ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Perry writes for the film websites Gruesome Magazine, The Scariest Things, Horror Fuel, The Good, the Bad and the Verdict and Diabolique Magazine; for the film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope and Drive-In Asylum; and for the pop culture websites When It Was Cool and Uphill Both Ways. He is also one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast and can occasionally be heard as a cohost on Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast.

Official synopsis: Our canine hero, Indy, finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner — and best friend — Todd (Shane Jensen), leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering. After moving in, Indy is immediately vexed by empty corners, tracks an invisible presence only he can see, perceives phantasmagoric warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant’s (Larry Fessenden as Grandpa) grim death. When Todd begins succumbing to the dark forces swirling around the house, Indy must battle a malevolence intent on dragging his beloved Todd into the afterlife.

Dog lovers, whether or not you usually enjoy horror movies, you’re bound to love director Ben Leonberg’s labor of love, Good Boy. Fear-fare aficionados, you’re likely to be captivated by Indy — Leonberg’s pet Nova Scotia Duck Retriever — and the lengths that Leonberg went to to replicate the film as much as possible from a dog’s eye view and with canine reactions to supernatural occurrences.

Indy is a star. From showing affection to sickly owner Todd to cowering from malevolent forces to playing hero — one scene in particular will have audiences cheering with glee — this “middle-aged, 35-pound retriever,” according to press notes, nails every nuance that Leonberg could hope for. Sure, it took the director three years to complete the film because, I suppose, some days Indy just wasn’t feeling it, but it was worth it because the result is a super slice of genre fare.

Virtually every shot seems to be from dog ‘s-eye level, whether from Indy’s perspective or for wider ones showing the dog in action. That’s commitment. Also, human faces are rarely shown, and dialogue is minimal. 

It takes a while for any shots of real horror, as the assumption is that dogs are in tune with unseen forces that we humans might be less aware of, but when the creepiness truly kicks in, it does so effectively. The element of the cursed house into which Indy and Todd move could have used more backstory, but there’s enough here to make things work.

Stylistically intriguing and emotionally engaging, Good Boy is a fun watch. Helmed with original approaches and a huge heart, I strongly recommend it.

Good Boy, from Independent Film Company and Shudder, opens in theaters on October 3, 2025.