Reacting to the Good Boy Movie Trailer!

IFC Films recently released the Good Boy movie trailer, and the film has quickly built tremendous buzz online. It’s become one of October 2025’s most anticipated genre releases.

There have been dog horror movies before (Cujo for example), but a haunted house film from a dog’s perspective is a fresh idea. There’s the well known trope of dogs being able to sense spirits, but we haven’t seen ghosts through their eyes. Director Ben Leonberg cast his own dog, Indy, in the role.

The premise is simple. Todd (Shane Jensen) moves to a rural farm with his beloved doggie (who is also named Indy). The dog experiences sinister paranormal phenomena in the house. Unable to express his fears to Todd, the terrified canine must protect himself and his owner from the malevolent paranormal entities.

Good Boy has the potential to be one of the best horror movies about dogs ever made. Of course, it doesn’t have a ton of competition. There aren’t many dog horror movies. Still, this movie looks promising. Let’s take a look at the trailer!

Good Boy Trailer Breakdown

0:20-0:25 – It’s night time at the farm. Indy hears strange pounding noises and goes downstairs to investigate. What a brave boy! The camera is placed low near the ground to simulate the dog’s perspective.

Back in the ’60s, there was a short-lived theatrical feature called smellovision. Cinemas would pipe in smells to represent what was occurring onscreen. It didn’t catch on, but the concept continues to be explored with present day technology.

It would be interesting to have something like that to help viewers understand what the dog is experiencing. Do spirits have a scent? Maybe an idea to explore for a sequel.

0:47-0:50 – The trailer delivers its first jolt when a shadowy figures appears and pounds his head against a door, causing Indy to bark ferociously. As everyone knows, dogs hear much more acutely than humans. Hopefully the movie will explore this. Indy will surely be aware of many noises that his owner is oblivious to.

1:00-1:05 – The quick montage of shots here includes chains and what appear to be occult symbols, making me wonder if the house is demonically possessed and/or if a cult is operating in the area. What has Indy gotten himself into?!

Good Boy scampers into theaters on October 3rd. So far, critics have overwhelmingly praised Indy’s performance. Maybe he’ll be the first canine to win an Oscar!

Here’s the trailer:

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