‘Good Boy’ review: Dog’s eye-view haunted house horror has plenty of bite

Dir: Ben Leonberg. US. 2025. 73mins

When a troubled younger man decides to maneuver to his late grandfather’s home within the rural American countryside, he’s hoping for one thing of a recent begin. However the demons that lurk within the dilapidated residence show to be extra terrifying than those he’s making an attempt to outrun. This will likely sound like a well-recognized style premise – and certainly it could be, if not for the truth that haunted home horror Good Boy is instructed completely from the perspective of the person’s loyal canine, Indy. In lesser palms, this might have been merely a gimmick however, along with his characteristic debut, director Ben Leonberg delivers an efficient, genuinely unsettling chiller.

An efficient, genuinely unsettling chiller

Having premiered at SXSW, Good Boy – which was filmed over three years – has performed largely genre-skewing festivals together with Sitges and Past Fest. It now opens within the US on October 3 (by means of IFC) and the UK on October 10 (by way of Vertigo), and Altitude has offered out worldwide territories on the title. Sturdy phrase of mouth ought to stir wholesome curiosity – significantly amongst style followers who responded to Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, a haunting instructed by means of the eyes of a ghost – and it ought to have an extended tail when it makes its eventual debut on Shudder.

Largely dialogue free and instructed completely from Indy’s perspective – we by no means see the faces of the 2 human characters – Good Boy (to not be confused with Jan Komasa’s current psychological thriller starring Stephen Graham) depends closely on its canine protagonist’s appreciable allure. With a deeply expressive face, and expertly educated by Leonberg and his spouse, producer Kari Fischer – who personal the canine in actual life – Indy is instantly sympathetic as he sits lovingly along with his proprietor Todd (Shane Jensen), who is clearly unwell.

After a hospital keep and an unspecified however critical sickness, Todd decides to relocate to the remoted residence of his late grandfather (performed in flashback and the occasional imaginative and prescient by horror icon Larry Fessenden). Indy, in fact goes with him – he has no selection within the matter – and its clear from the second they arrive that the canine is deeply unsettled by one thing in the home.

The screenplay from Leonberg and Alex Cannon correctly retains issues easy and concise and, with out a lot in the way in which of dialogue, craft components come to the fore. Sam Boase-Miller’s soundtrack is a well-recognized however potent style mixture of taut strings, guttural tones and human voices, infused with heightened pure sounds – the creaking of timber, barely audible whispers. Atmospheric cinematography from Leonberg stays at canine peak all through, bringing a looming oppressiveness to the various gloomy corners and darkish recesses of this ramshackle residence. Within the murky mild, shadows appear to maneuver, consistently catching Indy’s consideration, and his scrabbling on the basement door is considered one of many crimson flag behaviours that Todd routinely ignores.

As Todd’s sister Vera (Arielle Friedman) – who calls commonly – grows more and more involved, Todd’s well being begins to tank, his persona begins to fracture and Indy bears witness to more and more weird occasions. Regardless of how dangerous issues get, Indy stays resolutely loyal to Todd and refuses to depart his aspect – or, extra particularly, he can’t, being the well-trained good boy he’s. That Indy clearly has no concept what a haunting is, or the insidious nature of the hazard he faces, brings a deep-rooted innocence and vulnerability that provides the movie moments of real pathos.

There are additionally loads of efficient scares, largely of the slow-burn, use-your-imagination selection; a few leap moments are well-handled by editor Curtis Roberts. Certainly, enhancing is great all through, seamlessly stitching collectively three years of footage and retaining Indy entrance and centre whereas encouraging the viewers to maintain their eye on what is occurring on the edges of the body. You understand Indy actually is.