Editing Donnie Darko (section)

==Production==
===Writing===
The film originated in late 1997 when Kelly, aged 22, had graduated from [[USC School of Cinematic Arts]] in Los Angeles.<ref name=LAT20011026/> While earning money as a client's assistant at a post-production house, he thought about his future and decided to write his first feature-length script. The task frightened Kelly at first because he did not want to produce something that was poor in quality. It was not until October 1998 when Kelly felt the time was right to write a script and wrote ''Donnie Darko'' in 28 days, the same time period as the film.<ref name=COS17>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2017/04/donnie-darko-returns-richard-kelly/|title=Donnie Darko Returns: Director Richard Kelly Talks '80s Nostalgia, Tears for Fears, and the Possibility of a Sequel|first1=Michael|last1=Roffman|first2=Cap|last2=Blackard|date=April 18, 2017|publisher=Consequence of Sound|access-date=January 30, 2021}}</ref> The time of year influenced Kelly to set the film around Halloween.<ref name=THR17/>

Kelly set out to write something "ambitious, personal, and nostalgic" about the 1980s which "pushed the envelope by combining science fiction with a coming-of-age tale".<ref name=BBC20021021>{{cite web|last=Korsner|first=Jason|title=Movies – Richard Kelly – Donnie Darko|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/10/21/richard_kelly_donnie_darko_interview.shtml|access-date=January 19, 2018|work=BBC News|date=October 25, 2002}}</ref><ref name=LAT20011026>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-oct-26-ca-61710-story.html|title='Darko' Hard to Sell, Quick to Shoot|date=October 26, 2001|first=Gina|last=Piccalo|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 29, 2021}}</ref> The ''[[New York Times]]'' homed in on the 1980s coming-of-age story aspect by observing the influence of [[John Hughes (filmmaker)|John Hughes]], noting the "ineffectual" adults and the fact that Donnie's "suffering is a way to make him more sensitive".<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Elvis |title=Sure, He Has a 6-Foot Rabbit. Does That Mean He's Crazy? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/26/movies/film-review-sure-he-has-a-6-foot-rabbit-does-that-mean-he-s-crazy.html |access-date=19 May 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=26 October 2001}}</ref> Kelly summarized the script was to be "an amusing and poignant recollection of suburban America in the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] era".<ref name=TG20161212/> He recalled a news story that he had read as a child, which he later called an urban legend,<ref name=LA18/> about a large piece of ice falling from the wing of a plane and crashing through a boy's bedroom, who was not there at the time and thus escaped death.<ref name=TG20161212>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/dec/12/how-we-made-donnie-darko-jake-gyllenhaal|title=How we made Donnie Darko|first=Phil|last=Hoad|date=December 12, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=February 1, 2021}}</ref> Kelly used this to develop an initial idea of a jet engine falling onto a house and no one could determine its origin. He then built the rest of the script with the aim of resolving the mystery at the end while taking a "most interesting voyage" to get there, although at this point he knew the plane was to be one that Donnie's mother was on and was from a different dimension.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|pp=xxii–xxiii}}<ref name=LAT20011026/> At one point Kelly considered replacing the jet engine with a piece of ice, like he had read.<ref name=TR21/> He based the film's concept of time travel and alternate universes from reading ''[[A Brief History of Time]]'' by [[Stephen Hawking]].<ref name=COS17/>

Kelly was adamant to set the film in 1988, thinking it would be fresh to explore the era and depict a society that he had not seen in a film before.<ref name=COS17/> Later he admitted that he felt pressured to make the setting more contemporary. However, he could not figure out how to make the story work in such a setting and retained the original setting.<ref>{{cite web | last=Cranswick | first=Ami | title=Exclusive Interview with Donnie Darko writer/director Richard Kelly | url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2016/12/exclusive-interview-with-donnie-darko-writerdirector-richard-kelly/ | website=Flickering Myth | date=December 16, 2016 | access-date=February 21, 2017}}</ref> The first draft had Donnie originally wake up at a shopping mall, rather than a golf course.<ref name=LA18/> Kelly got ideas for Donnie's experiences of paranoid schizophrenia from researching the topic online. He considered such a broad disorder that is difficult to define was "a great way to ground a supernatural story" in a scientific sense.<ref name=LAT20011024>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69080149/|title=Analyze This: What's Behind These Psychodramas?|first=Richard|last=Natale|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 24, 2001|page=F10|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=February 1, 2021}}</ref> The first draft was between 145–150 pages; Kelly did not change what he had initially written as he was aware that stopping to review it would have caused him to second guess himself.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|pp=xxiv}} He presented it to producer [[Sean McKittrick]], who recalled "had never read anything like this before", and helped refine the script while making the story understandable enough.<ref name=TR21/> After two more drafts were written, the pair finalized a 128-page script.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxxii}} Kelly felt that had he clarified the film's ending any further, "the film would collapse under its own pretension", and credited McKittrick, Juvonen, and Gyllenhaal, whom he said were "aggressive" and "vocal" in not letting there be one simple answer to the plot.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|pp=xxiv–xxv}}

There are some autobiographical links with Kelly and the film; he said there is "plenty of me" in Donnie's character. Kelly grew up in [[Midlothian, Virginia]], also a suburban town, where a local woman called Grandma Death would stand by the road and constantly open and close her mailbox. Kelly also incorporated the moment he almost ran over a homeless person while driving, arguments with his school teachers over the curriculum, and his personal experiences with [[sleepwalking]] into the narrative.<ref name=BFI16>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/interviews/donnie-darko-director-richard-kelly-i-didnt-grow-seeing-rabbits|title=Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly: 'I didn't grow up seeing rabbits'|first=Lou|last=Thomas|date=December 14, 2016|publisher=BFI|access-date=February 1, 2021}}</ref> The word "fuck-ass", used in the Darko family dinner scene, was something that two of Kelly's film school friends used during their occasional exchange of insults.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|pp=xxiv}} Frank was to be a rabbit since the beginning, but Kelly was unsure whether the character originated from a dream or his longtime interest in the animal novel ''[[Watership Down]]'' by [[Richard Adams]].<ref name=EW17>{{cite web|title=The behind-the-scenes story of Donnie Darko's creepy bunny suit|last=Coggan|first=Devan|date=7 April 2017|url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/31/donnie-darko-bunny-suit-frank-untold-stories/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=January 31, 2021}}</ref> The novel was to be taught in Karen's English class after the school had censored [[Graham Greene]] from her curriculum; it was a subplot that was abandoned in the theatrical version but included in the director's cut.<ref name=EW17/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Susman|first1=Gary|title=25 Things You May Not Know About 'Donnie Darko'|url=https://www.moviefone.com/2011/10/26/25-things-you-may-not-know-about-donnie-darko/|website=Moviefone|access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051340/https://www.moviefone.com/2011/10/26/25-things-you-may-not-know-about-donnie-darko/ |archive-date=22 December 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Development===
Kelly knew that the film's complicated story would be difficult to pitch to producers without a script, so he had producers read it first before discussing it with them further.<ref name=BBC20021021/> While pitching the script, Kelly and McKittrick insisted that Kelly direct the film, which hindered its chances at being picked up.<ref name=TR21/> Kelly recalled 1999 being a year of "meeting after meeting", all of which ended in rejection, and at this point declared the film "dead".<ref name=LAT20011026/> McKittrick said ''Donnie Darko'' was "the challenging script in town that everybody wanted to make, but was too afraid".<ref name=LAT20011026/>

[[File:DrewBarrymoreMusicLyrics.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Drew Barrymore]] agreed to finance the film's production through her company, [[Flower Films]].]]
A turning point arrived when agents John Campisi and [[Rob Paris (producer)|Rob Paris]] at the [[Creative Artists Agency]] took an interest in the script and signed Kelly on.<ref name=TR21/> Kelly said his "jaw was on the floor" at the unexpected offer, which greatly boosted the chances of having the film made with the agency's stamp on the script.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxxii}} This led to further meetings with several prominent individuals, including [[Francis Ford Coppola]], [[Ben Stiller]], [[William Horberg]], and [[Betty Thomas]].<ref name=TR21/> Kelly's meeting with Coppola was particularly influential, as Coppola drew his attention to one of Karen's lines after she is fired—"The kids have to figure it all out these days, because the parents, they don't have a clue"—and Kelly recalled: "He slid the binder down the big table and very dramatically said: 'That's what your whole movie's about right there.'"<ref name=THR17>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809114706/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/donnie-darko-inside-story-director-richard-kelly-reveals-francis-ford-coppolas-hidden-hand-|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/donnie-darko-inside-story-director-richard-kelly-reveals-francis-ford-coppolas-hidden-hand-|archive-date=August 9, 2020|title='Donnie Darko,' The Inside Story: Director Richard Kelly Reveals Francis Ford Coppola's Hidden Hand in Shaping the Movie|last=Siegel|first=Tatiana|date=March 31, 2017|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> Early on [[Vince Vaughn]] was offered the role of Donnie, but he turned it down as he felt he was too old for the part.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/07/the-lost-roles-of-vince-vaughn.html|title=The Lost Roles of Vince Vaughn|first=Bradford|last=Evans|date=July 26, 2012|website=Vulture}}</ref> [[Mark Wahlberg]] was also approached, but he insisted that he should play Donnie with a lisp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2770282/mark-wahlberg-favorite-movie/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622201851/http://www.mtv.com/news/2770282/mark-wahlberg-favorite-movie/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 22, 2016|title = Mark Wahlberg Turned Down the Lead Role in Your Favorite Movie|website = [[MTV]]}}</ref>

Development progressed in early 2000, when actor [[Jason Schwartzman]] expressed an interest in the script and agreed to play as Donnie.<ref name=LAT20011026/><ref name=THR17/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69348570/|title=Schwartzman dons 'Donnie Darko'|date=May 19, 2000|newspaper=Florida Today|page=27|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref> Kelly said this moment "legitimized me as a director" and recalled "all of a sudden people came out of the woodwork, it was alive again". Around this time [[Ryman Hospitality Properties|Pandora Cinema]] offered a $2.5 million production budget, and Schwartzman's agent sent the script to [[Nancy Juvonen]], who co-owned [[Flower Films]] with actress [[Drew Barrymore]]. The pair liked the script and wanted to get involved, which led Kelly and McKittrick to a meeting with the pair in March 2000 on the set of ''[[Charlie's Angels (2000 film)|Charlie's Angels]]'' (2000), where Barrymore was filming. Barrymore agreed to play as Karen, and Flower Films agreed to increase the budget to $4.5 million.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxxv}}<ref name=FC01>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/210266712|first=Mark|last=Olsen|date=September 2001|title=Discovery: Richard Kelly|magazine=Film Comment|volume=37|issue=5|pages=16–17|via=[[ProQuest]]|access-date=February 5, 2021|id={{ProQuest|210266712}}}}</ref><ref name=TR21/><ref name=BBC20021021/><ref name="'Darko' takes a long, strange trip">{{cite news |title = 'Darko' takes a long, strange trip |url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-02-14-dvd-donnie-darko_x.htm |newspaper = [[USA Today]] |first1=Mike |last1=Snider |date=2005-02-14 |access-date=2012-08-30}}</ref> Kelly later called the sum the "bare minimum" to make the film.<ref name=LA18>{{cite web|url=https://www.liveabout.com/inside-donnie-darko-2419188|title=Inside "Donnie Darko" With Writer/Director Richard Kelly|first=Rebecca|last=Murray|date=May 25, 2018|publisher=Liveabout|access-date=February 4, 2021}}</ref>

After securing enough financial backing, pre-production accelerated and filming was booked for the summer of 2000 and scheduled to accommodate Barrymore, who had just one week's availability.<ref name=TR21/> However, by July, Schwartzman had withdrawn due to scheduling conflicts. This led to an "exciting" period for Kelly who met several hopefuls, including [[Patrick Fugit]] and [[Lucas Black]].<ref name=FC01/><ref name=TR21/> Gyllenhaal, who was in Los Angeles auditioning for parts, was "mesmerised" by the script and recalled pulling over the side of the road to finish reading it.<ref name=TG20161212/> Filming was scheduled to start in one month, during which Kelly worked with Gyllenhaal to amend parts of his dialogue. Gyllenhaal was given "a lot of room" to incorporate his own ideas, including making his voice sound like "a child talking to its blanket" when he talks to Frank as he is a source of comfort for Donnie.<ref name=LAT20011026/> Gyllenhaal also had the idea to have his real-life sister Maggie star as Elizabeth Darko.<ref name=TG20161212/> [[Jolene Purdy]]'s audition for Cherita was the first of her career.<ref name=TR21/> Kelly credits Juvonen for being instrumental for getting Wyle and Swayze on board.<ref name=TR21/>

===Design===
Kelly recalled several people showing him drawings of what they thought Frank should look like, describing them like an [[Easter bunny]]. He wanted Frank to be "disturbing and animalistic".<ref name=TR21/> He produced initial sketches of Frank's face and presented them to production designer Alex Hammond, who then made front and side drawings of the mask and sketches of the full suit.<ref name=TR21/> Kelly also said that the 1972 novel ''[[Watership Down]]'' was also the inspiration for Frank.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/31/donnie-darko-bunny-suit-frank-untold-stories/ | title=The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Creepy 'Donnie Darko' Bunny Suit | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref> The design was given to costume designer [[April Ferry]] who built the costume from scratch and hired a sculptor to create Frank's altered grin. Kelly insisted that Frank's face had to disturb people and create an intense response with the audience. The costume was first presented to the cast and crew at Loyola High School, shortly after filming began. Although Duval wore the suit for almost every scene, a director stepped in for the initial shoot. Kelly recalled, "Everyone just got quiet [...] like, this is really intense. So I knew it was working, and I felt the sense of relief."<ref name=TR21/><ref name=EW17/> Kelly wanted Frank's voice to sound as if he was speaking through liquid and "has the power of the ocean", and recalled spending a considerable amount of time with the sound designer to achieve the effect on Duval's voice.<ref name=FMM2017>{{cite web|url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/101984-it-was-a-long-uphill-battle-richard-kelly-on-donnie-darko/|title="It Was a Long Uphill Battle": Richard Kelly on Donnie Darko|first=Erik|last=Luers|date=March 30, 2017|access-date=October 29, 2023}}</ref>

There was not enough money in the budget for Ferry to dress everyone in 1980s clothing, so she suggested to Kelly that the pupils should wear school uniforms. Kelly agreed, feeling that it would help to portray the idea of Donnie challenging conformity and the educational system.<ref name=COS17/>

Kelly chose [[Steven Poster]] as [[cinematographer]] from going through a stack of resumes and noted Poster had shot ''[[Someone to Watch Over Me (film)|Someone to Watch Over Me]]'' (1987) for director [[Ridley Scott]]; to Kelly, this meant "you can retire, you made it."{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxxvii}} Poster had not shot a feature film in two years, and Kelly had to persuade him to accept the job for a reduced fee.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxxvii}} Poster had Kelly dissect the script for him at their initial meeting: "We read every word, every sentence, every page, every scene in the movie. I made him justify to me why he wanted that in the movie. I wanted him to be able to tell me what each scene was going to tell the audience."<ref name=IW14>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/11/lessons-from-legendary-donnie-darko-cinematographer-67544/|title=Lessons From Legendary 'Donnie Darko' Cinematographer|first=Emily|last=Buder|date=November 24, 2014|publisher=IndieWire|access-date=February 1, 2021}}</ref> Although the task created arguments between them, once complete the pair knew exactly what was needed to make the film.<ref name=IW14/> Poster's reputation and connections with [[Panavision]] allowed Kelly to shoot with "an unprecedented amount" of filming equipment from them at a reduced price.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxxviii}} For night time shots, Kelly showed the crew scenes from ''[[Peggy Sue Got Married]]'' (1986) for its "idealised ... burnished nostalgia". The polished cinematography in ''Donnie Darko'' "creates a feeling of hyper-reality, suggesting that all is not what it seems."{{sfn|Wharton|Grant|2005|p=80}}

The film was publicized at the Sundance Film Festival as being the first to feature significant digital effects. Kelly wanted to use them only "when absolutely necessary" and have them relate to the story, such as the water barrier seen between Donnie and Frank in his bathroom. The liquid spears that emerge from people's torsos are reminiscent of the water tentacle in ''[[The Abyss]]'' (1989), and can be seen as a representation of a character's psyche. Alternatively, they demonstrate the "metaphysical idea of predestination", suggesting Donnie is being guided, perhaps by God.{{sfn|Wharton|Grant|2005|p=84}} Kelly got the idea from the on-screen chalkboard that American football commentator [[John Madden]] used to illustrate the movements of the players during a replay. Incidentally, the spears first appear when Donnie is watching a football game on television. The school flooding was inspired by a surreal [[photomontage]] by [[Scott Mutter]], in which a giant escalator descends into a rough sea.{{sfn|Wharton|Grant|2005|p=85}}

===Filming===
[[File:AngelesCrestHighway-002.jpg|thumb|right|The Angeles Crest Highway]]
[[File:Donnie Darko house northwest view.JPG|thumb|right|The Darko family home in [[Los Cerritos, Long Beach, California|Los Cerritos]] in Long Beach]]
Filming was completed in 28 days, the same length of time as the film's events, in July and August 2000.<ref name="DCDVD" /> Most of the film was shot in [[Long Beach]], California; Kelly was uninterested in shooting elsewhere because he wanted to portray a strong suburban feel. The ongoing [[2000 commercial actors strike|commercial actors strike]] had created a shortage of work, so additional actors and crew members willing to work for scale were hired for the film.<ref name=FMM2017/> The golf course scenes were filmed at Virginia Country Club and the school scenes were shot at [[Loyola High School (Los Angeles)|Loyola High School]]. The opening scene with Donnie waking up was the first to be filmed; it was shot at sunrise on the [[Angeles Crest Highway]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |people=Poster, Steven (Cinematographer) |title=Donnie Darko Production Diary |medium=DVD |publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] |date=2004}}</ref> The theatre marquee was shot at the [[Aero Theatre]] in Santa Monica.<ref name=FMM2017/> Kelly lost 20&nbsp;lbs from the stress of filming to a tight schedule, plus the pressure of justifying himself to others that he could direct the film.<ref name=TG20161212/> He openly stated to the actors that he was inexperienced and had no idea how to address them properly, so he talked to them like they were his friends.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xli}}

Production designer Alex Hammond bought the jet engine used in the film for $10,000. The scene where it falls onto Donnie's bedroom was done in one shot. The shell of it was rigged above the set and sent through using an air pressure gun.<ref name=TR21/> Poster remembered people telling Kelly that jet engines do not fall off planes, but during production a "dishwasher-sized engine part" fell from the engine of a [[Boeing 747]] and landed on a beach.<ref name=TR21/> Swayze [[Frosted tips|frosted]] his hair specifically for his part and the infomercial clips were filmed at his ranch.<ref name=LA18/>

Kelly's goal was to "seduce the audience" from the film's opening shot.<ref name=BFI16/> He was attentive to details and spoke to his transportation coordinator to ensure all cars in the film were era-specific. He wanted to avoid going "too kitsch" with the style and costumes and retain a conservative style of the Virginia suburb.<ref name=COS17/> The long shots at the school with "Head Over Heels" playing angered the production and line managers at first, who thought it was "an indulgent music video" that lacked dialogue and did nothing to advance the story. Upon viewing the finished sequence, they had changed their minds. Kelly choreographed the scene's action to the song before the rights to use it had been acquired.<ref name=TG20161212/> Sparkle Motion's performance scene was one of the more difficult shots for Poster, who used smoke to give the appearance that light is there and to achieve silhouettes of the girls on stage.<ref name=IW14/>

The film was shot with a [[Panavision cameras#Panastar|Panavision Panastar]] camera<ref name=IW14/> and in [[anamorphic format]], which involves filming in widescreen onto standard 35&nbsp;mm film. Despite its setbacks and the need to have twice as much light, Kelly was adamant.<ref name=TR21/> Poster suggested using Kodak 800 ASA film stock, which people said looked "terrible and grainy", but he convinced the producers that anamorphic would reduce the amount of work with low ceiling lights that were common in the locations used for filming as they would be cut from the shot.<ref name=IW14/> The anamorphic process required Swayze to kneel down for some scenes so he could fit in the image.<ref name=IW14/> Early on Kelly made a promise to Sam Bauer that he would edit his first feature film when he had the opportunity, but Pandora Cinema disagreed with the choice initially. Kelly recalled he and McKittrick had to "fight like hell" to get Bauer onboard, and eventually Pandora agreed.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xxii}} The water barrier effects were produced by Kelly Carlton for $5,000.{{sfn|Kelly|2003|p=xliv}}

===Soundtrack===
{{Main|Donnie Darko (soundtrack)}}
The film's soundtrack was composed by San Diego musician and songwriter [[Michael Andrews (musician)|Michael Andrews]]. Kelly knew that the film's limited budget prevented him from hiring either "[[Thomas Newman]] or [[Danny Elfman]]" to compose the score for the film, so he decided to look for a composer who happens to be someone "very young, hungry, and really talented".<ref name=LA18/> Andrews was recommended by Juvonen's brother, Jim.<ref name=LA18/>

The film's opening sequence is set to "[[The Killing Moon]]" by [[Echo & the Bunnymen]]. The continuous shot of introduction of Donnie's high school prominently features the song "[[Head over Heels (Tears for Fears song)|Head over Heels]]" by [[Tears for Fears]]. Samantha's dance group "Sparkle Motion" performs to "[[Notorious (Duran Duran song)|Notorious]]" by [[Duran Duran]]. When the scene was originally shot, the group danced to "[[West End Girls]]" by [[Pet Shop Boys]]. However, the rights to the song could not be obtained for the final release. "[[Under the Milky Way]]" by [[The Church (band)|The Church]] is played after Donnie and Gretchen emerge from his bedroom during the party. "[[Love Will Tear Us Apart]]" by [[Joy Division]] also appears in the film [[diegesis|diegetically]] during the party and shots of Donnie and Gretchen upstairs. Despite the film being set in 1988, the version played was not released until 1995.<ref name="Day">{{cite web|url=http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/12415/donnie-darko-directors-cut.html|title=''Donnie Darko'': Director's Cut|first=Matt|last=Day|work=Film @ The Digital Fix |date=10 August 2004|publisher=The Digital Fix|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008094412/http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/12415/donnie-darko-directors-cut.html|archive-date=8 October 2016}}</ref> In the director's cut, the music in the opening sequence is replaced by "[[Never Tear Us Apart]]" by [[INXS]]; "[[Under the Milky Way]]" is moved to the scene of Donnie and Eddie driving home from Donnie's meeting with his therapist; and "The Killing Moon" is played as Gretchen and Donnie return to the party from Donnie's parents' room.<ref name="Day"/>

The film's end sequence features a piano-driven cover of "[[Mad World]]" by English new wave group [[Tears for Fears]], sung by American musician [[Gary Jules]], a schoolfriend of Andrews. In 2003, the cover of "Mad World" was released as a single that was No. 1 in the United Kingdom for three weeks, during which it was the country's [[List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones|Christmas No. 1]] of that year.<ref name=IW04>{{cite web|last=Brunett|first=Adam|date=July 22, 2004|publisher=Indie Wire|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2004/07/donnie-darko-the-directors-cut-the-strange-afterlife-of-an-indie-cult-film-78774/|title="Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut": The Strange Afterlife of an Indie Cult Film|access-date=2012-08-31}}</ref>