Good Boy (2025): Horror Seen Through a Dog’s Eyes

Source: IFC Films

A New Breed of Horror

Horror has always thrived on fresh perspectives, but Good Boy (2025) takes that to an entirely new level. Imagine experiencing a haunted house not through your own eyes, but through the loyal gaze of your dog—the fear, the confusion, and the unwavering devotion. That’s the premise of Ben Leonberg’s debut feature, which has already stunned festival audiences and is set to release theatrically on October 3, 2025, before streaming on Shudder.

The Premise: Indy’s Haunted Home

The story follows Todd (Shane Jensen) and his dog Indy, who inherit a creaky old farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania. What begins as a chance at a new start quickly spirals into terror when Indy senses a presence that Todd can’t see. From darkened hallways to chilling whispers, Indy’s world becomes a minefield of fear. The horror lies in his helplessness—unable to warn his owner, yet unwilling to abandon him.

Unlike most haunted house films, Good Boy never gives us the comfort of human explanations or dialogue during key moments. Instead, it locks us into Indy’s perspective—heightening both the intimacy and the terror.

Good Boy: Real Dog as the Lead

The boldest choice Leonberg makes is placing a real dog, Indy, in the starring role. Instead of resorting to CGI or giving the animal human-like expressions, the film leans on authentic canine behaviour. Shots are framed from a low vantage point, footsteps loom larger, and silences stretch into unbearable tension. Indy doesn’t “act”—he is. This naturalism makes his terror and loyalty all the more affecting.

Supporting roles are filled by Arielle Friedman and genre veteran Larry Fessenden, but make no mistake—the emotional anchor of this movie is Indy himself.

Festival Buzz & Critical Praise

After premiering at SXSW in March 2025, Good Boy quickly built momentum on the festival circuit. Early reviews were glowing, with critics calling it “one of the most emotionally devastating horror experiences in years.” On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently holds a 95% critic score, an impressive achievement for a debut indie horror film.

The trailer alone caused a stir online, with TechRadar dubbing it “the hardest watch of 2025—and it hasn’t even released yet.” Horror fans, of course, asked the most important question: Does the dog die? To everyone’s relief, reports confirm—Indy survives.

Themes Beneath the Fright

Beyond its scares, Good Boy is about grief, loyalty, and love. Todd’s loss and Indy’s determination to protect him mirror each other, making the haunting as much emotional as supernatural. The film also reexamines the “man’s best friend” trope, not as comic relief or sidekick, but as the true hero of the story.

There’s a quiet brilliance in Leonberg’s refusal to anthropomorphize Indy. The film never gives him human voice-overs or cutesy inner thoughts. Instead, it forces viewers to sit in the uncomfortable reality of what our pets may sense—and how little control they have over the dangers we ignore.

Good Boy arrives at a time when horror audiences are craving originality. Between franchise sequels and predictable jump scares, this film offers something profoundly different. It’s unsettling, yes—but also tender, immersive, and gut-wrenchingly human in its canine lens.

Expect it to join the ranks of Shudder’s cult classics, sitting alongside titles that redefine the genre by asking not just “what scares us?” but “who are we scared of?”

Good Boy isn’t just another haunted house flick—it’s a haunting with a heart. By tethering the audience to Indy’s perspective, it forces us to grapple with fear in its purest form: the kind that claws at you when you can’t speak, but must still protect the ones you love.

When it hits theatres this October, bring your popcorn, bring your courage—and maybe give your own pup an extra hug when you get home.

The Uncommon Breed

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