I’ve had this one in my queue since it hit streaming last year. I’ve been saving it for this spooky season viewing. And I am not disappointed.
Good Boy is a horror film from the point of view of a dog. That includes dreams the dog has. It’s super creative and well done.
Of course, because it’s more or less only from the dog’s point of view, bits of the story aren’t terribly clear unless you’re working a bit to put it all together. There’s not much chance for exposition when your main character can’t talk things through with anyone.
The simple fact that there’s an adorable dog so deeply involved in this story adds a special level of tension to pretty much everything that goes on. No one other than a real monster wants to see a dog hurt or even scared. And there’s the simple fact that, at best, the dog has the understanding of a young child as to what’s actually going on.
According to behind the scenes stuff, this movie took years to film, since it was more or less depending on the dog getting the scene right. And the dog in question wasn’t a trained acting dog… it was the director’s dog. Even taking into account the extended production schedule, the dog (Indy) absolutely deserves the top billing they have. Some of the best animal performance I’ve ever seen.
The camera people also deserve some serious recognition, since they’re regularly shooting at the level of the dog. That angle goes a long way to making things feel different from most other horror films… and then the framing makes us focus on things we can’t quite see most of the time. And when the shadows and things do move, well… all of that makes it that much more effective.
Perhaps most importantly, the movie doesn’t stretch the premise to longer than it can be held out. The 72 minute run time is perfect for this kind of movie. It allows the pace to be just right and gets us to the resolution before things either get too confusing or too reduendant.
For a first feature, this is very impressive. The creativity of the overall approach is refreshing. So, overall, you end up with a very worthwhile little horror flick that you should definitely check out if you get the chance.
- Good Boy – October 8, 2026
- Hellcat – October 6, 2026
- Carrie (1976) – October 5, 2026
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