Horror social media groups are all aflutter about a new film called Good Boy, and obviously there are lots of questions (along with a bit of confusion). For those not in the know, Good Boy is a haunted house story as seen through the eyes of a dog named Indy, who is hell bent on protecting his human from the dark presence in their home.
In Good Boy, Indy and his favorite human, Todd, move into a rural farmhouse that belonged to Todd’s grandfather. This happens after Todd suffers the loss of a family member, so he is emotionally fragile at the time, which of course leaves him vulnerable to haunting activity. Indy senses the not-so-pleasant paranormal energy, and sees and hears things Todd cannot.
Let’s start with the most-asked question people have after seeing the chilling trailer for Good Boy (you can watch it at the end of this article). **And this is a slight spoiler, so be aware.
- Does the dog die?
Horror fans are a funny lot, aren’t we? We can watch Art the Clown gleefully chop up his victims and we don’t bat an eye. But if we think an animal – particularly a dog – will be so much as injured, we are ready to riot!
The short answer is, no, Indy does not die in Good Boy. I already figured as much. I mean, Good Boy debuted at SXSW in March (to sold-out audiences), so many people have seen it already. And it’s a fact that they would have been up in arms about it if Indy had not made it.
Also, in real life Indy (yes, that’s his real name) actually belongs to Good Boy writer/director Ben Leonberg, and what kind of psycho would kill off his own dog in a movie??
But, just to be sure, I did some digging around, and got the answer. Now, this is not to say that Indy doesn’t go through some tough times in the film, and he does apparently encounter a ghost dog. But rest assured, Indy makes it through the film alive.
· What kind of dog is Indy?
Indy is absolutely adorable, and has super-soulful eyes, so naturally dog-lovers want to know his breed. Indy is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, which is a hunting breed that is described as being alert and eager to please.
Leonberg says his original inspiration for Good Boy was a scene from 1982’s Poltergeist, where the Freeling family’s golden retriever E Buzz senses the ghosts before anyone else does. According to Leonberg, Indy has “this really intense, unblinking stare. He usually hits you with it before meal time, but on the occasions when he’s just staring at ‘empty’ corners, or tracking smells only he can perceive…it’s really spooky!”
· How did Leonberg get such a great performance out of Indy?
It helps that Indy’s breed is, as stated above, “eager to please”, and that filming was not rushed. Over three years and 400 shooting sessions, nothing about Good Boy was rushed. For Indy’s scenes, the only other humans on set were Leonberg and his wife Kari Fischer (the film’s producer), and these are the people Indy would obviously trust the most.
Leonberg and Fischer trained Indy well, so there was no CGI used to “enhance” his performance. Most critics gave Good Boy rave reviews, and many of those raves were specifically about Indy. Maybe we will see the first-ever Academy Award given to a dog this year!
· Is Good Boy streaming on Tubi?
This is a question that I have seen a lot on social media. There is indeed a horror movie called Good Boy that is currently streaming on Tubi…but it is an entirely different film. ENTIRELY different.
Indy’s feature debut film will open in theaters on October 6, and we can all see it then. Since Good Boy was acquired by IFC / Shudder, it is almost certain to go to Shudder a month or so after its theatrical release. 1428 Elm will let you know as soon as we get confirmation of the Shudder release date.