Good Boy Review

Good Boy is Ben Leonberg’s directorial debut, and it had a simple yet effective premise: a horror film told from a dog’s point of view.

Indy and his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), move to the countryside after Todd inherits his grandfather’s home. However, Indy senses a dark presence in the house, leading to him being haunted by the entity, whilst Todd suffers from an illness.

Good Boy gained attention because of its USP. People like animals, the trailer gained a lot of attention, similar to the trailer for the video game Stray, and according to the IMDB Trivia page, online searches for “Does the dog die in Good Boy?” spiked after the first trailer. The marketing department could use doggos for promotion, including a premier featuring some well-dressed K9s. Good Boy followed the examples set by Captain Marvel, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Caught Stealing, which effectively utilised their kitties for marketing.

Good Boy’s creation felt like a case of some young filmmakers thinking of a concept to get their low-budget film noticed, and mission accomplished. Indy was easily the cutest and most sympathetic protagonist in a horror film. Good Boy bore some similarity to another horror film released by IFC Films and Shudder, In A Violent Nature. Both films were attempts to reinvent horror genres. In A Violent Nature was a slasher film told from the villain’s point of view. Both films employed similar techniques, as the main characters appeared in every scene, and due to the voyeuristic nature of the films, information was revealed in fragments.

Good Boy was a haunted house story. Indy was the one who saw ghosts and spirits, and they seemed to warn the retriever of the danger of the house. It came across as the Sixth Sense with dogs: I half-expected Indy to say, “I see dead dogs.” Sadly, the horror in the film was repetitive since it relied on a mysterious figure appearing in the background and acting as a presence. This highlighted the film’s limitations. Good Boy only had a 73-minute running time, but it felt like it should have been a high-concept short film.

The other aspect of the horror was Todd’s declining health. His illness affected his behaviour and led to the man acting aggressively towards his pet. This would be scary to a dog since they know there’s something wrong with the person they love and don’t understand why the person who loves them the most would turn against them. It was similar to The Man and Boy in The Road, where The Man’s physical decline led to a mental and moral decline.

Good Boy was a great example of a high-concept film that could be marketable and made on a tight budget. It was admirable from a filmmaking standpoint, but the idea was stretched thin.