Good Boy Director on Eliciting Genuine Canine Horror Reactions

In a genre filled with jump scares and supernatural entities, the most compelling actor in this year’s most unique horror film might just be a dog named Indy. The upcoming movie Good Boy reimagines the classic haunted house story through the eyes of a loyal pet, creating a chilling perspective that only a canine could provide. This innovative approach required a filming process as unique as its premise, relying on the instincts of a real dog rather than a trained animal actor to deliver a genuinely unsettling performance.

How Do You Direct a Dog in a Horror Movie?

The central challenge for director Ben Leonberg was capturing authentic, spooky reactions from his own dog, Indy, who plays the titular role. The film’s concept was inspired by a common yet eerie experience many pet owners share: the moment a dog stares intently at an empty corner or barks at seemingly nothing. Leonberg aimed to explore that unexplained canine perception within a horror narrative. Instead of traditional training, the production embraced a reactive and patient filmmaking style. The crew storyboarded the entire film but remained flexible, often changing camera angles, lighting, and even shots on the fly based on Indy’s natural behavior and responses to audio cues and hand gestures.

The shoot spanned over 400 days across three years, a necessary timeframe to work around the “X factor” of an animal performer. The director emphasized that Indy, being a method actor in his own right, could not be directed to hit perfect marks or maintain a specific expression on command. The team’s strategy involved creating an environment where Indy could react genuinely to his surroundings, with the camera capturing those moments organically. This required immense invention and patience, ensuring the dog’s performance felt real and not manufactured, which is crucial for building suspense and terror.

The Secret to Eliciting a Spooky Canine Performance

A critical element of the production was managing Indy’s incentives. While food was used as a motivator, the choice of treat was a carefully considered decision. The director revealed that Indy’s absolute favorite snack—carrots—was deliberately banned from the set. The team feared that the excitement of receiving a carrot would break the ominous atmosphere the film needed, causing his tail to wag and dispelling the eerie illusion. Instead, the production used his normal, less exciting dinner kibble to coax him into position, ensuring his on-screen demeanor remained appropriately tense and watchful.

This meticulous attention to detail extended to every aspect of the shoot. The crew had to ensure the camera equipment and lighting setups were not distracting for Indy, allowing him to behave as naturally as possible. The goal was always to preserve his innate, spooky stare—the very trait that inspired the film—and capture the genuine unease of a dog perceiving a world invisible to human eyes. The result is a performance that feels incredibly authentic, blurring the line between trained action and natural animal behavior.

The unprecedented approach of Good Boy demonstrates that the most terrifying moments often stem from genuine reactions. By building an entire horror narrative around the natural instincts of a family pet, director Ben Leonberg has crafted a uniquely unsettling cinematic experience that promises to change how we view our four-legged friends. Good Boy arrives in US theaters on October 3 and in the UK on October 10.

Must Know

What is the movie Good Boy about?
Good Boy is a horror film that follows a dog and his owner after they move into a new house in the countryside. The story is told from the dog’s perspective as he begins to see and react to supernatural phenomena that his owner cannot initially perceive, placing them both in grave danger.

Is the dog in Good Boy a real actor?
Yes, the canine star of Good Boy is a real dog named Indy, who is actually the director’s own pet. He was not a professionally trained animal actor prior to the film, and his natural behaviors and intense stare were the primary inspiration for the movie’s concept.

How did they get the dog to act in the horror movie?
The filmmakers used a patient, time-intensive process over 400 days. They relied on Indy’s natural reactions, guiding him with audio cues, hand signals, and food incentives. His normal dinner food was used instead of more exciting treats like carrots to ensure he maintained a tense, rather than happy, demeanor on camera.

When is the Good Boy movie release date?
Good Boy is scheduled to be released in theaters in the United States on October 3, 2025. The film will open in cinemas in the United Kingdom one week later, on October 10, 2025.

Who directed the film Good Boy?
The movie was co-written and directed by Ben Leonberg, with his wife, Kari Fischer, serving as a producer on the project. The film premiered at the SXSW film festival in March 2025.