Independent Film Company and Shudder Release)
Since the early 2000s, movies about ghosts have been a bit stale. Even when they’re good, as with The Conjuring or Insidious, they’re almost as played out as zombies. Until this year. Earlier this year, we got Presence, a ghost story from the ghost’s point of view. Well, now Good Boy is here to one-up it. Good Boy is a ghost movie from the point of view of the faithful canine companion.
Good Boy is about a dog named Indy (played by himself) who is brought to an old cabin in the woods by his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen). The cabin belonged to Todd’s Grandfather (Lerry Fessenden), and it comes with a history of ghosts, a fact which Indy is sensitive to. But the ghosts are not the only threats in the cabin. Todd has a few demons of his own that Indy must deal with as well.
Right off the bat, let’s spoil the one thing about Good Boy that needs to be spoiled. Indy doesn’t die. The movie is equal parts horrifying and heartbreaking, but Indy makes it the whole way through to the end.
Now that that’s out of the way, Good Boy was directed by Ben Leonberg from a script he co-wrote along with Alex Cannon. It’s Leonberg’s first feature, and it was clearly a passion project for the young filmmaker. Indy is his dog, and it just seems as if he wants to show off what a good boy his good boy is in Good Boy.
The concept that Leonberg cooked up to showcase his pup is sound, even solid. It’s said that animals, particularly pets, are more attuned to paranormal activity and supernatural presences, so the fact that Indy would react as he does to the haunting makes a lot of sense. Good Boy is not shown through Indy’s eyes so much as the camera follows him around as he explores and figures out what’s going on around him. Which is better, because Indy is one cute dog, and we want to see his furry face.
Good Boy is not just a ghost story. It’s a human story as well. Todd is dealing with more than just the ghosts of Grandpa’s old house, and Indy, like most dogs, absolutely loves his human. He wants to both protect and comfort Todd, even when Todd doesn’t want to be protected and comforted. Indy deals with both internal and external issues, fights enemies both foreign and domestic. And the audience is along for the ride.
And by the way, Indy is not just a pretty face. He is amazing in Good Boy. I have always said (and I’m saying it again) that there should be an Oscar for Best Animal Performance, and right now, Indy would be the favorite. The amount of emotion demonstrated by this dog is incredible. And he is basically in every single scene of the movie, so he’s the anchor. In fact, the humans’ faces are never even seen clearly, always obscured in shadow or just out of frame. This is Indy’s movie, and he’s up for the task. He gets the audience not only on his side but actively rooting for him. Heck, even if there’s not an Animal Performance category, let’s nominate Indy for Best Actor in general.
Of course, Good Boy is a gimmick movie, but it’s a gimmick movie that works. And the movie knows it’s a gimmick. Leonberg keeps it at the perfect running time (73 minutes) to keep the gimmick fresh without letting it overstay its welcome. Any longer, it would start repeating itself and would get stale. One of the best things about Good Boy is that it knows when to get out.
Overall, Good Boy is a breath of fresh air. It may use typical ghost movie tropes, but its approach is fresh and unique, so even the old spooky stuff is new again. It’s a welcome addition to the ghost movie subgenre. And maybe, just maybe, it will lead to more movies with talented animal leads in the future. Maybe even enough to get our Oscar category.
GRADE: A
Release Date: October 3, 2025
Rating: PG-13 for bloody images, terror, and strong language
Running Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
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