ABSTRACT
Donnie Darko was the debut feature for director Richard Kelly. On its release, Kelly was heralded by the trade press as a new type of “indie auteur”. Confounding initial expectations, Donnie Darko was an unexpected box office failure but the film would go on to later find cult status. This chapter explores the concept of the indie auteur and how, in Kelly’s case, genre-blending in Donnie Darko was attributed to the director’s autonomy. It then examines how the film’s genre hybridity complicates a straightforward reading of the film, impacted its box office performance, and contributed to the film’s cult appeal. Finally, the chapter links Donnie Darko’s cult value to a “smart film” sensibility.
