Movies: Good Boy (2025) by Ben Leonberg: The Supernatural World Through a Dog's Eyes
- dailyentertainment95
- Oct 23
- 5 min read
An Experimental, Heartfelt Horror Film Good Boy is an American horror and thriller film with a 15 certificate and a brisk runtime of 1 hour and 12 minutes (72 minutes). Written and directed by Ben Leonberg (in his feature debut), the film tells a familiar supernatural story from a wholly unique perspective: that of the titular dog, Indy, who is also the director's real-life pet. The plot follows the loyal pup as he moves to a rural family home with his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), and discovers dark, supernatural entities lurking in the shadows. The brave pup must fight to protect his human companion, exploring themes of loyalty, trauma, and the unspoken bond between man and dog.
Why to watch this movie: A Unique Gimmick with Emotional Depth
Groundbreaking Perspective: The film is a genuine experiment, as every scene is either from the dog's point-of-view (POV) or features the dog. The cinematography is shot almost entirely "from the waist and lower," with human faces often obscured, forcing the audience to experience the world through "superior senses and limited intellect" of a dog.
Soulful Canine Performance: The dog, Indy, is the unquestionable star, delivering a "soulful, reactive, deeply felt" performance that makes the stakes feel real. Critics are calling it a "Great Performance" that grounds the supernatural thrills in raw, heartfelt emotion.
Cult Classic Potential: The film's bizarre, yet sincere, premise and its strong visual execution have earned it comparisons to the kind of "instant cult classic" that horror fans of the 80s would have whispered about.
The "Director's Commentary" Scene: A highly praised behind-the-scenes segment after the credits, where the director discusses the challenges of the 400-day shooting schedule (due to the dog actor), is noted as being fascinating and worth the price of admission.
Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/good-boy-2025 (US), https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/good-boy-2025 (Australia), https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/good-boy-2025 (Canada)
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35521922/
About movie:https://www.goodboyfilm.com/
What Trend is followed?: The POV Horror Experiment Good Boy follows the trend of the "POV Horror Experiment," where the director uses a strict, non-human perspective (or a radical POV shift) to revitalize a conventional horror subgenre, forcing the audience into an unnerving and disorienting new reality.
Emotional Gimmick: This film elevates the "gimmick" by making the emotional connection the core of the horror. The tension is generated by our inability to fully understand the dog's superior senses (hearing, but not smell) and the limits of his intellect.
Unseen Terror: By mostly hiding human faces and keeping the camera low, the film aligns with the trend of making the "unseen terrifying." The horror is felt through the dog's reactions and the unknown quality of the dark entities, rather than explicit visuals.
Heartfelt Genre: The film is part of a trend that shows horror can be "heartfelt without losing its edge," blending a deeply tender story of loyalty with an eerie, quiet atmosphere.
Director's Vision: Loyalty as the Best Special Effect
The Emotional Burden: Director Ben Leonberg's vision was to shift the entire emotional burden of the supernatural story onto the dog, proving that "loyalty is the best special effect." The dog's love and protective instinct are the forces that drive the narrative.
Minimalist Aesthetic: Leonberg boldly stuck to his guns, maintaining a minimalist, waist-level perspective despite the immense challenges, a choice praised for its originality and its success in reinforcing the theme that the story is fundamentally not about the humans.
Allegorical Horror: The film is designed as an "allegorical horror film," using the supernatural entities as a possible metaphor for human fears, depression, or even the decay of the long-standing family home.
Themes: Loyalty, Unspoken Bonds, and The Horrors of the Unseen
Unwavering Loyalty: The core theme is the pure, unwavering loyalty and devotion of a dog to its owner, contrasted with the fragile emotional state of the human characters.
Grief and Loss: The film touches on themes of loss and the invisible bonds between humans and their pets. For anyone who has owned a beloved dog, the film is described as "quietly devastating."
The Limits of Human Perception: The horror stems from the idea that the dog's "superior senses" detect the danger, while the humans remain unaware, highlighting the limits of human perception and intellect in the face of the supernatural.
Key success factors: Dog-Love and Critical Novelty
Massive Dog-Lover Audience: The unique premise is an instant, irresistible hook for a vast audience of dog lovers, ensuring a solid opening weekend and strong word-of-mouth.
Critical Praise for Novelty: The high critical ratings (73 Metascore) are driven by the film's sincerity and novelty, rewarding the director for successfully tackling a "new take on it."
Perfect Timing: The film's October release date allows it to capitalize on "spooky season" despite its unconventional style.
Awards and Nominations: Early Festival Success The film has received 1 win & 2 nominations total, signaling strong early recognition, particularly on the festival circuit.
Critics reception: Sincere, Eerie, and Profound Good Boy has received generally favorable reviews from critics, with a Metascore of 73 out of 100. Critics agree the film is "haunting and deeply original," succeeding as a "melancholy, eerie, and surprisingly profound" experience.
Strengths: The consensus praises the perspective, the heartfelt emotion, and the cinematography.
Weaknesses: Some critics noted the narrative scope remains "tantalizingly thin," with the mystery feeling "familiar and linear."
Reviews: Overwhelmingly Warm and Emotional User reviews are overwhelmingly warm and emotional, focusing on the dog's performance and the film's unique effect on their own memories of pet ownership.
Highest Praise (10/10): Reviewers called the film a "tribute to man's best friend" and praised Indy as a "terrific headliner" for a "wonderful allegorical horror film."
Moderate View (6-7/10): Acknowledges the film's "flaws" and its "experimental style," but agrees that the cinematography is "worth the ticket price" and that the overall experience is "fun."
What Movie Trend film is following: The 'Pet POV' Drama/Horror The film follows the trend of the "Pet POV" narrative, which elevates the intelligence and emotional life of an animal by telling the story entirely from their perspective. This trend uses the animal's innocence and devotion to intensify the drama or horror elements, similar to narratives like The Art of Racing in the Rain, but with a dark, genre twist.
What Big Social Trend is following: The Deification of Pets The film taps into the major global social trend of the deification of pets (particularly dogs), where the animal is viewed not just as a companion but as a pure, unwavering emotional center in an increasingly chaotic world. By making the dog the brave hero fighting an "unknowable" evil to protect his human, the film reflects the profound, almost spiritual value society now places on the human-animal bond.
Final Verdict: A Unique, Heartfelt Cinematic Gem Good Boy is a unique, emotionally affecting, and quietly chilling film that successfully pulls off a challenging cinematic experiment. It is not just a horror movie; it is a profound story about loyalty and the enduring, unspoken love between a human and their dog. While its horror plot is familiar, its perspective makes it feel "freshly, achingly alive." This is a must-watch for horror fans seeking novelty, and an absolute essential watch for every dog lover.
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