At first glance, Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy sounds like a gimmick. A horror film told almost entirely through the eyes of a dog could have fallen apart under its own novelty. Instead, Leonberg’s feature debut is something quietly remarkable, a tense and emotional supernatural story unlike anything else released this year.
Running just seventy-three minutes, the film wastes no time. We follow Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, and his owner Todd (Shane Jensen) as they swap city life for a crumbling family home buried deep in the woods. The tone shifts the moment Indy steps inside. The floors groan, the air feels thick, and Indy senses something unseen. Leonberg’s approach keeps the camera low, never fully taking Indy’s literal view but staying close enough that we experience everything through his presence. Each glance, pause, and movement becomes the heart of the story.
Leonberg resists the temptation to humanise Indy. There’s no voiceover, no inner dialogue, just body language and instinct. The audience fills in the emotion, which makes the film all the more unsettling. Indy’s loyalty to Todd and confusion as his owner’s health declines are devastating. When Todd’s illness worsens and he turns cruel towards the dog he once loved, the horror becomes deeply personal.
Indy’s performance is extraordinary. Whether through direction, editing, or sheer instinct, every subtle reaction feels alive with meaning. He senses danger long before the humans do, creating a slow, inevitable dread that carries the film.
Leonberg’s filmmaking is lean and assured. The cinematography sticks to muted tones, giving the house a sickly, decaying look. The score hums quietly in the background, letting tension build naturally instead of forcing scares. A standout scene sees Indy exploring the cellar, discovering the skeleton of another dog, Bandit. It’s eerie and strangely touching, more sorrowful than shocking.
The film isn’t without flaws. Some may find the concept too strange or detached, and without a strong human anchor, a few emotional beats drift. The dialogue between Todd and his sister Vera (Arielle Friedman) sometimes slips into exposition, briefly breaking the film’s spell. The short runtime also means parts of Todd’s decline and his bond with Indy could have been explored more fully.
Even so, Good Boy stands out as one of the year’s most original and haunting horror films. It trusts the audience to connect with an animal’s perspective without overexplaining, turning what could have been a gimmick into a moving reflection on loyalty and loss.
It’s a rare debut that feels this confident and this strange. Good Boy may be small in scale, but it stays with you long after it ends. A bold, haunting piece of work that earns its 9 out of 10 rating.
Out Now - https://apple.co/46SKkr4
