Good Boy (2025 Leonberg film)

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Good Boy
Good Boy 2025 film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBen Leonberg
Written by
  • Alex Cannon
  • Ben Leonberg
Produced by
  • Kari Fischer
  • Ben Leonberg
Starring
CinematographyBen Leonberg
Edited byBen Leonberg
Music bySam Boase-Miller [1]
Production
company
What's Wrong With Your Dog?
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 8, 2025 (2025-03-08)(SXSW)
  • October 3, 2025 (2025-10-03)(United States)
Running time
73 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$750,000 [4]
Box office$7 million [5] [6]

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.

Contents

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.

Cast

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]

Release

Good Boy debuted at the SXSW Film Festival in March 2025 and was later screened at the Overlook Film Festival. [12] The film also premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival on August 8, 2025 [13] and at the Film at Lincoln Center on August 19, 2025. [14]

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]

Reception

Box office

The film released in United States on October 3, 2025 and earned $990,000 on its opening. [6] The film has become a box office success, grossing $2.3 million in three days from 1,650 theaters. Good Boy is debuting number 9 at the box office behind Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl , One Battle After Another and The Smashing Machine . [18] The film is the second highest grossing film of Shudder and IFC in history behind Late Night with the Devil and ahead of In a Violent Nature , Oddity and When Evil Lurks . [19]

Critical response

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]

Accolades

Accolades received by Good Boy
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival 2025Howl of Fame - Best Canine PerformanceIndyWon [24]
PETA Great Filmmaking AwardGood BoyWon [25]
58th Sitges Film Festival Best Motion PicturePending [26]
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival Best International Feature FilmWon [27]
Fantasy Filmfest Fresh Blood AwardNominated [28]

References

  1. 1 2 "SXSW Review: Good Boy". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on March 9, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  2. Dalton, Ben (August 13, 2025). "Vertigo Releasing acquires ghost dog horror 'Good Boy' for UK-Ireland theatrical release". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  3. "Good Boy (2025)". Irish Film Classification Office . September 10, 2025. Archived from the original on September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  4. Lammers, Tim (October 17, 2025). "Dog-Led Horror Thriller 'Good Boy' Gets Streaming Premiere Date". Forbes . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  5. "Good Boy – Financial Information". The Numbers . Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Good Boy (2025)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  7. Gatmaitan, Isabel (March 20, 2025). "'Good Boy' delivers a cinematic experience through a dog's point of view". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  8. VanHoose, Benjamin (October 3, 2025). "Meet Good Boy Actor Indy: He's a Movie Star, but His 'True Favorite Pastime Is Napping' (Exclusive)". People . Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  9. Dunn, Jack (April 22, 2025). "'Good Boy' Creator Ben Leonberg on Directing His Dog to Indie Horror Stardom: 'I'm Maybe a Little Bit Crazy for Thinking I Could and Would Do It'". Variety . Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  10. Kuperinsky, Amy (October 3, 2025). "Good Boy Review: Telling a Ghost Story From a Dog's POV, Ben Leonberg Teaches an Old Genre Some Nifty New Tricks". Variety . Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  11. Debruge, Peter (October 3, 2025). "N.J. director's 'Good Boy,' a new horror movie with loads of hype, stars his own dog". NJ.com. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  12. Kay, Jeremy (May 1, 2025). "Shudder acquires English-speaking territories to SXSW hit 'Good Boy', Altitude boards sales for Cannes". Screen International . Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  13. "Good Boy Unclassified 15+". Melbourne International Film Festival . Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  14. "Part of Scary Movies XIII". Film at Lincoln Center . Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  15. DiVincenzo, Alex (May 1, 2025). "Shudder Acquires 'Good Boy,' Haunted House Movie Told from Dog's Perspective". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  16. "Good Boy: Horror film tells haunted house story through a dog's perspective". The Express Tribune . August 10, 2025. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  17. "Coming Soon". SM Cinema. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  18. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 4, 2025). "Taylor Swift: Showgirl Va-Va-Voom $30M-$32M; The Smashing Machine $6m+ Dwayne Johnson's Lowest Opening; One Battle After Another Nears $100m WW – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  19. Klein, Brennan (October 5, 2025). "Shudder's Viral Horror Movie Instantly Lands On All-Time Box Office Chart". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on October 5, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  20. "Good Boy". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 13, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  21. "Good Boy". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  22. "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  23. "SXSW 2025 Review: Good Boy". IndieWire . Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  24. 1 2 "2025 SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FILM FESTIVAL Recap". Sagindie . March 17, 2025. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Squires, John (October 13, 2025). "'Good Boy' Earns an Award from PETA as Canine Horror Movie Approaches $5 Million in Theaters". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  26. Popp, Olivia. "Sitges gets ready to thrill and chill with its 2025 line-up" . Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  27. "And the winners are." FEFFS. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  28. "fresh blood". Fantasy Filmfest. Retrieved October 15, 2025.