Good Boy
IFC | Release Date: October 3, 2025 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Original-CinJohn KirkSep 29, 2025
If you’ve ever been a dog owner and you’ve ever been nervous about what’s out there in the shadows, then more than likely, you’ve appreciated the company of a good dog by your side. Good Boy gives you that feeling when you’re watching it, and quite frankly, there were a couple of times when I reached for my own dog to give her a reassuring scratch behind the ears. Read full review
91
IndieWireRafael MotamayorMar 12, 2025
It’s easy to ascribe the success of Good Boy to the power of its canine star, but the film refuses to let Indy feel like a cheap gimmick. Read full review
90
The New York TimesErik PiepenburgOct 2, 2025
This is assured horror filmmaking. Heartbreaking too: Anyone who’s held a pet as comfort from pain or despair should have tissues at hand. Read full review
87
Paste MagazineJim VorelOct 2, 2025
Yes; it stars a dog–but it’s also one of the year’s most potently unnerving and emotionally resonant horror films at the same time. Read full review
80
Little White LiesBillie WalkerOct 17, 2025
While other horror directors are busy chasing their tails trying to create genre defining moments, Ben Leonberg has succeeded creating a thrilling mid-budget horror that goes beyond pandering to animal lovers or tugging at our heartstrings. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeOct 9, 2025
This excellent debut feature from Ben Leonberg may be unique among horror films in fairly attracting the compound adjectives “deeply unsettling” and “utterly adorable”. Read full review
80
EmpireDan JolinOct 7, 2025
A highly effective indie horror that overcomes the familiarity of its scares with the brilliantly executed novelty of its canine conceit. Read full review
80
Screen DailyNikki BaughanOct 7, 2025
In lesser hands, this could have been merely a gimmick but, with his feature debut, director Ben Leonberg delivers an effective, genuinely unsettling chiller. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeOct 3, 2025
Good Boy reflects the powerful connection between people and their pets as few films have, ultimately devastating us with the devotion these soulmates are capable of showing. Read full review
80
The Daily BeastNick SchagerOct 2, 2025
With an aesthetic ingenuity to match its pooch’s impressively expressive performance, it’s a thriller that ably justifies its central gimmick. Read full review
80
LooperAlistair RyderSep 30, 2025
Transcending its gimmick status within its opening stretch and only growing more resonant from there, it becomes that rare horror film you could recommend to people who hate the genre — the set pieces are well constructed, but their impact pales next to a haunting, moving story about a dog and his owner.  Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenDec 5, 2025
Good Boy is a harrowing experience for dog lovers—or possibly anyone who’s noticed an animal staring at something you can’t quite perceive—yet the movie never quite unearths the subterranean chills of the most potent horror. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 8, 2025
Good Boy makes the humans all but superfluous as its star delivers some of the most realistic reactions to the unexplainable this time-worn genre has ever seen. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsOct 3, 2025
Good Boy could easily devolve into merely being a gimmick. But Alex Cannon and Leonberg’s dialogue-light script is aiming for more than DTV silliness. They’re making a movie about heart, loyalty, and friendship. Read full review
70
IGNEric GoldmanSep 30, 2025
You’ll believe a dog can star in a horror movie with Good Boy, which makes the most of its high-concept approach of centering a haunted house story not on a man but on man’s best friend. Read full review
70
ColliderNate RichardMar 12, 2025
Leonberg shows so much promise, ultimately delivering a horror movie that not only has the scares but also a massive heart. However, it does also help that the movie is centered around a cute dog. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMar 12, 2025
Good Boy works well enough on its own terms, managing to sustain sufficient tension throughout the course of its smartly concise 73-minute running time. Read full review
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