Grace Fuller
Good Boy, directed by Ben Leonberg in 2025, initially appears to be a supernatural horror film from a dog’s perspective. However, upon closer examination, it reveals a deeper, unsettling meaning. Not only does it function as a haunted-house narrative, but it also serves as a metaphor for how dogs perceive human illness, both physical and mental. Dogs have an innate ability to sense changes in their owners’ physical and behavioural states before fully understanding them. They remain loyal even in the face of fear as they witness their beloved owners’ decline.
Good Boy is an independent horror film directed by Ben Leonberg and co-written by Alex Cannon. The film stars a dog named Indy and his owner, Todd, played by Shane Jensen. Todd moves into a rural family house that is supposedly cursed. This is the same house where his grandfather and his faithful dog, Bandit, both lived and died. While they are there, Indy begins to sense a supernatural presence in the house, as does Todd, who is battling a chronic lung disease.
Dogs in horror films are a familiar sight, often serving as early victims of the malevolent forces at play, as in The Conjuring (directed by James Wan, 2013), just one of many examples. But in the real world, some can live in an often-overlooked nightmare. Dogs are capable of detecting illness before it is diagnosed and sensing death before we do. They witness their owners transform into strangers, unable to comprehend the change. In Good Boy, director Ben Leonberg took on the challenge of creating a supernatural horror film from the perspective of a dog, his own dog, Indy. Indy’s performance was so impressive that he won the 2025 Astra Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller Feature.
While the horror elements from Indy’s perspective expertly build suspense, highlighted by the camera lingering on shadowy corners and the mysterious slime entity lurking just out of frame in the background, the true horror for Indy comes from Todd’s declining health, which is paralleled by the intensification of the hauntings.
Dogs have an extraordinary ability to detect illness before humans can. They can sense conditions such as cancer, seizures, infections, stress, and even death. In Good Boy, Indy perceives changes before any human conversation can clarify them. Indy becomes aware of shifts in scent, movement, routine, and emotional stability, demonstrating his keen sensitivity to the evolving situation.
Dogs understand humans through their tone of voice, habits, smell, and body language. When a person is ill, these cues can become disrupted. This disruption isn’t limited to physical illnesses, such as terminal diseases or neurological disorders; it also includes conditions like dementia, depression, and addiction. For Indy, the dog, the true horror lies in witnessing his person transform into something unrecognisable.
For Indy, Todd’s deteriorating health represents a monstrous transformation. This concern is highlighted by Todd’s sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman), who fears that his illness is returning after finding him unresponsive in his apartment at the beginning of the film. Throughout Todd’s struggle in Good Boy, Indy remains faithfully by his side, witnessing the progression of the disease.
The decline in health mirrors that of Todd’s grandfather, who, between spluttering coughs, can be heard on a self-recorded home video saying he will leave “everything” to their grandson, including what seems to be his fate. Indy experiences the fate of Todd’s grandfather through the ghost of Bandit, and in doing so, he tries his best to save Todd.
For Indy, the affliction of his person is the real disease. It doesn’t matter whether the haunting presence associated with Todd’s family home is the actual threat; the real monster is Todd’s lung disease. In the narrative of Good Boy, Todd’s illness manifests as an ominous presence, externalising itself as a form of possession that contaminates their home.
The horror genre often explores themes of tragedy, particularly when centred around grief. Whether depicted through haunted houses or possessed individuals, horror can serve as a profound vessel for catharsis. Indy neither abandons Todd nor fully comprehends his disease. He cannot intervene to save his person. For human viewers, Good Boy builds gradually toward dread and fear of the unknown. However, for Indy, there is more at stake than just fear; Todd’s life is on the line. While Todd appears to be haunted by his grandfather, Indy is haunted by Bandit, Todd’s grandfather’s dog, who also tried to save his person, just as Indy does. Indy is present when Todd learns he is too sick to participate in clinical trials, a moment that effectively seals his fate.
For Indy, the supernatural entity haunting his home is inextricably linked to his owner, and he finds himself unable to resist its malevolent presence. This metaphorical struggle culminates in the film’s climax and finale. A possessed Todd chains Indy outside, leaving him vulnerable to the elements. Realising that Todd is in danger, Indy manages to break free from his chains just as the shadowy figure comes after him.
Indy makes his way to the cellar, where he uncovers the remains of Bandit, Grandad’s loyal companion. As he ascends the stairs in the house, Indy finds Todd seemingly healthy and doting on him. However, it is soon revealed that Todd died in his sleep. As this realisation dawns, the entity chains and drags away Todd’s ghost. Indy understands that he is now fighting for Todd’s soul and follows them into the basement, jumping through a window to reach him.
Inside the cellar, a gap has formed in the wall through which Todd’s ghost, representing his trapped soul, is exiled. Indy rushes in and pulls Todd out, but the dark, muddy figure quickly reclaims him. Just before Todd’s skeletal remains are absorbed back into the cavern, he whispers a final heartfelt message to Indy: “You cannot save me.” Resigned to a similar fate, Indy sits beside Bandit’s remains until Vera arrives and rescues him from the basement.
The real horror of Good Boy isn’t what the viewer perceives, nor the possessed entity, nor the inherited generational trauma linked to the house. For Indy, the true horror isn’t what he perceives but what he cannot comprehend, only endure, namely, the loss of his one true friend.
Related: Our essay exploring whether we can understand how a dog feels: What Is It Like to Be a Good Boy?
Grace Fuller holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Screen Studies and a Master of Arts in Film Studies. Her research focuses on film studies, with particular emphasis on horror cinema, feminist theory, and critical approaches to gender and representation. Her scholarship draws on genre analysis and theoretical frameworks in contemporary film studies. She runs a blog, cinemadecoded.substack.com, where she writes thoughtful essays on visual media.
