One of the horror films generating the most buzz on the film festival circuit currently is Good Boy, a haunted house movie with a very unusual point of view. Rather than being filmed and told from the perspective of a human, Good Boy is seen through the eyes of Indy, a very loyal dog.
Good Boy enjoyed a sold-out premiere showing at SXSW in March, and will be screened twice at this week’s Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans. It has received mostly positive reviews along the way, with Rafael Motamayor of IndieWire proclaiming it “One of the year’s scariest movies…that also doubles as an emotional and moving tribute to the emotional bond between people and their four-legged friends.”
Good Boy introduces us to Indy and his beloved human Todd, who have left the big city to move in an old family home (rumored to be haunted) in the countryside. But the house isn’t what Indy would have hoped for, and he begins to see, hear and sense something dangerous; something that poses a threat to Todd. And Indy will do whatever he has to in order to keep Todd safe.
Director Ben Leonberg wrote the story, and his own family dog Indy plays the starring role. Good Boy is Leonberg’s feature directorial debut, and took three years to shoot.
Leonberg explained that he set out to make a haunted house film that would “capture a singular canine performance without the benefit of a hero who can speak.” The set pieces, the storyline, even the practical special effects center around the dog’s daily schedule and behaviors.
Leonberg, his wife Kari Fischer (who produced the film) and Indy lived in a country home just outside of New York City, and that’s where Good Boy was filmed. Of course, filming with a dog takes a lot of patience…and a lot of knowledge about that particular canine, so it worked to Leonberg’s advantage that Indy just happened to be HIS dog. All of Indy’s scenes were shot on closed sets, and the only people present were Leonberg and Fischer, who often had to stand in for several of the movie’s characters. That was a genius move, because it allowed the filmmakers to catch Indy’s real affection for his owners, while also setting the dog at ease.
In addition to Indy, Good Boy also features human actors Larry Fessenden (MaXXXine, Brooklyn 45) and Stuart Rudin (Silence of the Lambs).
It remains to be seen whether or not Good Boy will receive a theatrical release, but if the positive reviews are an indicator, it’s something I am personally looking forward to seeing.