Does the dog in 'Good Boy' die?
Is there anything the internet loves more than dogs? (Cat people, I can't hear you!)
Well, a love of dogs is a key ingredient to what makes Good Boy such a fantastic horror movie premise. The trailer for the IFC Films release painted a creepy portrait of an adorable dog in mortal peril! Co-writer/director Ben Leonberg centers his film on Indy, his own family's dog, who has incredible star power. The premise is simple: a dog is in a haunted house where his owner can't sense the spirits that could harm them both. And you know what that means: the dog could die.
The immediate reaction to the trailer on X was movie fans (and dog lovers) concerned over this very question:
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Now, this is actually a major point of tension in the film. Sure, it's common for the stakes in a horror movie to be life or death — but with people.The very existence of a website dedicated to learning if the dog dies in any given movie suggests we as a species are more terrified of seeing a sweet dog being killed onscreen than hordes of horny teens or even ghost-plagued children. And Indy isn't just any dog. As the trailer and my review out of SXSW proclaims, he's a star. That led me to confess, "The resulting horror movie had me yelping like I was a kid seeing her first scary movie."
That was in no small part because I didn't know how this movie would end, and I was very invested. But hey, if your stress levels demand to know before you go how things shake out for the eponymous Good Boy, we've got you. Before you get misinformation from trolls on social media or misled by AI chatbots, Mashable will answer this question, from someone who has seen, reviewed, and loved Good Boy.
One final word of warning: Spoilers for the end of Good Boy below:
Does Indy the dog survive Good Boy?
Indy the dog lives.
Now, with this comfort in mind, I sincerely recommend you check out Good Boy. Indy is waiting to be discovered.
Good Boy is now in theaters.
UPDATE: Oct. 3, 2025, 5:40 p.m. EDT This article originally ran on Aug. 19, 2025. It's been republished for Good Boy's theatrical release.
Topics Film
Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she's an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.
