The Star of Good Boy Didn’t Know He Was in a Horror Movie (He’s a Dog)

Good Boy: horror in a dog’s life

The Kuleshov effect has been known for more than 100 years. In the 1920s, the director Lev Kuleshov demonstrated that the same shot of a neutral face would be interpreted differently, according to what the shots preceding or following it suggested this man was looking at. A girl in a coffin made it seem he was grieving, a woman on a sofa made him look lustful. The observation helped create the enthusiasm for montage in early Soviet cinema. Some …

The star of Good Boy didn’t know he was in a horror movie (he’s a dog)

The director and producer enlisted their family pet and filmed in their home for more than 400 days to meet the challenges of working with a pooch. Director...

Review: Testing the bond of man’s best friend in 2025 release, “Good Boy”

Far from a traditional A-list star, “Good Boy,” directed by Ben Leonberg, features an unlikely lead: Indy, played by Leonberg’s own dog Indy, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever. Blending classic horror elements and universal dog-owner experiences, Leonberg highlights a unique, four-legged lens in this 2025 hit horror film. The story follows Todd, played by Shane Jensen, who moves into his family’s abandoned home within secluded back-country wo…

‘Good Boy’ starring Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough sells ...

EXCLUSIVE: A theatrical release is planned for early next year.

GOOD BOY Spoiler Review

Major spoilers ahead for Good Boy. You’ve been warned.  *  *  How many horror flicks over the years have made you say, “If they’d just listened to the dog, they would’ve been fine.” Well, filmmakers Ben Leonberg and Kari Fischer have taken that idea and run with it. Using their own dog, Indy, they’ve created a horror flick from a dog’s point of view. So, does Good Boy actually work? And is it actually scary? Read on to find out.  RELATED: Him Sp…

Good Boy Review – 'A highly effective indie horror'

Dogs’ eyes are powerful things. You might not want to give dog your cheese. But after one blast of those big, round, shiny orbs of quiet pleading, it’s highly likely dog will soon be munching on a lovely cheesy treat. Director Ben Leonberg clearly understands the power of dogs’ eyes. He uses them to intense visual and emotional effect in his feature debut, which brings a fresh gimmick to the horror genre: it’s all experienced from the perspectiv…