Scary movies are designed to fill you with dread. But when they star an adorable dog, the stakes are even higher.
That’s the case with “Good Boy,” an independently-produced haunted-house horror movie told from the perspective of a dog — in this case, director Ben Leonberg’s own dog, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Indy.
In the movie, Indy and his owner, Todd (Shane Jensen), travel to rural New Jersey to spend time at Todd’s late grandfather’s house. Though no one is at the house other than them, Indy senses a mysterious presence among them.
The film garnered attention when it had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March. Now that it’s in theaters, here’s a breakdown of the horror movie’s unforgettable, heartbreaking ending. (Spoilers ahead, obviously.)
Don’t worry, the dog doesn’t die at the end of ‘Good Boy’
After having a medical emergency in which he was coughing up blood, Todd takes Indy to his grandfather’s house. There isn’t much for the pair to do there, other than clean up the house and watch old videos of Todd’s grandfather (Larry Fessenden) with his dog. Indy always stays close to Todd. Todd’s sister (Arielle Friedman) tells him over the phone that dogs sense things humans can’t.
Soon, Indy begins to hear strange noises and has dreams where Todd’s grandfather’s dog seems to warn Indy of something.
Todd’s health gets worse, so he goes to the hospital to get checked out. While Indy is alone in the house, he sees a mysterious black figure. Todd returns in worse shape than when he left. He’s irritable and doesn’t want Indy’s company. Fed up with Indy, he puts him outside in the dog house during a rainstorm.
Indy again encounters the all-black figure, gets off his chain, and gets back inside the house. Indy hides under the bed and realizes Todd is under there, too. The black figure then snatches Todd; however, Todd’s body is still on the bed. What’s going on?
The all-black figure is actually death coming for Todd, and now it has Todd’s soul. Indy runs through the house, breaks through a window, and gets down to the basement through an outside door in time to pull Todd’s spirit from a dark hole in the basement of the house.
With his face covered in black goo, Todd tells Indy, “You’re a good dog, but you have to let me go.” Indy then watches as Todd is pulled back into the hole.
The storm has blown the door to the basement shut, and now Indy is trapped. Indy sees the skeletal remains of Todd’s grandfather’s dog, another loyal dog who stayed with its owner until the end.
The next morning, Indy hears Todd’s sister enter the house. She opens the door to the basement and calls for Indy. Indy is hesitant at first, looking back at the dark hole. Finally, he runs up the stairs to Todd’s sister. She then drives Indy back to the city.
“Good Boy” is in theaters now.
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