Horror has always been a genre that constantly reinvents itself with fresh concepts and unexpected perspectives. We’ve seen movies about haunted Zoom calls, a ghost story from the POV of the ghost, and even killer jeans. However, a horror film told through the eyes of a dog? That’s new. Good Boy takes that premise and delivers a slow-burning, atmospheric tale that feels both unsettling and oddly familiar. It’s not the kind of movie that’s going to have you jumping out of your seat. Yet, it does leave you with a creeping sense of unease as you follow Indy through a series of eerie encounters.
From the opening moments, the film makes it clear that atmosphere is its priority. The slow-burn pace is deliberate, albeit sluggish. Instead of pushing the audience into constant scares, Good Boy invites us to exist in its ghostly world, trailing behind the dog as he navigates something far larger and more sinister than he can comprehend. Most of Good Boy‘s thrills come from the fear of something bad happening to the dog.
That dog, by the way, is easily the star of the film. I don’t know how many takes it must have taken to capture his performance, but the end result is impressive. His face is expressive in ways you wouldn’t expect, and the camera knows exactly how to frame him to capture every expression or wary glance into the dark. It’s a level of animal performance you rarely see — so practical, in fact, that it leaves the human cast in the dust.
Good Boy is a slow-burn horror with atmosphere, a weak story, and a standout performance from its four-legged star, Indy.
And that’s where the cracks in Good Boy start to show. While Indy gives us a lead performance to root for, the human actors are, at best, serviceable. They fill the roles the script requires, but that’s about it. The story doesn’t do them many favors either. It’s a film built on teases and suggestion, hinting at some more profound terror lurking just beyond the frame but rarely delivering much payoff. For some, that slow-burn, ambiguous style might be enticing. For me, it ultimately felt like a missed opportunity.
Still, even with its thin storytelling, there’s a charm to the film. Watching a dog navigate an environment that grows increasingly hostile has its own strange appeal. At times, it reminded me of Courage the Cowardly Dog — that old Cartoon Network classic where a small dog faced grotesque monsters and supernatural weirdness to protect his oblivious owners. If Courage never gets adapted into a live-action horror film, Good Boy might be the closest thing we’ll ever get.
Overall, Good Boy isn’t a horror film that’s going to terrify you. It’s not especially scary, and its narrative leaves a lot to be desired. But as an experiment in perspective and atmosphere, it has something to offer. The movie’s most significant achievement is giving us a horror experience anchored by a dog. In that respect, it feels genuinely inventive. While the execution isn’t perfect, Indy’s performance alone makes it worth watching, and the film’s eerie, Courage-like vibe gives it a place in the growing pantheon of unconventional horror.
Rating: 3/5 atoms
Good Boy hits theaters on October 3rd.
