Review: Is Good Boy (2025) Worth Watching?

Anyone who has pets, whether a dog or a cat, will probably relate to the film’s premise: that animals can see and hear things and, theoretically, are more sensitive to supernatural phenomena. Inspired by this pet parent folklore, writer and director Ben Leonberg created Good Boy.

Good Boy has just premiered in theaters and is already drawing attention because it’s told entirely from a dog’s point of view. Unlike movies like A Dog’s Purpose (2017) or Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009), though, this isn’t a romance or a drama. It’s a horror film.

Good Boy Trailer

You’re probably wondering: how does that even work?

Making a horror movie through the eyes of a dog might sound like a risky idea. But Leonberg doesn’t shy away from the strangeness; he leans into it.

The camera stays at the dog’s eye level, framing the world through Indy’s movements, gaze, and even his breathing rhythm. Indy, the four-legged protagonist, is actually the director’s own pet.

The result is an instinctive, immersive type of horror where fear comes not from what humans see, but from what the animal senses. The film’s choices and execution make it fascinating, especially for pet owners who’ll recognize familiar behaviors like a dog barking at nothing or staring at an empty spot on the wall.

Can a Little Dog Really Act?

Yes, and Indy proves it with his charm and expressive behavior. The movie depends entirely on him, and his performance is remarkable. With almost no human dialogue for long stretches, the story relies on his reactions, subtle changes in body language, and the way he sniffs at nothing and goes on alert. It’s a performance that carries the story on his back (or rather, on his paws).

Indy and his owner Todd (Shane Jensen) move to a rural house after Todd is diagnosed with a severe lung illness. They’re the only ones living there, surrounded by isolation. But Indy soon realizes they might not be as alone as they think.

From the moment they arrive, Indy seems to sense something strange. He hears things, picks up unusual scents, and eventually starts to see shifting shadows and muddy shapes. The manifestations grow stronger, as if the house itself were decaying from the inside out. Interestingly, as the haunting intensifies, Todd’s health gets worse.

The film suggests the two are connected. That’s the charm of the concept: blending dogs’ real-life sensitivity (their ability to detect illness, fear, and even chemical changes in humans) with the idea that they might also sense what lies beyond the physical world. It’s as if Indy is sniffing out death before it arrives.

How Was It Made, and Why Does It Work?

Technically, it’s an ambitious project. Leonberg spent about three years completing the film, which makes sense. Filming a dog “acting” in horror scenes requires patience, precision, and above all, empathy.

Every shot is from Indy’s point of view, keeping the camera just a few inches above the ground to create a constant sense of vulnerability. There are no silly tricks or heavy CGI; just camera, sound, and light.

The sound design plays a crucial role in building tension. Creaking floors, breathing, the scrape of nails on wood, muffled noises from the basement... all of it heightens unease without relying on cheap jump scares.

Leonberg also uses silence intelligently. He understands that fear doesn’t come from the scream, but from the anticipation of it. Because those moments of waiting are experienced through the dog’s perspective, they feel longer and more suspenseful to the audience, who realize that by the time humans notice something, the dog has already heard or smelled it.

Is It Actually Good and Scary?

That depends on what you expect from a horror film. If you go to the movies looking for monsters, gore, and easy scares, you might find this one slow or understated. But if you enjoy atmospheric horror that focuses on unease and discomfort rather than shock, Good Boy is a great surprise. It’s more unsettling in concept than in execution, and that’s a compliment.

Yes, it’s scary. But it’s an instinctive, almost biological kind of fear, the kind that makes you glance toward the dark corner of your room and wonder if your dog sees something you can’t. The horror isn’t visual; it’s sensory, built through sounds, smells, and glances.

This is a film about the invisible, and the invisible is always what frightens us most. However, if you prefer louder, more graphic horror full of jump scares, you might want to save your ticket money and wait for Good Boy to stream.

Direction and Dynamics

Beyond its long production time, Ben Leonberg and Alex Cannon conducted extensive research and study on canine behavior and instinctive reactions to fear, loss, and threat. Their goal was to authentically capture how a real dog would behave in a hostile environment, without turning him into a humanized character.

The cast includes Indy and Todd, with brief appearances by Vera (Ariella Friedman), Todd’s sister; Richard (Stuart Rudin), the neighbor; and, in flashbacks, the grandfather (Larry Fessenden). All of them are seen from below, distant and sometimes out of focus. These choices emphasize that it’s the dog who tells the story. This visual approach gives the film its identity and sets it apart from other recent horror movies.

Good Boy is a kind of horror that doesn’t aim to scare you with loud noises but with silence. It takes a concept that could have been a joke and turns it into a sensory experiment that works better than expected. Whether you like it or not, it’s an innovative idea for the genre, though not deeply developed.

Leonberg delivers a tight 73-minute horror film that’s visually smart and led by a protagonist who, ironically, is the most expressive in the cast. It’s not the horror movie of the year, but it’s original, unsettling, and memorable. It stands out not because it terrifies, but because it dares to be different. The brief runtime feels perfect, since a longer version might have overstayed its welcome due to the thin plot.

So, if you’re into indie or experimental films, this one might be worth the ticket. But if you prefer something more frightening, it’s best to wait for Good Boy to stream and draw your own conclusions.