Good Boy (2025)
Indy the Dog, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, Stuart Rudin
Directed by: Ben Leonberg

I’ve been meaning to watch this film since it came out last year, but due to my weird moods, I hadn’t gotten around to it til now. I need to watch EXACTLY the right thing when I want to watch tv, otherwise I just won’t like it. It’s very weird, and annoying, cause that means I can flip endlessly through the streaming services to find something. But last night I just opened Shudder to see the new releases and decided, in record time, to watch Good Boy. And now I wish I’d seen it sooner.

A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

First, let me say that Indy the dog is a good boy. A real good boy. In fact, he was such a good boy that he won the Astra Award for Best Actor in a Horror or Thriller Movie. He arrived at the ceremony in his little tie, and I almost lost it. Most of the time in films that use animals, more than one animal is used to play the same character because they’re trained in different things. But Indy did everything in this film. No, he didn’t do any circus tricks, but it was still impressive.

The story was almost excessively simple and bare bones, but that’s not a bad thing. The film is told in perspective of the dog, so it’s normal that we don’t get the whole view of things. The camera-work is slow and methodical, following our furry hero around the scary house. The sense of dread is heavy throughout, and focusing on Indy’s fear instead of his owner’s makes the film feel emotionally raw. I knew exactly what was happening throughout the film, having guessed it at the very beginning, but that didn’t dull the pain of what inevitably happened at the end of the film, and I’m not afraid to say that the tears flowed freely. I haven’t cried for a movie in 8 years, but this one got me.

So, do I recommend it? Yes, absolutely. Even if horror movies aren’t your bag, I think you’ll enjoy this movie. It gets an absolutely wonderful 9/10 from me. It might have gotten a 10, but it did drag a bit once or twice, but really, I’m nit-picking.

M.

This movie is currently streaming on Shudder and Crave in Canada, and on Shudder, AMC+, and Hulu in the States, and is available for rent or purchase on YouTube and Amazon Prime.