Good Boy [2025] – Movie Review (4/5)

GOOD BOY is a new supernatural thriller made from the point of view of a dog. I loved this angle for a genre movie. The lead actor dog is absolutely mesmerising. Read our full Good Boy movie review here and watch it in US theaters!

GOOD BOY is a supernatural thriller starring a dog. Also, it’s made from the point of view of a dog, and while this may seem like a gimmick to some people, it makes perfect sense to me.

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH…

Norwegian horror movie Good Boy, which is also worth watching >

It’s worth noting that the runtime is just 1 hour and 12 minutes, so it’s a pretty quick watch. However, it’s also very intense as we follow Indy the dog in every single scene. It’s tight storytelling and also very heartbreaking.

Continue reading our Good Boy movie review below. Find it playing in US theaters from October 3, 2025.

A classic haunted house story

At its core, Good Boy is a classic haunted house story. The twist is that this story is told from the point of view of the dog. In this canine thriller, the dog is Indy, and he notices everything.

When something goes bump in the night or a shadow suddenly crosses the room, Indy pays attention and notices it. His human does not, so it’s up to Indy to figure out what’s going on.

This may sound very cutesy, and Indy is absolutely adorable. However, this is also a scary movie with a heartbreaking storyline.

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Netflix’s Nightmares of Nature – a perfect companion piece >

Indy and his human, Todd (Shane Jensen), make the move from the city to an actual cabin in the woods. A home that used to belong to Josh’s deceased grandfather (Larry Fessenden).

Indy is wary of this old house from the moment they arrive, but his love for Todd means he does all he can to protect him. Especially, as some sinister dark force seems intent on pulling Todd into the afterlife.

And what’s with that basement? It’s like something out of The Conjuring universe.

How did the filmmaker come up with such a premise?

According to the director, the premise of Good Boy is based on the classic “What if” starting point. After rewatching Poltergeist in 2012, the idea “What if the family dog was the only one who knew the house was haunted?” came about.

The rest, as they say, is now cinematic history.

It took three years of working with Indy for Ben Leonberg and Kari Fischer to get this brilliant performance out of their actor dog, and the result is definitely worth their effort.

Does the dog survive in Good Boy?

Yes, Indy the dog does survive in Good Boy, which is a supernatural thriller (and horror movie at times), so usually no one can feel safe in those.

For the record, this is the one spoiler I make a point of including (we don’t do spoilers here at Heaven of Horror otherwise). I want to know whether an animal survives, and I know I’m not alone.

In fact, after the trailer for Good Boy was released, searches for “Does the dog die?!” skyrocketed. And no, the dog does not die. This is his story, and he will make it out alive, but he does go through an actual horror story!

Watch Good Boy in theaters – later on Shudder

The director of Good Boy is Ben Leonberg, and he is also Indy’s human, which explains why we get such a mesmerizing performance from this dog actor. Ben Leonberg also wrote the screenplay with Alex Cannon.

Among the producers, we find Indy’s other human, Kari Fischer, so this really was a family affair. When it comes to human actors, the only actor whose face we really see is Larry Fessenden (Depraved, Jakob’s Wife).

The rest of the cast consists of actors who are never seen fully on screen. Well, with the exception of Shane Jensen, who portrays Indy’s human in the movie. The other actors in the cast are Arielle Friedman, Anya Krawcheck & Stuart Rudin.

I feel like we’ve been hearing stories about this movie for years already, but I recognize it hasn’t been that long. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to catch it at various film festivals, so I was thrilled to finally get the chance now.

Anyone who loves dogs and can handle watching scary movies (yes, this is a scary movie) should definitely check out Good Boy.

Good Boy is out in U.S. Theaters from October 3, 2025. It will also be out on Shudder at a later date.

Details

Director: Ben Leonberg
Writers: Alex Cannon & Ben Leonberg
Starring: Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman, Indy, Shane Jensen, Anya Krawcheck & Stuart Rudin