The only question that everyone has been asking ever since the trailer for Good Boy is whether the dog survives the movie or not. Being a horror flick shot from the POV of a dog who lives with his troubled owner, the dog gets into threatening and dangerous situations.
However, Good Boy director Ben Leonberg doesn’t mind sharing one spoiler-non-spoiler that is quite important for people. The director had a chat with Cinemablend about Good Boy, and during his answers, he gave a Tom Cruise-Mission: Impossible reference to answer the question.
It’s probably not so different from what I think people know when they go and see a Mission: Impossible movie. Tom Cruise isn’t gonna die, but the filmmaking still has to let you think he might fall off that airplane and die potentially for real when you’re watching Mission: Impossible.
Well, it is a bit confusing answer, but we can gather a pretty decisive answer from Ben Leonberg’s statements.
Does the Dog Die in Good Boy?
The short answer is no. The dog doesn’t die in Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy. With the director using his own dog (named Indy) for the shoot, it was always unlikely that a pet-lover would depict the killing of a pet on the big screen.
However, Leonberg’s statements confirm that Indy the Dog surely survives in the recently released horror movie (October 3, 2025). Comparing Indy to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, the director clearly answered that although Ethan Hunt does get into trouble and terrifying situations, we know that he is going to turn out fine.
Naturally, Indy the Dog will also likely go through some terrifying experiences, but will turn out fine by the end of the film. Of course, the great reviews seem to hint at a positive ending.
Good Boy Innovates a Hollywood Trope That’s Done to Death
Ben Leonberg was done with the classic tropes in Hollywood where the dog simply looks at a corner, and no one believes it. Movies like The Conjuring showcased Sadie refusing to enter the Perron home and barking. Guess what happens to the dog?
As the interview continued, Ben Leonberg revealed that he wanted to do something different with the Hollywood trope. Rather than use the dog’s death as a mechanism, he wanted to base his entire story around a dog.
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?’
Well, the director has certainly grabbed the attention of the world as everyone is eying the goodest boy in town. The reviews have been great, and there’s a lot of buzz about the movie. The only thing we need to see is whether Good Boy becomes a box office success like Paranormal Activity or not.
Are you going to watch Good Boy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Good Boy is currently screening in theaters (USA).
