Good Boy (2025)

Good Boy runs 72 minutes and still drags in spots, which tells you how thin the story is. It barely matters, because the lead is a dog and the dog is incredible. Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who is the director’s own pet, moves with his owner Todd, who has a chronic lung illness, from the city to his late grandfather’s house in the woods. Todd’s sister Vera thinks the place is haunted. Indy can see that she’s right. Ben Leonberg keeps the camera low, at dog height, and the people are mostly cut off at the waist, so you feel as small and confused as Indy does. The scares are old-school, shadows and a dark shape the humans never notice, and they work mostly because you’d do anything to keep that dog safe. The ending will flatten you. A 6.8 because the concept is a gem and the script is a rough draft. $378.87 says you let your dog sleep on the bed tonight, rules or no rules.

What works: Indy gives a genuinely moving performance, and the low, dog’s-eye camera makes an old haunted house setup feel new.

What doesn’t: The story is thin and repetitive, so even at 72 minutes the middle stretch drags and the scares feel familiar.

Who it’s for: Dog people who can handle a scary movie, and horror fans who like slow dread more than shocks.