‘Good Boy’ gets streaming release update after rave reviews, and it’s coming sooner than you think
'Good Boy' was one of the more surprising entrants to the list of 2025's top horror films. Shudder's supernatural feature was an immediate hit as it sees the story told from a dog's point of view. After rave reviews and an impressive run, the film is now heading to streaming this November.
The success of the trailer (the clip went viral, reaching a million views in just 24 hours) prompted Independent Film Company to change strategy as they went from a limited to a full-scale theatrical release earlier this October. The film raked in the moolah, making $8.7 million after a reported budget between $750k and $990k.
The logline of the movie reads, "Our canine hero, Indy, finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner — and best friend — Todd, leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. Things in their new home aren't the perfect life they imagined."
"From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering. After moving in, Indy is immediately vexed by empty corners, tracks an invisible presence only he can see, perceives phantasmagoric warnings from a long-dead dog, and is haunted by visions of the previous occupant’s grim death." The synopsis further adds, "When Todd begins succumbing to the dark forces swirling around the house, Indy must battle a malevolence intent on dragging his beloved Todd into the afterlife."
The home invasion horror 'Good Boy' was directed by Ben Leonberg, who co-wrote the script with Alex Cannon. The film stars Indy the Dog, who is Leonberg's real-life dog, alongside Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, and Larry Fessenden.
In his interview with Variety, Leonberg was asked about the audience reactions to his film. "As soon as the movie starts, we open on Indy, a cute little dog asleep. There’s an audience interaction of, ‘Aw,'" Leonberg recalled. "When things get worse, there are some big, visceral reactions. At the most recent screening at Overlook, someone knew where I was, looked over at me, and was like, ‘How could you?!'"
He also shed light on why the POV of a dog made a massive difference and had a lasting impact on horror. "If you open the movie with a cute dog, you care about him. Whatever his problem is, we want him to succeed, and the people he cares about, we care about, just because people relate to animals so strongly. Then, in terms of the point of view, we’re limiting the point of view to a more realistic mix of subjective and objective storytelling."
'Good Boy' will release on Shudder on November 21.
