Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy ends on a shocking notice, and right here’s why the filmmakers at all times supposed for Indy the canine to outlive within the finale, regardless of the movie’s bloody twists. Serving as Leonberg’s directorial debut, Good Boy is a supernatural horror film which is informed from the angle of a canine. The movie was launched theatrically on October 3, 2025.
Good Boy has been met with principally constructive critiques from early audiences, incomes a decent 91% Tomatometer and 89% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised its offbeat tone, heartfelt performances, and the horror movie’s progressive strategy. Evidently, Good Boy has struck a singular chord with audiences, and left many questioning concerning the movie’s ultimate moments, with Vera rescuing Indy.
Now, in an unique interview with ScreenRant, director Ben Leonberg and producer Kari Fischer reveal that Good Boy’s ending was by no means up for debate. When requested if there was ever a model the place Indy didn’t survive, Leonberg bluntly answered, “No, Indy was at all times going to dwell,” including that they by no means thought-about the choice, as a result of it “by no means felt narratively proper.”
Leonberg defined that they couldn’t kill off Indy as “a lot of it’s his story,” and as a personality who’s keen to put down his life for others, “the higher ending is that they must go on dwelling.” Indy’s survival is a thematic necessity for Good Boy, which subverts horror tropes by permitting the canine to dwell.
Leonberg Already Spoiled Good Boy’s Ending Earlier than Launch
Forward of the movie’s launch, director Leonberg really spoiled whether or not the canine survives in Good Boy throughout interviews. This was as a result of there was a 2000% Google search spike across the matter after Good Boy’s trailer was launched. Leonberg acknowledged that spoiling Indy’s survival doesn’t precisely reduce the stakes, evaluating the scenario to Tom Cruise’s character at all times surviving in Mission: Inconceivable.
This strategy flips the standard spoiler-avoidance rule on its head for good purpose. Leonberg was conscious of that, “normally that canine in horror films would not make it out of act one.” Subsequently, nervousness round Indy’s dying may very well be a dealbreaker for a lot of. By confirming that Indy lives, he reframed expectations and guaranteed audiences the movie could be satisfying, not scarring.
Our Take On Indy’s Survival And Good Boy’s Strategy
The choice to let Indy dwell in Good Boy flips the standard horror components. The household canine is an emotional casualty in lots of horror movies, sacrificed to boost stakes or punish hope. Movies like The Factor, I Am Legend, and The Babadook use animal deaths to sign that nobody is actually secure, and even to inspire the protagonist.
Nevertheless, Good Boy breaks that mould, inviting change. By letting Indy dwell, and permitting Vera to save lots of him, the movie challenges the nihilism so widespread within the style. Leonberg’s resolution to spoil the ending was evidently an excellent one, because it not solely invitations wider audiences, however it elevates the narrative, permitting you to focus purely on Good Boy’s horror.
- Launch Date
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October 3, 2025
- Runtime
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73 minutes
- Director
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Ben Leonberg
- Writers
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Alex Cannon, Ben Leonberg
