A unique horror film told from the perspective of a dog.

• Scare factor: ★★★☆☆
• Unique factor: ★★★★★
• Supernatural factor: ★★★★☆
• Psychological factor: ★★★★☆

Good Boy is a smartly done film with a dog as the main character who takes us along his scary journey battling an entity that threatens him and his owner. With a runtime of 72 minutes this film knows exactly what to tell and show to make this a unique experience. 

SPOILER: Most horror fans don’t like it when an animal gets hurts or even dies. So it’s good to know that the dog Indy doesn’t die and doesn’t get hurt. 

Duration: 1h 12m

Plot

Indy is a dog and lives with his owner Todd. Todd suffers from a lung disease and one day he coughs up blood and is taken to the hospital. When Todd was lying unresponsive on the couch Indy was not only worried about Todd but also about a strange black shadow that appeared in the apartment. It scared Indy but when Todd is released from the hospital he takes Indy to his grandpa’s old house in the country that he inherited. To his sister Vera’s dismay because he’s still sick and to isolated out there if anything would happen. 

Indy is also very reluctant. Not only did Grandpa die in an awful way by the same disease, his dog went missing too. On top of that the shadow has followed them there and threatens Indy who is the only one aware of this entity. When he starts seeing Grandpa’s old dog as a ghost Indy knows that something is terribly wrong. While he is scared himself, he wants to help and protect Todd but Todd won’t let him. Things get very dire rather soon but what can Indy do? He is just a dog.

Short Review

While the story about what is happening to Todd and why stays ambiguous, the story completely revolves around Indy. It’s about how Indy experiences what is happening, and we see his reaction. The whole movie is filmed from his perspective to emphasize Indy’s point of view. The camera is mostly on a low view point, low to the ground, at Indy’s eye level and turns towards where Indy is looking at. That way the viewer gets totally immersed into Indy’s experience. 

The people are very clearly not the main characters, just side characters. This is very cleverly done by never getting a clear view of their faces. Todd’s face is always obscured or seen from the side or behind so we never really know what he looks like. His new neighbor is totally dressed in a camouflage suit, head to toe so we never get to see him either. And Vera who shortly takes care of Indy while Todd is in hospital, is never seen clearly as well. That way the focus stays on Indy and there’s no doubt about it that Indy is not only the main character, but also the only character of real importance. 

What Todd suffers from remains unclear. We, as Indy does too, notice small holes in Todd’s inner elbow, like he has stuck needles inside his arm. He coughs a lot. And when he goes to see a doctor she tells him they can’t do anything for him now. If only he would have come earlier, he could have participated in a special trial. Whether those holes refer to a drug addiction or not, stays unexplained. And that doesn’t really matter either. Because Indy doesn’t know what is happening to Todd either. He only knows it’s bad. Again the focus remains on Indy.

Indy is a dog but his expressions are very believable. Indy is a dog with a face that really speaks. His eyes, ears and tail tell his feelings. Whether he is worried, scared or curious or doesn’t understand. Most of the time stories about a dog and his/her owner are focusing on the human, how they experience that relationship. But in this film the tables are turned and it’s all about how Indy the dog experiences his relationship with Todd. Although Todd acts mean to him sometimes and Indy doesn’t understand why (and neither do we) he still loves Todd and remains loyal. Of course we can’t know what’s going on inside a dog (unless they can speak with buttons) it all feels very believable and maybe even relatable if you have a dog of your own. 

Although we don’t know exactly what’s going on with Todd, what the entity is, why it is showing itself to Indy and we don’t know what it wants, it still is very scary. The entity itself can be scary, but Indy’s reaction to it is what makes this film actually scary. Indy is going through this all by himself. He can’t tell Todd, or ask him what’s going on and at times can’t even find comfort with Todd. The scene that he is so scared and hides under the bed is terrifying. Especially because it’s a helpless dog. That scene is topped off with a great jump scare. 

The overall atmosphere however is that of an uncanny feeling. A feeling that something is wrong but you don’t know what and can’t do anything about it. Indy has to endure it all alone. There are few conversations. They are short and to the point but not of any importance. It’s mostly sound and vision. Smart use of the camera point of views, creepy sound effects and of course Indy’s voice. We can hear him talk, bark, whimper which all express a different emotion. 

Good Boy is a very unique film with a unique perspective. With a wonderful, endearing and brave dog as the main character this film knows how to scare, but also how to evoke a feeling of compassion for Indy and let us experience the point of view of a dog and undergo this scary ordeal alongside with him.