SPOLIER ALERT: DO NOT READ IF YOU INTEND TO RENT WITHOUT KNOWING THE MOVIE

Okay, I think I’ve got this sucker down. (Just falling in the vernacular you so colorfully describe the movie in ). You have to have your rulebook handy. I am very familiar with it, since everyone that has seen ‘Donnie Darko’ here and has had time has requested to watch the extras on the DVD, - Sparrows book, “TPOTT” and deleted scenes and Directors comments.
Key Rules (I pulled out main points)
Chapter #1: The 4th Dimension is stable but not impenetrable. Incidents which corrupt its fabric are extremely rare. IF a Tangent Universe occurs it will be unstable capable of sustaining itself no longer than a few weeks. It will collapse inward forming a Black Hole in the Primary universe capable of destroying ALL existence.
Chapter 4: When a vortex opens ( around Donnies House) an Artifact is the first sign (Jet engine). The Living will perceive it with great interest (where DAT come from!)
Chapter 6: A Living Receiver is chosen (Donnie) to return the Artifact to the primary universe. Those surrounding the Living Receiver known as “Manipulated” will fear him and try to destroy him.
Chapter 7: The Living Manipulated (pretty much everyone Donnie knows) are prone to bizarre violent behavior and unfortunate result of their task to assist the Living Receiver (Donnie) in returning the Artifact. The ML will do anything to save themselves.
Chapter 10: The “Manipulated Dead” (Frank & Gretchen) are more powerful than the Liv. R. If a person dies in the tangent universe they are able to contact the Living Receiver (Donnie) through the 4th Dimensional Construct. The Manipulated Dead will often set a “Ensurance Trap” (Gretchen's Death-see the Chapt name on the DVD) to ensure that the Artifact is returned.
Chapter 12: When the Manipulated awaken from their journey into the Tangent Universe they are often haunted by the experience in their dreams. Some will not remember.

In the movie setup, we know Donnie has a history of sleepwalking. I think you have to assume that since Donnie has the power to “choose” whether or not to return the artifact. Either he would have been “out of bed’ when it hit in the first place. And/or it really doesn’t matter, because once it is here (as a sign) he has the power to return it by being in that bed or the universe ends. The second a vortex occurs, Frank already exists with the power to manipulate time and circumstances. So he begins by making Donnie ‘think’ that he saved his life by “WAKE UP” and getting him out of the crush zone. Honestly would you have listened to a 6 foot rabbit that looked like that or told it to get the @@@ away and leave you alone….unless you started out by thinking whatever ‘it’ was it ‘saved’ you.

BY that way that’s what first ‘caught’ me in this movie and created the tension, I thought it was a ‘Satanic’ rabbit, handing Donnie an axe and all that….what intrigued me was ‘the twist’ everything the rabbit did was to a purpose (saving the world).
Donnie: Why did you make me flood the school
Frank: They are in great Danger

Donnie: When will this all end
Frank: You already know that……
Donnie: What happened to your eye?
Frank: I’m sorry.

Everything that appears as destruction that Frank has Donnie do, eventually proves to Donnie that ‘Frank’ does know and is leading him correctly. (Donnie’s slow smile when the newscaster states…”the kiddy porn dungeon’)

By the way nice touch - if you flip through the newspaper articles in the extras on the DVD. Jim Cunningham (once the primary universe is back on track)….commits suicide in Oct. (the same month Donnie returns the artifact)
Remember “Mad World’ when Cunningham is sobbing. He obviously awoke ‘remembering’ (Chapt 12 rule). The shame and guilt of being exposed, and decided to end it.