Director: Ben Leonberg
Writers: Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg
Stars: Indy (The Dog), Shane Jensen, Larry Fessenden
Synopsis: A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, 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.
After taking the internet by storm with its first trailer, Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy presents an intriguing concept: a haunted house horror film from the point of view of a dog. It’s funny with such a creative idea that it still, to a certain extent, isn’t completely new, whether it’s the escapades of a cartoon like Courage the Cowardly Dog or even another unique spooky pov film from this year with Stephen Soderbergh’s Presence, but Leonberg brings something unique to this change of pace. Good Boy is a short and moving genre picture that has just as much well-crafted horror as it does messages about the loving connection that many of us have with our animal companions. The Dog’s perspective never ends up as a gimmick throughout the film’s runtime, and it helps when you have a pup as lovable and captivating to root for as Indy at the movie’s center. Sometimes the film can be a bit messy within the screenplay department, leading to a confusing plot beat or two, but Leonberg largely succeeds at giving us a fresh 4-legged experience that’s exceedingly rare for the genre.
Good Boy’s setup revolves around Todd (Shane Jensen), who is suffering from cancer and really only spends time with his best bud, Indy the dog, whenever his sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman), isn’t calling to check up on him. After a recent flare-up in his symptoms, Todd decides to move into his late grandfather’s house, which Vera strongly disapproves of, fearing for his safety. After spending a long while there, Indy immediately senses an evil presence within the home that’s not only worsening Todd’s sickness, but threatening to take over his body completely. With his owner’s life at stake, it’s up to this faithful pup to save his friend from danger. Good Boy isn’t just simple in concept; it also just flies by with only a 73-minute runtime, but Leonberg is able to make the most out of the concept’s limitations. There are occasional instances where the movie is stretched thin or repetitive within its set pieces, but the Dog’s point-of-view is never a cheap shtick thanks to the creative avenues the horror itself takes.
The film often takes us to areas that are only places a pet would stay laser-focused on, or through nooks and crannies only adds to the immersion of this perspective. The film’s clear, limited resources honestly also work in its favor, as some of the most well-executed jump scares of the year can be found here. I love how sparingly loud shocks and bangs are used specifically in the film’s first half, where the camera often just sits with Indy as he stares at walls or explores more creepy corners of the house that only a dog would feel the need to be high alert on. Often, there’s often only a soft shadow or a foreboding presence of thinking you saw something that wasn’t really there and it only makes the film’s full lean into more peril in the back half all the more thrilling; whether its through tacking shots at Indy’s level or the simple quirks of doggie habits the film always is at one with its perspective.
All of these elements, however, would not mesh nearly as well if it weren’t for the amazing performance from Indy the dog himself. Never has it felt so easy to root for an animal in a film as the ingenuity of the way his actions are filmed adds to the emotion of Indy. There are often many close-ups of Indy’s eyes, specifically showcasing real terror and cuteness that will only make the average viewer fully invested in the dog’s perilous journey to be the best boy.
The only area that keeps Good Boy from being a Great Boy is small touches of its story and the reveals it offers down the line. The film has a firm enough core between this owner and pet, but at a certain point in the narrative, when a key story point of the past is revealed, the mystery behind these spirits and what’s really going on with Todd becomes a lot murkier. The ties between Todd and his grandpa are never given as much time to marinate as the film thinks they are. This is the point in the movie where its concept starts to wear a bit thin, but never enough to detract from the overall innovative experience.
Even with small qualms holding it back from something greater, Good Boy remains a solid venture into a fresh horror concept that has a strong message of our bond with pets at its center. With a fantastic lead mammal performance and delightful eerie atmosphere to boot, Good Boy is worthy of your doggie treat for this Halloween season.
