GOOD BOY (2025) – A Ruff Start: “Good Boy” Tries to Fetch Horror Glory—But Only Chases Its Own Tail

The premise alone—experiencing a horror film through the eyes of a dog—had me wagging with anticipation. Finally, I thought, a fresh bone thrown into the well-trodden yard of horror cinema! As a dog owner, my curiosity was piqued: would “Good Boy” deliver a suspenseful, canine perspective with all the authentic quirks of our four-legged companions?

Alas, “Good Boy” doesn’t quite bury its bone. Instead, it offers up a painfully tame experience that’s neither terrifying nor particularly entertaining. From the first frame, the supposed bond between Indy, the Golden Retriever, and her owner Todd, fails to convince. We’re told they are inseparable, but on screen, their connection feels about as real as a rubber chew toy. There’s none of the joyous tail-wagging, slobbery greetings, or exuberant leaps that dog lovers know (and sometimes duck from). Indy and Todd share all the warmth of two colleagues awkwardly stuck in a lift.

Then there’s Indy’s “acting.” When faced with the supernatural, Indy’s main trick is to stare blankly at ghostly figures. No barking, no frantic tail-tucking, not even a single whimper—just the canine equivalent of forgetting your lines on stage and hoping nobody notices. At one point, a human sneaks up right behind Indy and she doesn’t so much as twitch an ear. For a species whose superpower is sniffing out yesterday’s pizza from three rooms away, this feels less like horror and more like nap time. One can’t help but wonder: should the filmmakers have gone the CGI route, à la Harrison Ford’s “Call of the Wild,” to capture a more expressive pup? Sorry Indy, you’re cute, but this is “Good Boy,” not “Good Actor.”

If you’re hoping the story might save things, brace yourself: the plot is as thin as a neglected stick at the dog park. Another haunted house in the middle of a dark forest, another string of half-baked ghostly occurrences with explanations so sparse they might as well have been left on the cutting room floor. The attempts at lore or logic are best ignored—much like the film’s own plot holes.

What “Good Boy” does have going for it is a mercifully brief runtime of 72 minutes, though even then, my mind wandered like a puppy in a squirrel sanctuary. The pacing drags, scenes repeat themselves, and with a little editing, the film could have been as snappy as an eager Jack Russell. Instead, we’re left with a movie that spins in circles, chasing the same scares without ever catching them.

In summary, “Good Boy” chews on a great idea but ultimately buries it somewhere we’ll never dig it up. If you’re looking for a horror film with real bite—or even just a convincing dog-human friendship—this one’s best left off the leash.