Good Boy is a 2025 American haunted-house horror film told from the point of view of a dog trying to save his owner.
At a glance
| Release date | 2025 theatrical release; Indy’s Astra win was January 9, 2026 |
| Director | Ben Leonberg |
| Writers | Ben Leonberg, Alex Cannon |
| Starring | Indy, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden |
| Genre | Supernatural horror |
| Budget | About $70,000 |
| Box office | About $8.8 million |
| Runtime | 73 minutes |
Plot summary
Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, moves with his owner Todd into a rural house that belonged to Todd’s grandfather. Todd is ill. The house is not empty. The camera stays at the dog’s height. Conversations happen above him. Doors open for reasons he can smell and the people cannot. Leonberg shot the film with his own dog, over roughly 400 days, so the performance is a real animal in a real room rather than a cutaway to a reaction.
Spoiler section: the ending
Indy does not become a speaking hero. The haunting takes Todd in the way the illness already was. What Indy can do is stay, warn, and refuse to leave the room. The film ends on the dog’s understanding, which is not the same as an explanation.
Production and behind the scenes
Leonberg directed and co-wrote with Alex Cannon. Kari Fischer produced. Indy, born around 2017 and named after Indiana Jones, plays himself. Shane Jensen plays Todd. Larry Fessenden appears. The budget was about $70,000. The long schedule was the method: a dog cannot be directed through a three-week shoot the way an actor can.
Release and reception
Good Boy grossed about $8.8 million. The National Board of Review named it one of the ten best independent films of 2025. On January 9, 2026, Indy won Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller at the Astra Film Awards, the first time that category went to an animal. Leonberg accepted on video with Indy beside him. Reviews praised the concept and the craft and split on the storytelling.
Cast
- Indy as himself
- Shane Jensen as Todd
- Arielle Friedman
- Larry Fessenden
Trivia
- Indy is Leonberg and Fischer’s dog, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.
- The shoot ran about 400 days.
- The Astra win was January 9, 2026, against a field that included human nominees.
- Budget is commonly given as about $70,000. Gross is about $8.8 million.