Growl in Alarm at the First Trailer for Acclaimed Dog Horror Movie Good Boy

By Jim Vorel  |  August 18, 2025 | 1:00pm
Movies News good boy
Growl in Alarm at the First Trailer for Acclaimed Dog Horror Movie Good Boy

Let’s say that you love dog movies, but even though you’re a millennial film consumer and nostalgia is basically all you have left to look forward to in a rapidly self-destructing nation, a meta legacy sequel to Air Bud still isn’t scratching the right itch. No, you’re a horror geek dog movie aficionado, not a craver of family friendly entertainment! Well in that case, you’re going to want to take a look at this first trailer for Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy, post haste. The dog-as-protagonist supernatural horror film premiered at SXSW in March to extremely strong reviews, with reviewers suitably impressed by the emotive performance of golden retriever Indy, himself the family pet of director Leonberg and his partner, producer Kari Fischer. The film is quite literally set entirely from Indy’s perspective as he strives to protect his family after they move into what turns out to be a nightmare residence. Or as the official synopsis puts it:

A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

Good Boy stars Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Stuart Rudin and indie mainstay Larry Fessenden alongside Indy the dog, although you can be certain that most of the attention will be focused on the imperiled pooch. You should also be aware that there is considerable potential for confusion here–as we wrote about last week, there’s an unusual rash of both film and TV properties arriving this year that are all titled “Good Boy,” including another film (a thriller) from director Jan Komasa, a South Korean police TV series, and a prior Good Boy film that was released in 2023. You’ll want to make sure you’re looking at/reading about the one directed by Ben Leonberg, which is currently scheduled for release in U.S. theaters on Oct. 3, 2025, just in time for the Halloween season. Given that the film was acquired by Shudder, it should eventually end up streaming there.

In the meantime, check out the first footage of brave Indy in action below.

 
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