Read @ Joe’s

Title: Good Boy (2025) Director: Ben Leonberg Writers: Ben Leonberg // Alex Cannon Studio: Independent Film Company // Shudder IMDb Plot: A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most. Joe Says: Good Boy may not be a perfect horror movie, but as far as canine cinema goes, Indy deserves all the treats.

Indy really is a good boy and the perfect furry star in the indie horror Good Boy. The setup sounds like Cujo meets Homeward Bound: a loyal pup facing off with ghouls in a haunted house. Instead, director Ben Leonberg delivers something quieter and stranger: a moody psychological thriller told almost entirely from a dog’s-eye view. Good Boy is clever, original, and handsomely shot, but the slow-burning genre-breaker needed something more scary than just a belly-rub worth of shedding.

Leonberg and co-writer Alex Cannon commit fully to the bit. The camera rarely leaves Indy’s level, so his humans Todd (Shane Jensen) and Vera (Arielle Friedman) are mostly glimpses of hands, legs, and muffled voices. As gimmicky as this sounds, the result feels oddly natural — like Lady and the Tramp if it were directed by Robert Eggers. Indy, a photogenic Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, doesn’t just anchor the film, he carries it. He’s got the screen presence of Mr Fredricksen’s Dug, with the soulful eyes of a heartthrob who knows he deserves another treat.

The story is classic haunted house fare: Todd, weakened by a cancerous ailment, retreats with Indy to his late grandfather’s creaky old home in the woods. For a dog, this should be paradise — endless space, plenty of sticks, squirrels to chase. Instead, Indy finds himself cooped up inside with strange noises, ominous shadows, and the creeping fear of losing his master. Leonberg even dives into Indy’s dreams and nightmares, letting the film drift into surreal territory where the dog’s anxieties come to life.

Pacing issues prevent Good Boy from being a riotous good vs evil takedown. As the movie progresses, it becomes apparent that what Leonberg is doing is not only showing Indy’s POV but also his dreams and fears. Good Boy is not a boy loses dog story, but the opposite. Indy is afraid of losing his master and his canine nightmares come to life.  

The pacing, though, can be ruff. At just over 80 minutes the film moves quickly, but tension sometimes fizzles out just when you want it to fetch. A few more bursts of energy — or even a cheeky montage of Indy chasing ghosts like Scooby-Doo on espresso — would’ve gone a long way. As it stands, Good Boy is more whimper than bark when it comes to scares.

Still, originality counts. It’s not every day a horror movie is framed through a dog’s POV, and Leonberg deserves credit for chasing such an unusual idea. And Indy? He’s a star. Even when the film drags, he’s a joy to watch. Indy’s a four-legged lead who proves that sometimes the best thing about horror is simply curling up next to the dog. Good Boy may not be a perfect horror movie, but as far as canine cinema goes, Indy deserves all the treats.