Good Boy 

(dir. Ben Leonberg)

By: Dave Hughes

There is nothing quite like the connection between a man and his dog. It’s a unique bond that has been recreated in countless forms of media, from heartfelt dramas to animated adventures that audiences grew up watching. Good Boy is the latest film to explore human / canine companionship, but with a haunted house twist. Director Ben Leonberg (Bare Thoughts) offers a fresh take on the haunted house story by placing the dog at its center, turning loyalty and love into unexpected sources of fear and tension. 

The film follows a dog who relocates with his owner to a rural home while the owner faces a serious health crisis. Soon, the dog begins to sense that something in the house isn’t right. As unease grows, the story unfolds entirely through his perspective. One of Leonberg’s most striking choices is to blur or obscure all human faces, forcing the audience to experience the haunting through the dog’s eyes. The result is an eerie, immersive story that treats its canine protagonist as both victim and witness.

In telling a haunted house story, the audience has to believe in the fear, and Indy, the Nova Scotia Canine Terrier lead, captures it with every glance and movement.His reactions sell every moment of unease. Through subtle shifts in expression and movement, Indy, who is also owned by director Ben Leonberg, conveys fear, confusion, and instinct with striking realism. His eyes in particular become a window into the film’s tension, reflecting both innocence and dread. The empathy viewers feel is amplified tenfold because it is a dog at the center of the terror, and Indy’s presence anchors the film with unexpected emotional weight. The filmmakers have taken time and care with this film to get the appropriate reactions from Indy and the film took over 3 years to make. 

The pacing of this film works well, it runs a crisp 1 hour and 15 minutes which is perfect for a film  where the audience has such a limited scope and point of view. Conversations are muted and distant when heard. Another benefit of the run time is that no moment or scare feels wasted. Every scene matters and contributes to the message that Leonberg is trying to deliver. 

As original and fresh as the perspective is, Good Boy never quite delivers on its promise, losing momentum and focus as the story unfolds. The plot echoes many haunted house stories that came before it, such as The Others (2001) and Lake Mungo (2008), both of which offered more emotionally compelling narratives for the audience to connect with. Good Boy leans heavily on its unique point of view to mask holes in the storytelling rather than building a deeper emotional core. Good Boy also risks losing some viewers because of the constant fear that harm might come to the dog. While the tension is intentional, it can push the audience’s concern past suspense and into genuine discomfort, pulling them out of the story instead of deeper into it.

Target Score 6/10: Although presenting a fresh and original perspective, Good Boy can’t take the next step to become something memorable. The real star of the film is the canine lead, Indy, whose fear is felt, even when the story falls flat.