Good Boy: Does the dog survive in the home invasion horror movie? Director finally answers after fans flood Google with searches 

A still from Good Boy | Image via IFC
A still from Good Boy | Image via IFC

Good Boy is the latest supernatural horror film of 2025, directed by debutant Ben Leonberg. He has co-produced it with Kari Fischer. It premiered at the South by Southwest festival in March this year and was released theatrically by Shudder and IFC on October 3, 2025. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

Immediately after the trailer was released, Google searches for the dog's survival spiked. Leonberg has finally answered that question.


Director of Good Boy reveals whether the dog survives or not

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Right after the trailer of Good Boy was released last month, fans got worried about its protagonist, a pet dog. They quickly started searching the internet to see if the canine would survive in the film. This led to a surge in Google searches related to the film. Director Ben Leonberg recently spoke to CinemaBlend to answer this question. He said,

"I think it does speak to what horror movies have trained us to think happens to most dogs in horror movies, which is to say the whole film is built on this trope of, you know, "Hey, you know how your dog might stare into an empty corner? Or you know how in horror movies, there's that dog who's always suspicious of the basement or suspicious of that weird old neighbor?" Usually that dog in horror movies doesn't make it out of act one."

He further stated that altering Indy's (the dog's) fate would not impact the film.

"The filmmaking still has to let you think he might fall off that airplane and die, potentially for real."

Good Boy is about a family that moves to their rural home with their pet dog, Indy. Soon, the canine realizes that a supernatural presence is in the home. The film focuses on his attempts to save his family. Its cast members include,

  • Shane Jensen as Todd
  • Anya Krawcheck
  • Arielle Friedman as Todd's sister
  • Stuart Rudin
  • Larry Fessenden as Todd's grandfather

Considering the statement from Leonberg, we can be assured that the dog will survive. After the trailer dropped, the Google search spike indicated that for many audience members, the dog's ultimate fate mattered to them.

Good Boy is playing in the theatres.


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Edited by Yesha Srivastava