Good Boy expands from limited release to wide theatrical release after 1 million views in 4 days

Independent horror movies are usually not big breakouts, but Good Boy is shaping up to be an exception. The modestly scaled supernatural spooker, about a haunted house seen from the point of view of a faithful dog, has emerged as one of the most buzzed-about genre releases of 2025.

Initially planned for a limited theatrical release, the film will now get a wider release after its trailer surprisingly set the internet ablaze. Within only four days of its release, the official trailer had gained over 1 million views on YouTube, generating a frenzy of attention from both horror fans and dog lovers alike.

The film first premiered at SXSW in March, where it received glowing reviews and earned a robust 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Now that the word has been building, IFC has announced that Good Boy will open in theaters nationwide on October 3, 2025.

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Why is Good Boy receiving a wide release?

Good Boy (Image via IFC Films)

The choice of a wide release boiled down to one thing: audience demand. IFC had originally intended to keep the film in a limited release, focusing on select theaters that specialize in independent horror. But the online reaction altered those plans.

Once the trailer went live, searches for titles such as "Does the dog in Good Boy die?" skyrocketed by more than 2,000 percent, as per a report by IndieWire, illustrating just how emotionally invested audiences already were in the film's pet protagonist.

The viral traction prompted the distributor to reconsider. A million views in under a week is an unusual accomplishment for an independent horror trailer, and the buzz only intensified as fans shared their reactions on social media.

The surge of interest in Indy, the actual dog playing the starring role, further generated buzz, attracting viewers who might not otherwise seek out a haunted house tale. For IFC, the grassroots popularity served notice: It could potentially escape the indie track and appeal to a much broader audience.

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What is Good Boy about? More details explored

Good Boy is a haunted house movie, but with an odd twist. Rather than having a sole emphasis on the human characters, the story is narrated by Indy, a dog who begins to feel a paranormal presence in his owner's family farmhouse.

After the death of a relative, Todd (Shane Jensen) relocates to the old rural house once lived in by his grandfather (Larry Fessenden). Defiant of advice concerning the ill-fated history of the house, Todd continues, while Indy soon discovers that there is something malevolent lurking within the walls.

The terror mounts as Indy sees frightening ghosts not seen by Todd, rendering the dog powerless to fully alert his master to the threat. The tension revolves around the loyalty and protective nature of man's best friend; it is both disturbing and emotionally involving.

Shooting much of the film from Indy's perspective enhances its immersive nature, providing audiences with a fresh way to experience supernatural horror.

The cast includes Shane Jensen as Todd, Arielle Friedman as his sister, and genre stalwart Larry Fessenden as the grandfather. Stuart Rudin and Anya Krawcheck play supporting roles, but the film's unmistakable center is Indy himself, the writer-director Ben Leonberg's real-life pet.

Instead of depending on CGI or special effects, Leonberg embraced his dog's natural acting, capturing tiny moments of fear, loyalty, and courage that really connected with audiences upon initial release.

The film was produced on a low budget in upstate New York and ran for only 72 minutes. Its low-key production approach and its concentration on Indy's viewpoint allowed the movie to adopt its unique texture, one that critics welcomed at SXSW and the Overlook Film Festival earlier this year.

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Good Boy is scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on October 3, 2025.