2025’s Most Subversive Haunted House Thriller Redefines a Genre Trope—and It’s Finally Streaming

The trope of pets acting as supernatural barometers—sensing malevolent forces long before their human companions—is a horror staple. Whether it’s Sadie, the farmhouse dog in The Conjuring (2013), whimpering at an invisible threshold, or the sled dogs in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) reacting to a shapeshifting parasite, these animals anchor our fear in the unknown. It’s an unsettling baseline: when a dog fixates on a shadowy, empty corner or lets out a low growl at nothingness, we know something truly sinister is afoot.

Director Ben Leonberg leans heavily into this sense of dread with his unique horror feature, Good Boy. The film is told almost entirely through the perspective of Indy, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. By framing the narrative through Indy’s keen, watchful eyes, Leonberg transforms a high-concept premise into a gripping, claustrophobic experience. You can now stream this emotionally resonant, unconventional horror film on Hulu.

Developing Good Boy was a three-year labor of love for Leonberg, who co-wrote the script alongside Alex Cannon. The story follows Indy and his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), as they trade the chaos of New York City for a remote, woodland home. The property comes with a dark legacy: Todd’s grandfather passed away there under mysterious circumstances, and his own golden retriever, Bandit, vanished without a trace. With Todd already battling a chronic lung condition, the house feels heavy with foreboding before the first supernatural incident even occurs.

The cinematography is masterfully restrictive; by keeping the camera at a low, canine-eye level, we are forced to process the world as Indy does. We don’t get a clear look at Todd’s face—we see his hands, hear his muffled voice, and share in the dog’s confusion and anxiety. While a gimmick like this could easily become tiresome, it instead anchors the film’s tension. We aren’t just watching a horror movie; we are witnessing the plight of a protector who cannot communicate the terror he sees. When Indy is cornered by dark entities, the impact is deeply visceral because the audience shares his helplessness.

Where most horror films revel in the flawed morality of human protagonists—think of Christine Brown in Drag Me To Hell (2009)—Good Boy operates on a cleaner moral frequency. Humans are prone to bad judgment, selfishness, or denial; Christine’s struggle is captivating precisely because her own choices often invite her misfortune. In contrast, Indy is inherently pure. His motivations are simple, binary, and driven by a singular, unwavering devotion to his owner.

While the viewer might scream at Todd for his lack of awareness, Indy remains the steadfast anchor, offering comfort even as he faces the unknown. Leonberg further heightens the atmosphere by playing with light and shadow, using low-intensity sources to stir our imaginations, while relying on Indy’s acute hearing to build a soundscape of genuine menace. Good Boy isn’t just a chilling experiment; it is a film with a surprising, tender emotional core that makes the ultimate survival stakes feel all the more personal.

Good Boy can be streamed on Hulu.

Source: Polygon