Unveiled in preview at the SXWS festival last March, the horror film “Good Boy” is acclaimed by criticism thanks to its original point of view: that of a dog.
In the cinema, the horror genre is generally punctuated by the same codes. But so far, no one had had the idea of making a horror film with the point of view of a dog. No one to Ben Leonberg, director of the film “Good Boy”.
This feature film is centered on the point of view of his dog named Indy. The film was previewed in the Midnighter section in Sxsw earlier this year. He received praise from criticism and was qualified as one of the most heartbreaking horror films of 2025.
“Good Boy”, who obtained a score of 95% of positive criticisms on Rotten Tomatoes, is distinguished by the fact that he is told from the point of view of a dog.
Our canine hero, Indy, finds himself in a new adventure with its human owner and best friend Todd, leaving urban life for a long vacant family home in the countryside. From the start, two things are perfectly clear: Indy is wary of the old frightening house, and his affection for Todd is unshakable.
Indy, le chien star de “The Good Boy”
After moving forward, Indy is immediately disturbed by empty corners, follows an invisible presence that he alone can see, perceives phantasmagorical warnings of a dead dog for a long time, and is haunted by visions of the death of the previous occupier.
When Todd begins to succumb to the dark forces which swirl in the house, Indy must fight a determined maliciousness to lead his beloved Todd into the beyond.
Asked about his specific work with his own dog, Ben Leonberg confided in the way he led Indy to be the show of his horror film
“For three years, my wife, also producer of the film, and I worked around the schedule of our dog, by causing her” performance “by making silly noises, putting it in specific positions and attracting it around our” haunted “house with treats. All the plans with Indy were captured on closed sets so that we can maintain her concentration”
Unanimous positive criticisms
The criticisms praised both the concept and the execution of the film, like the Indie Wire site which qualified “Good Boy” as “One of the best horror films so far this year.”
Frank check the the Hollywood reporters and noe que “What gives the film its emotional power is Indy’s unwavering loyalty to its beloved owner”. Indy’s performance was particularly rented, worth the “Howl of Fame” prize at the SXSW festival.
With regard to its critical success following its broadcast during the SXSW festival, the film was bought by the American Streaming Shudder platform on May 1. However, it is only available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. To view it in France, it will therefore be necessary to go through a VPN installed on your computer. In parallel, it will be available in American cinemas on October 3, 2025.