Good Boy (2025)


REVIEWER RATING: 
8/10

DIRECTOR:

CAST:


Outside of the obvious (friends, family, etc.), there are two things in this world that I absolutely love: Dogs…and horror movies!

So, when I began to read about this film, Good Boy, making its way around the festival circuit earlier this year, I was both excited…and skeptical. A scary flick from the dog’s point of view – seriously? How can this possibly work and convince anyone of its true authenticity? This must be animated, right?

Surprise, surprise…the joke’s on me.
No hokiness, no CGI generated canines, no campy humor, no cartoonish characters. Good Dog is genuine, emotional and more frightening than I ever imagined. And the credit goes to the most amazing first-time acting chops of Indy. Yes, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

Indy is a beautiful fluffy boy, who clearly loves and protects his owner Todd, ever since he was adopted as a puppy. The film immediately strikes upon Indy’s unique senses as he glares out the window, apparently entranced by some strange elements whirling around. Once he snaps out of the hypnotic state which temporarily paralyzes him, we bear witness to Todd, slumped forward on his couch with blood coming from his nose and mouth.

As it becomes evident quickly that this owner is suffering from an illness (which remains somewhat of a mystery to us), the focus goes back to his watchful furry friend as they move into Todd’s family hand-me-down home…known to be “cursed”. Although he finds it an irrelevant and insignificant factor in his healing process, this hex takes hold of Indy’s consciousness, slowly revealing itself through haunting images and memories through the previous owner’s demise…as well as his precious pooch. Very sad, and equally terrifying is the interaction building between the apparitions and Indy which pushes our fear to the front lines. Please, don’t hurt the dog…whatever happens, do NOT hurt the dog. I don’t even want to see him “play” dead!

It may feel slow paced for a horror film, however the gloomy dread lingering around each corner of this run-down house produces such intense terror in Indy that you can feel his distress to a chilling degree of alarm. Every shadow, every creaky floorboard and every ghostly depiction is tension mounting through the eyes of Indy who discovers his sole purpose has become to save his beloved owner/friend and hopefully himself in the process.

Good Boy is an incredible achievement of displaying the limitless capabilities through the emotions of a non-verbal actor. A non-human lead. A mere dog. And boy, is it good!

OVERALL: 
If you are searching for the clarifying moment of discovery as it relates to this haunted house tale (and why the dog has been gifted this sixth sense) then Good Dog is probably best left on the shelf. There is little human interaction, or even onscreen appearances. We don’t even have a clear visual of Todd’s face until close to the climactic ending. Good Boy is strictly about him – Indy. The good boy. There is no room for an analysis in realism but rather left up to your perception of why and how. With that said, I expected this overhyped movie to be a satire of nonsense along the lines of Scream, featuring a dog in a Lassie role. Instead, I am still astounded by the effectiveness of compelling expressions and bravery…all exhibited by a dog. This well-crafted film was made for Indy, told by Indy and ends with Indy. The end.


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