Good Boy is a 2025 American supernatural horror film directed by Ben Leonberg in his feature directorial debut, co-written by Leonberg and Alex Cannon. Starring Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden, and Leonberg's real-life dog Indy in the title role, the film takes place in a haunted house and told from the perspective of a dog.
The film had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 10, 2025. It was theatrically released in the United States on October 3 by Independent Film Company (IFC) and Shudder.
Plot
Todd, a young man suffering from a chronic lung disease, relocates from New York City to his late grandfather's rural, uninhabited home in the woods with his beloved dog, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Indy. Todd's sister, Vera, worries about Todd's isolation at the home, believing the house is haunted and contributed to their grandfather's death there. Indy immediately senses a presence in the home, often manifesting in shadows and sometimes appearing as a dark, skeletal figure drenched in mud.
While roaming the woods, Indy and Todd encounter Richard, a longtime neighbor who warns them of fox traps he has set in the area. Richard mentions to Todd that he was the one who found Todd's grandfather after his death, and that his grandfather's golden retriever Bandit has been missing since. Indy recurrently observes the dark entity in the house and encounters an apparition of Bandit which leads him upstairs. Beneath a wardrobe, Indy finds a bandana that was worn by Bandit. Indy also experiences recurring dreams of being attacked by the dark figure, and has visions of Todd's grandfather, who appears to have died in the home of a similar disease.
Meanwhile, Todd's health worsens and he begins regularly coughing up blood. He becomes increasingly aggressive toward Indy as well as Vera, who checks in on him by phone. Late one night, Indy awakens to find Todd in an incoherent state, slamming his head against the basement door. While Todd sleeps, Indy observes the figure approaching the bedroom. Todd awakens, collapses and is separated from Indy after the entity closes a door between them. Indy escapes the house, intending to find Richard so he can help Todd, but becomes caught in one of Richard's fox traps. Todd reprimands him by leashing him outside and forcing him to sleep in a doghouse.
While outside one night, Indy senses the dark figure and hears Todd coughing loudly from the upstairs bedroom. The figure attempts to attack Indy, but he manages to break free by running into the doghouse, knocking it over and breaking the chain from its anchor inside. Indy finds the home's cellar door mysteriously open, and infiltrates the home, stumbling across Bandit's skeleton in the process. Meanwhile, the dark figure approaches Todd in his bedroom while he is in a weakened, rapidly deteriorating state. Indy arrives in the bedroom and comforts Todd, who turns and faces his own corpse on the bed; realizing he has died, Todd is dragged by the figure through the house and into the basement. Indy chases him, attempting to save him as he is pulled into a dark, cavernous tunnel. Todd, accepting his fate, tells Indy he is a good dog, but that he cannot rescue him, before he is enveloped in muck and taken by the dark figure.
The following morning, Vera arrives at the house and discovers Todd's body. While outside, she finds Indy sitting at the bottom of the cellar entrance. Vera tearfully calls for Indy, who pauses after hearing Todd's whistling from the tunnel, before ascending the stairs to her.
Stuart Rudin as Richard, Todd's grandfather's neighbor
Production
Good Boy was independently produced by Leonberg and Kari Fischer, credited under a production company they named, "What's Wrong With Your Dog?". The film features a distinct visual approach, often framing scenes from the dog's eye-level to emphasize Indy's perspective.[7] For the starring role, Leonberg used his own dog, Indy, without the use of visual effects.[8] The film runs approximately 72 minutes and was shot on location in Harding Township, New Jersey over 400 days.[9][10][11]
In May 2025, Shudder acquired the distribution rights of the film to the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.[15] The film was released in cinemas on October 3, 2025.[16] Earlier screenings in other regions, such as the Philippines started on October 1, 2025, under 888 Films International.[17]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 136 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Good Boy is a visually striking, emotionally devastating horror film that eschews genre conventions to deliver a uniquely haunting and conceptually ambitious experience."[20]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[22]
Critics praised both the concept and execution, with Rafael Motamayor of IndieWire describing it as "one of the best horror films so far this year."[23] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter noted that "what gives the film its emotional power is Indy's unfailing loyalty to his beloved owner".[1] Indy's performance was especially lauded, earning him the inaugural "Howl of Fame" award at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival.[24] The film also won an award from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which said that it "sets a standard for the compassionate treatment of animals in Hollywood".[25]
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