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The idiom \u200b\u201c<\/span>you can\u2019t teach an old dog new tricks\u201d has felt especially relevant in regards to horror lately \u2013 every hyped film of 2025<\/span> so far has ended up relying on some form of diabolical cult or yet another evil hag, resulting in more yawns than screams from avid sickos at the cinema. While aiming for viral success the genre seems to have forgotten that the horrifying can just be that, and not every mystery needs to be unraveled by the final act, ready to be easily dissected in another \u200b\u2018<\/span>Ending Explained!\u2019 YouTube video.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully there are still some filmmakers that value a\u00a0simple concept over a\u00a0convoluted Wikipedia summary masquerading as a\u00a0story arch. One such film is Ben Leonberg\u2019s debut<\/span> Good Boy,<\/i> which follows the loyal canine Indy \u2013 who is in fact the director\u2019s dog, talk about n\u00e9<\/span>pet<\/i>ism \u2013\u00a0as he struggles to make his owner Todd (Shane Jensen) aware of the supernatural presence haunting their new\u00a0home.<\/span><\/p>\n Todd is woefully ignorant of the sinister atmosphere emanating from their new digs, but Indy\u2019s attuned senses pick up on everything, including Todd\u2019s increasingly debilitating illness. In order to tap into Indy\u2019s perspective, I\u00a0had assumed Leonberg would attach a\u00a0GoPro to the furry thespian and have done with it. Instead, by choosing low camera angles that match the dog\u2019s eyeline while keeping Indy in shot, we are privy to a\u00a0dog\u2019s eye view without being literally attached to him. Todd is a\u00a0looming presence, whose hand, shin and voice are much more familiar to Indy than his face, while his refusal to acknowledge the darkness threatening to envelop them both is increasingly frustrating. This ignorance, paired with Indy\u2019s inability to communicate, offers many pantomime opportunities to shout at the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n Indy certainly is a\u00a0very\u00a0<\/span>Good Boy<\/i>, yes he is, and owner and director Leonberg has clearly trained his furry familiar well. As Indy\u2019s awareness of his owner\u2019s mortality grows, it is through his fear stricken eye brows and soft whimpers that the threat that haunts this small cast really comes to life. Although I\u00a0don\u2019t like to pit two canine stars against each other, he certainly gives\u00a0<\/span>Anatomy of a\u00a0Fall\u2019<\/i>s Messi a\u00a0run for his Bonios.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pet owners often fear the loss of their pet, but rarely consider what\u00a0<\/span>their<\/i> death would mean for their domesticated dependants. While Lassie\u2019s barks inexplicably manage to communicate the gravity of whatever emergency that dog found himself in, Indy doesn\u2019t have the same luck, and it is this powerlessness and state of constant worry that gives\u00a0<\/span>Good Boy\u00a0<\/i>its tension. With a\u00a0minimal script that is almost entirely diegetic,\u00a0<\/span>Good Boy<\/i> invites audiences to experience the fear of death in the way Indy can comprehend it, giving the film a\u00a0similar feel to\u00a0<\/span>Flow<\/i>, serving as a\u00a0reminder that existential panic transcends humankind. While other horror directors are busy chasing their tails trying to create genre defining moments, Ben Leonberg has succeeded creating a\u00a0thrilling mid-budget horror that goes beyond pandering to animal lovers or tugging at our heartstrings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nGet more Little White\u00a0Lies<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n