GOOD BOY (2025)

New in select theaters this week from Shudder, IFC Films, and What’s Wrong With Your Dog!
Directed by Ben Leonberg.
Written by Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg.
Check out the trailer here!!

GOOD BOY is told from the perspective of Indy (played by a dog named Indy), a loyal pooch who adores his owner Todd (played by Shane Jensen). But Todd has problems. He is dying from what seems to be cancer and decides to head out to his grandpa’s empty cabin in the woods for his final days. Todd’s sister Vera (played by Arielle Friedman) worries about him incessantly, constantly blowing up his phone and checking in on him to make sure he’s ok. But Todd prefers to live out his remaining days in solitude with his dog. Turns out, grandpa’s cabin is inhabited by dark forces. The same evil entity that took out grandpa (played by the godfather of indie horror Larry Fessenden) and his own dog a few years ago. Through the eyes of this innocent and lovable dog named Indy, GOOD BOY shows how one dog tries to protect his owner’s life from impending doom.

While I’ve always been more of a cat person myself, I understand how dog’s can win the hearts of so many. They are loyal to a tee, protective, and seem to have this inherent innocence that you just don’t find in other animals. Sure, it’s awesome when my cat sits next to me while I’m writing. But the way a dog looks up at you makes you understand that for it, you are the absolute center of its world. GOOD BOY shows the powerful relationship between Indy and his owner in the opening minutes, hoping that this montage of how strong this relationship is will help make the viewer invest in this film until the end. One of the thing that director/writer Ben Leonberg and his co-writer Alex Cannon do so well in GOOD BOY is that it shows so much, yet tells so little. Yes, we do find out about the cancer and some other key plot points through dialog, but for the most part, there are long silences simply allowing Indy to be Indy around his owner. By keeping things so quiet, this love between owner and dog is highlighted through long looks of confusion and understanding shared between these two soulmates.

Leonberg and Cannon really know how to reel the investment in and do so very well. And once they have that investment, boy howdee are they going to rip, twist, and squeeze your heart until it bursts. Once alone in the cabin, Iny an his owner are trapped with this evil force. Though Todd is busy feeling sorry for himself, though, Indy is aware of the situation and dead set on protecting his owner at all costs. This isn’t told to us. But you can read it on every long stare, turn of the head, and careful movement of this wonderful little pooch.

I don’t know if subtle CG was used for the dog’s eyes or not, but the Indy’s mannerisms, specifically his eyes, are amazingly emotive. Nevertheless, this dog gives a performance that most human actors would drool for. This is a film that would fall apart if the central pup didn’t have the skills to tell a story. All of the perspective centers on Indy. And the tension and concern this movie brought out of me was almost overwhelming.

See, GOOD BOY has a simple story. A dog tries to protect his owner from death itself. It’s a primal tale. And while there are all kinds of supernatural stuff going on at grandpa’s cabin, rest assured that it is his owner’s death that serves as Indy’s main antagonist. I found myself rooting for some kind of miracle to happen, even though I knew this story was ultimately going to end in heartbreak.

But I can hear you screaming at your screen, screw the cancer dude. Does the dog die? Well, I’m not telling you. All I will say is that this is both a heart-wrenching and heart-warming film that will not leave a single eye dry after viewing.

Speaking of CGI, The effects in GOOD BOY are low fi, but the film occurs mostly in darkened rooms and thick forests. So, even if the effects weren’t top notch, I didn’t notice it. I was damn terrified quite a few times and the jump scares work as the shadows creep loser to this furry little protagonist.

GOOD BOY is one of those films that makes you say, why hasn’t anyone made a film like this before? OK, yes, I know Courage the Cowardly Dog did it first, but this is next level scares paired with an amazing doggy performance. Indy is destined for stardom with his performance in GOOD BOY and that recognition is well-deserved. I guarantee there’ll be a cat version of GOOD BOY (GOOD KITTY?) or a fish version or a gerbil version. Whether this is the start of a new animal horror trend or not, I don’t know. But what I do know is that GOOD BOY is definitely worth seeing and wagging your tail about. It’s going to bring out emotions that you just don’t usually have in horror movies, emotions as pure as a loyal dog’s love for his owner.