1962)
 -  Follows the same structure: most of the film is the fantasy(?) of a man about to die
Lolita (1962)
 -  Movie's tone imitated. Elizabeth dresses as Vivian during Halloween party.
X (1963)
 -  at the party, before Donnie has the vision his eyes looks like Ray Millands eyes in X (1963)
"The Prisoner" (1967)
The Graduate (1967)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Halloween (1978)
 -  Movie playing in movie theater
The Shining (1980)
"The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" (1981)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
 -  same wolf howl is heard
"Smurfs" (1981)
 -  Donnie and his friends talk about the Smurfs in a very explicit manner
The Evil Dead (1981)
"Smurfs: The Smurfette (#1.21)" (1981)
 -  Donnie tells his friends what happened in this episode to explain how Smurfette was created
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Poltergeist (1982)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Frightmare (1983)
 -  Movie playing in theater
"Star Search" (1983)
The Karate Kid (1984)
C.H.U.D. (1984)
 -  Donnie insults Jim Cunningham by calling him a CHUD
"Who's the Boss?" (1984)
Back to the Future (1985)
 -  Donnie mentions the DeLorean, and both movies have the number 88 as an important plot point
OutRun (1986) (VG)
 -  An OutRun machine is played by Donnie
Blue Velvet (1986)
Stand by Me (1986)
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)
 -  ballet uniforms modeled after prom dress
"Married with Children" (1987)
 -  Donnie has crush on Kelly Bundy
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
 -  seen on theatre marquee, the first scene is also an homage
"Quantum Leap: Genesis: Part 1 - September 13, 1956 (#1.1)" (1989)
Road House (1989)
 -  Portrait in Patrick Swayze's character's study is of Swayze as Dalton
The Abyss (1989)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
 -  Mary McDonnell stars in Dances with Graham Greene, in Donnie she speaks of a different Graham Greene
Slacker (1991)
 -  time travel and conversation on smurfs
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
 -  The sequence set to "Head Over Heels" that gives us a dreamlike introduction to Donnie's high school is too similar to the introduction to Laura Palmer's high school to be ignored, especially since both climax with a character snorting cocaine.
Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Visceral Matter (1997)
Donnie Brasco (1997)
American Beauty (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
Magnolia (1999)
Final Destination (2000)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Sexy Beast (2000)

Referenced in

Final Destination 2 (2003)
 -  Protagonist escapes death, causes a tear in space-time continuum, then has to sacrifice his life to restore order
The Sims 2 (2004) (VG)
 -  The 'social bunny' in The Sims 2 references Frank
'Donnie Darko': Production Diary (2004) (V)
 -  In 'Donnie Darko: Production Diary', the cast and crew talk about the making of the 2001 cult film 'Donnie Darko' as it happens.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004) (VG)
 -  "Fearitdoit" program resembles Jim Cunningham's program.
"Degrassi: The Next Generation: Bark at the Moon (#4.13)" (2004)
 -  It is stated as Chester's favorite movie.
#1 Fan: A Darkomentary (2005) (V)
 -  '#1 Fan: A Darkomentary' is a mockumentary based on the making of the 2001 cult film 'Donnie Darko'.
Room No. 7 (2005)
 -  vertical frame tilts to horizontal frame
Fangoria: Blood Drive II (2005) (V)
 -  In the 'Working Stiff' segment in the main characters cubicle a poster of Frank the Bunny is on the wall
Conversations with God (2006)
 -  self-help guru speaks to an crowd about how people react to situations out of either fear or love
Southland Tales (2006)
 -  A poster can be seen when Roland falls into the dumpster
50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)
 -  Makes the countdown, is talked about.
Epic Movie (2007)
 -  After the "Superman" Flashback: Peter touches his eye with the same expression on his face as Frank did in the final sequence of Donnie Darko
"Entourage: Snow Job (#4.10)" (2007)
 -  Ari mentions it
ProSieben FunnyMovie - H3: Halloween Horror Hostel (2008) (TV)
 -  The "rabbit" in the woods looks like Frank.
"Dancing with the Stars: Round Five (#9.10)" (2009/I)
 -  Bruno mentions the film in assessing Donny Osmond's performance
"Dancing with the Stars: Round Seven (#9.14)" (2009/I)
 -  Bruno calls Donny Osmond "Donny Darko"

Features

The Evil Dead (1981)

Featured in

"Anatomy of a Scene: Donnie Darko" (2001)
 -  clip
50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)
 -  Clips shown.
S. Darko (2009) (V)
 -  brief flashback to young Samantha dancing with Sparkle Motion is from DD

Spoofs

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
 -  bike ride shot; Drew Barrymore in both films

Spoofed in

"Grim & Evil: Wishbones (#4.6)" (2005)
 -  By the end of Pud'n's wish scene, the bunny sounds and looks like the rabbit Frank
The Girl by the Side of the Road (2006)
 -  Brandon's dream "wake up"
Don't Let's Start (2009)
 -  parodies appearance of Frank The Bunny

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