Before watching certain films, sensitive moviegoers will often prepare themselves by Googling, “Does the dog die?”
It’s so common a query that a whole website exists based on the phrase, meant to warn viewers of various potential triggers for entertainment media, particularly whether or not the adorable pet in any given film makes it to the end unscathed. But what if we asked instead: “Does the dog see dead people?”
An inventive new horror movie due in theaters later this fall flips the haunted house narrative on its head, telling its spooky tale not from the haunted homeowner’s perspective but rather their pet dog.
Ben Leonberg’s directorial debut Good Boy follows an adorable dog named Indy who witnesses otherworldly terrors tormenting his owner Todd (Shane Jensen) after they move to a new home in the countryside following a family tragedy.
As poor Indy, played by Leonberg’s real-life dog, becomes more and more disturbed by a malevolent presence in the house, the loyal canine must fight to save his human companion, with whom he obviously cannot communicate and who cannot see the entities around them.
READ MORE: Air Bud to Return in First New Movie in 12 Years
Good Boy appears to be unlike any horror film we’ve seen before. While plenty of scary movies have featured memorable pets and pet-related scenes, I can’t think of another film that’s been explicitly told from the dog’s POV, which will undoubtedly lend a new layer of terror, tension, and emotional weight.
In a statement about the challenging film-making process, Leonberg said:
When your lead actor is a dog, traditional filmmaking rules go out the window: For three years, my wife (also the film’s producer) and I worked around his schedule — eliciting his ‘performance’ by making silly noises, posing him in specific positions, and enticing him around our ‘haunted’ house with treats. All shots with Indy were captured on closed sets so that we could maintain his focus, and I only ended up acting in it because I’m one of two people Indy truly loves and listens to. Fortunately, I’ve always believed the best films emerge because of their constraints, not in spite of them. Horror, in particular, thrives on ingenuity over budget.
Following the film’s premiere at SXSW in March 2025, Shudder and IFC have now acquired the rights to Good Boy, which Shudder describes as a “singular experience in perspective-driven horror.” The movie, which received critical acclaim at SXSW, is scheduled to release in theaters just in time for spooky season.
“Told entirely through the eyes of Indy, a devoted dog whose terror and determination to save his human become our own, the film delivers a haunting and emotional experience that introduces a surprising standout performance from Indy and a strikingly assured first feature from Leonberg,” Emily Grotto, Shudder’s SVP of Acquisitions and Production, said in a statement.
Good Boy will wag its way into theaters on October 3, 2025.
The Best Horror Movies of 2025 So Far
From slow-burn supernatural thrillers to body horror bonanzas, these are the best horror movies 2025 has offered fans of the genre so far.
Gallery Credit: Erica Russell
