Directed by Ben Leonberg, Good Boy follows a dog named Indy and his owner Todd (Shane Jensen) who relocate to an old rural farmhouse following the death of a family member. Although the house is rumored to be haunted, Todd ignores the warnings and goes to stay in the house anyway. However, Indy begins to see disturbing supernatural presences throughout the home—entities invisible to humans but all too real to him. Unable to communicate his fears to Todd, Indy must confront and understand the malevolent forces threatening his owner, and as the supernatural activity escalates, the dog’s loyalty is put to the ultimate test in a desperate attempt to protect his human companion.
Every once in a while there comes a unique kind of horror film that pops up out of the blue to surprise everyone with its special twist on the genre. For this year we have a haunted house horror told entirely from the perspective of a dog and as a dog lover myself I was immediately interested in this film with everything it had to offer with its simple yet intriguing premise. Out of all of the horror films I’ve seen come out this year, this film stands out as being one of the very best. Good Boy is an amazingly crafted and ambitious indie horror that had me hooked from start to finish with its compelling leading star, unique pov, unexpected heart, striking visuals, and unsettling atmosphere, making it a huge stand out in the genre. It is a film that beautifully captures the pure bond between man and dog within a haunted setting that keeps you locked in with genuine emotion and unnerving supernatural horror that stays with you long after it ends. Despite the obvious restrictions it comes with as an independent horror film I found that it has far more passion and impact in it than a majority of the big budget horrors we get today.
The leading cast member and character of this film is Indy the dog, who delivers one of the most emotive and moving performances of this year that everyone is going to fall in love with. We see him go on a special journey that we are immediately invested in as he shows nothing but loyalty and unconditional love for his owner while confronting the mysterious forces that haunt this house and are trying to reach his owner who is vulnerable as a result of an undisclosed ailment.
Indy is the beating heart of this film that keeps us emotionally connected to everything that is going on and shows a wide range of emotions we can understand despite being an animal that isn’t able to speak. With everything being shown from his perspective we don’t really get much of the human characters of this film shown in great detail, with the exception of Indy’s owner Todd, who is given a good performance by Shane Jensen, though it isn’t something that hugely stands out compared to his furry companion.
The malevolent spirit in this film remains a mostly unknown entity that also isn’t explored in great detail but is shown in terrifying detail through visually stunning shadows and an unsettling physical form that gets briefly shown that appears to be either covered in mud or rotten flesh. It may not be the craziest looking spirit I’ve seen in a film but it certainly is effective when used correctly.
Having the narrative told entirely from the perspective of the dog with little to no dialogue, no major exposition and a full reliance on visual storytelling from the dog’s performance and surroundings sounds like an impossible challenge but Ben Leonberg was surprisingly able to make it happen in almost masterful fashion by creating a unique story that delivers well earned emotions and solid scares through a wonderfully crafted, unnerving atmosphere. This film relies heavily on the fear of the unknown and doesn’t bother to explain the supernatural entity haunting the house, like most horrors these days do, but rather lets the audiences make their own imaginative assumptions based on what is shown, which I believe makes the film even more terrifying and compelling as a result. I do not need a full on lore explanation of what our adorable canine lead is confronting in the darkness but just enough to piece together what is happening and I feel this film does a fantastic job of doing just that through stellar visual storytelling and clever visual clues scattered throughout the film.
This is a slow burn horror that makes its way under your skin and makes you feel everything our lead character is feeling as it all builds up towards a heartbreaking twist and ending that will leave you emotionally devastated but not in the way you’d expect. This film will make you appreciate your dogs in ways that you can’t imagine and will also make you wonder if they perhaps see things that we don’t as they tend to stare in empty spaces from time to time.
On a technical level, this film was directed and crafted beautifully on every level despite being made on a limited budget. The visuals are incredible thanks to stunning cinematography that really captures and enhances the atmospheric horror of this film from Indy’s perspective. There’s also a lot of amazing handheld one-take shots that are done with such masterful precision you’d swear this was being done by a veteran director but the fact this was Ben Leonberg’s first time, makes it even more impressive. Ben Leonberg uses his own house as the setting for the story and he was able to magnificently transform it into a unnerving haunted location through excellent lighting and practical techniques that are further enhanced by terrifying sound design and a haunting score by composer Sam Boase-Miller. But to be completely honest, I found the silence to be the most terrifying part of the film as it really keeps you on edge as if something is going to pop out of nowhere, which on occasion it does.
This was a truly impressive directorial debut by a new director that delivers a unique and refreshing story to the horror genre, full of immense heart and passion that I think a lot of people will end up loving. If you get the chance to see this film in theaters I encourage you to absolutely go and support this film so that this director can go on to make even more fantastic work. This is one horror you do not want to miss out on. I’m going to give Good Boy an A = 97.
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