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In the indie movie scene, there’s been a lot of chatter for the last few months about Good Boy, which is a horror movie from the perspective of a dog.
Now, I do not remember any of the humans’ names because I only went to watch the movie for the dog, Indy, so try and stick with me while I attempt to explain the main plot sans human names. In this movie, Indy (AKA the goodest boy) and his human move out of the city to the family’s cabin that is haunted, or at least Indy’s human’s sister makes claims about the haunted nature of the cabin once too many times over the phone. Indy’s human’s sister is quite worried for Indy’s human because their grandfather died in that family cabin, and she is concerned Indy’s human is trying to do the same thing.
Horror movie lovers have been experiencing mixed feelings about the movie because the perspective sounds interesting, but the idea of a dog in a horror movie sounds heartbreaking.
So the only spoilers I’ll give, is the answer to the top searched question about this move: does the dog die? This is a horror movie, so that is a valid question. But, no, of course Indy doesn’t die, because unless we are going on some John Wick-style revenge quest, there is no way to ever make up for the death of a good boy. However, you will see the dog experience a wide range of emotions, and not all of these emotions are good vibes.
And on that note…
Can this dog win a best actor Oscar?
The emotion conveyed on the dog’s face felt more natural than any human. In fact, describing Indy’s emotions as “human-like” would be dismissing this dog’s acting chops. The audience knew when the dog was scared, sad, concerned, happy, or disappointed. The minimal amount of talking the humans in the movie did was just enough to ensure the audience understood the story, but Indy compelled the audience to experience all his emotions throughout the movie.
Another enticing aspect of Good Boy was its visual appeal. The framing of many of the scenes from the dog’s perspective and the shots of the dog are among some of the best I’ve seen in the theatre this year. Although comparing it to other movies might not be fair, because I would rather look at any dog for an hour and a half than any human.
Earlier this year another movie, The Presence, was told from a unique perspective. It was a story told from the perspective of the presence, or a ghost, in a family home. Now, with Good Boy, we get to see a story unfold through the eyes of a dog, but this isn’t one of those first-person perspective films a la Nickel Boys or Blair Witch Project, which can make a motion sick person, like myself, feel sick and stop a movie. In Good Boy we see what Indy sees, as the story unfolds low and closer to the ground, and we observe what happens when his human isn’t around.
As a part of seeing this story unfold from the dog’s perspective, we get to see doggie nightmares. While these scenes were troubling, and where some jump scares were hiding, the idea of seeing the dog’s dream was fascinating. The nightmares let us know Indy has a lot more going on in his mind than eating kibble, chasing rabbits, and sleeping. These dreams gave us insight into why Indy may be acting strangely. Perhaps all our companion animals can have such nightmares, and maybe we should be more gentle with them when they seem excessively needy or emotional.
You should go see his movie, if you want to see a different kind of horror movie and if you’d like to see more dogs in the cinema.
For a silly, final note: about halfway through the movie I was reminded of the Dirt Man. If you don’t know about the Dirt Man you should watch the video. Don’t worry; it’s not spoliery.
NerdScore
8.4/10
Good Boy (2025) Review
Indy the dog and his owner Todd trade city life for a creepy country home, but it’s clear from day one that something’s off. As Todd falls under the house’s dark spell, Indy—guided by ghostly visions—must fight to save his best friend from joining the dead. (Read full review)
A darkly comedic psychological thriller exploring the blurred lines between loyalty, love, and control — and just how far someone will go to be a “good boy.”
IMDb
6.8/10
Metacritic
71/100
Rotten Tomatoes
91%