Director and co-writer Ben Leonberg’s horror film tells a familiar scary story from the perspective of a dog. Here’s our Good Boy review. “A horror film from a dog’s point of view”. Sounds like a bit of gimmick, doesn’t it? Surprisingly, the premise works pretty well in Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy. The director’s own dog ... Good Boy review | A dog star is born
Director and co-writer Ben Leonberg’s horror film tells a familiar scary story from the perspective of a dog. Here’s our Good Boy review.
“A horror film from a dog’s point of view”.
Sounds like a bit of gimmick, doesn’t it? Surprisingly, the premise works pretty well in Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy. The director’s own dog (Indy) stars in the film that received a pretty rapturous reception when it premiered at SXSW earlier this year. But a successful horror needs a lot more than just a cute protagonist.
Indy plays, well, Indy, the loyal pet to Todd. Indy’s owner has been experiencing some rather serious health issues and the two relocate to a remote house in the woods that once belonged to Todd’s grandad. His sister is worried the move won’t exactly help, but Todd is adamant a bit of peace and quiet is well-deserved after months of treatment.
All of this is laid out to us pretty heavily in the film’s first few minutes. Once that’s out of the way, Good Boy’s proper plot can get going as Indy begins to suspect something isn’t quite right with the house. Most of us have been in the presence of a pet that stares into a corner, as if they’re seeing something we don’t, and the effect is just as chilling on the big screen as it is in real life.
At least at first. Good Boy tells an already familiar story by repeating the same scene over and over again, trusting that its clever premise is enough to creep us out every time. Across just over an hour, we see Indy looking at a corner where a shadow lurks ominously while Todd ignores his puppy-premonition. When nothing is visibly loitering in the room, the two watch old videotapes of Todd’s grandfather and his Golden Retriever. Todd’s granddad, who died in the house some time earlier, also coughs violently, as does Todd, adding to the menacing atmosphere.
Thankfully, Indy is possibly the most emotive dog you’ll ever see on screen. Good Boy was filmed over the course of three years to make sure it’s Indy and only Indy in the spotlight. (In a normal movie, most prominent dog characters are played by several dogs to make sure productions don’t take years to complete due to not being able to have dogs on set for 12 hours like you do with humans).
Indy is sweet for sure, but Good Boy runs on more than the canine’s capacity for cuteness. Leonberg places the camera – and by extension, us – on Indy’s eye level, adding to the overall sense of helplessness. Todd is also completely oblivious to what’s happening, so Indy’s attempts to warn him fail time and time again; it starts to seem like there might not be a happy ending after all.
Read more: HIM review | Touchdown or a missed pass?
It’s not just through camera work that Indy’s point of view is shown. Leonberg also invests in immersive, proper scary sound design. Every creak of a door, phone vibrating or wind rattling the windows feels thunderous and while Good Boy doesn’t really rely on jump scares, it does build atmosphere effectively.
It also offers us fun little variations of scenes seen in almost every horror film. A terrifying dream sequence forces Indy to hide under the bed and locks him in the basement. This is where Good Boy is at its best, when it’s not slowed down by exposition-heavy dialogue that Todd spits into the phone. Good Boy might have worked just fine, if not better, as a silent film. It’s not like Todd ever really investigates the mystery of the house properly; why not go all out and trust in your lead’s star power?
Suggested product
Issue #60 Magazine Bundle (3x Covers: A Scanner Darkly Magazine + 1991 + Roger Deakins)
£14.99
Thankfully, Indy is at least far smarter than his owner, or any character in any horror movie ever. Good Boy does rely on him a lot, but in the same way The Substance relies on Demi Moore or A Star Is Born needs Lady Gaga to be the best version of itself. Indy is the true star of Good Boy, and more than worthy as a new scream king. With any luck, we’ll be seeing him on screens big and small again soon.
Good Boy is in UK cinemas 10th October.
