Good Boy Review: This Haunted House Movie From The POV Of A Very Good Dog Is Inventive And Creepy

Horror movies are prone to recycling the same ideas over and over again. That's not necessarily a bad thing: there's comfort in familiarity. But every now and then, someone manages to tweak the formula ever-so-slightly in a way that feels almost ingenious. "I'm surprised no one has really done this before!" you might end up thinking. Recently, films like "In a Violent Nature" (a slasher movie told from the POV of the slasher) and "Dangerous Animals" (a serial killer movie where the killer feeds his victims to sharks) have found clever ways to take well-worn subgenres and do something fresh into them. Now, Ben Leonberg's enjoyable creepshow "Good Boy" joins the list.

"Good Boy" is a haunted house movie and it frequently plays with all the trappings that come with such a scenario, including supernatural-tinged nightmares that have the lead character jolting awake in bed. Ah, but here's the twist: the lead character is a dog! "Good Boy" isn't really telling a new story, but it is finding a fun new way to make things seem fresh by transplanting haunted house tropes into a narrative told entirely from the POV of a very, very good dog.

That dog is Indy, played by director Leonberg's real dog of the same name, and this canine surely deserves a spot in the animal actor hall of fame. There are times where Indy seems more expressive and talented than several modern human actors who shall remain nameless. A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Indy is our guide through this spooky tale of things going bump in the night, and it's hard not to be in this dog's corner: he's so damn cute, you just want to give him all the belly rubs. I suppose you could argue there's something manipulative at work here — those of us conditioned to love dogs unconditionally (like me, for instance) will immediately be on edge, praying that nothing bad befalls this pup. But I never felt manipulated watching "Good Boy," and that's what counts.

In "Good Boy," Indy is a dog who belongs to Todd (Shane Jensen), a man suffering from some sort of vague illness. One rainy evening, Todd moves into the abandoned house of his dead grandfather (played via home video footage by indie horror legend Larry Fessenden), bringing Indy with him. Almost immediately, it becomes clear to the intiutive Indy that something is very, very wrong with this house, although Todd appears to be oblivious.

This is a clever set-up in general; everyone has some familiarity with the concept of dogs barking or looking at something humans can't quite see. It's an idea baked-into the haunted house story: pets can sense the supernatural in ways that humans cannot. And as one rain-drenched night gives way to another, Indy keeps experiencing all sorts of spooky things lurking in the shadows of the house. Is someone — or something — there? (Spoiler alert: yes, yes there is.)

Leonberg keeps almost all of the film's focus on Indy, our guide through this scary story. While there are humans in the film, like Todd, cinematographer Wade Grebnoel finds ways to keep them out of focus or just out of frame — our eyes are always fixed on Indy as he navigates the ghosts lurking about. This effectively makes "Good Boy" a kind of post-human movie, where people are almost an afterthought. Leonberg probably could've taken things even further and removed the humans entirely, although doing so would limit the emotional hook that arises due to the clear bond between Indy and Todd.

"Good Boy" originally began as a short film (that also starred Indy), and the biggest issue here is that the feature-length adaptation feels stretched thin (it clocks in at a scant 73 minutes, but even that starts to feel poorly paced after awhile). While the film's hook is incredibly novel and executed well, it also becomes clear that the script, credited to Leonberg and Alex Cannon, is lacking. We overhear vague details about bad things that supposedly happened in the past, and while I'm all for maintaining mystery, and generally dislike when horror movies attempt to over-explain their mythology, "Good Boy" starts to come across as a great idea in search of a better movie. There's not much meat on these bones. I wanted a bit more.

And yet, Indy is such a good boy that you want to stick with the film just to see how things turn out for him. Leonberg also manages to conjure up plenty of style here, playing around with strange lighting and scary shadows. There's a constantly autumnal atmosphere on display too, with damp, rainy weather prevailing from one moment to next. ASMR fans will dig this.

Ultimately, "Good Boy" lives and dies by how much the viewer loves dogs. If you're a big fan of man's best friend, then you'll likely find plenty here to love (while Indy is constantly in some sort of supernatural peril, Leonberg is wise enough to make sure the dog bounces back from whatever the ghosts and ghouls throw at him). "Good Boy" may not exactly reinvent the haunted house subgenre, but it proves you can still teach an old dog new tricks.

/Film Rating: 6 out of 10

"Good Boy" opens in theaters on October 3, 2025.