Indy the dog was not hurt in the making of new horror film Good Boy, promises his owner and director: "Indy's never scared, you're scared"

Indy the dog in Good Boy — (Image credit: IFC Films)

New horror movie Good Boy stands out from the crowd in an already great year for the genre for one rather cute reason: the film stars and revolves around director Ben Leonberg's pet dog, Indy. But with horror comes severity and unpredictability, which makes us and many other film buffs scared for our new furry friend.

However, in an exclusive interview with GamesRadar+, Leonberg assures us that Indy was not hurt in the making of the movie. "Well, I'll say, Indy's never genuinely upset," says the director. "People are always asking, 'How did you get Indy to look scared?' And the truth is, Indy's never scared. You're scared, as an audience member." Phew.

So, how does Indy pull off his frightened look and panicked yelp? "He has that intense expression, you know, this kind of neutral gaze," adds Leonberg. "And if you know filmmaking, essentially, you do that reverse shot. Indy walks into a frame, looks off-screen, and sees this spooky thing. The audience does the math and says, 'Oh, man, the dog must be afraid.' But the truth is, he's not. In reality, he's just reacting to me and my wife going off camera."

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As for certain scenes where Indy seems to be crying, the director says those sounds were actually yelps of happiness "taken out of context" in the editing process. "The reality of what's being said on set is just we're going 'good boy', but then the actor lays in the dialogue and adds the drama to the scene." And what about the part where Indy is physically moved? "We used a stunt double for a doll we had made to look like Indy, fake Indy," adds Leonberg.

Nevertheless, despite Indy being Leonberg's real-life pet whom he loves dearly, film fans remain highly concerned about Indy's fate in the movie. When the first trailer for Good Boy hit the internet, Google searches for 'does the dog die in Good Boy' shot up by over 2,000%, as reported by Discussing Film. Later, many horror heads turned to the popular site Does the Dog Die for further answers.

"The website, Does the Dog Die, had a huge spike in traffic after the trailer came out," notes Leonberg. "I think it kind of proves, what I hope, is the power of the concept behind this film." The director goes on to highlight how the horror genre has "trained audiences to expect the worst for dogs," with many canine characters not making it to the end of the film. We're looking at you, The Thing. "He is the hero of the tale. It's his journey. He's the only point-of-view character," adds Leonberg of Indy.

Good Boy hits theaters on October 3 in the US and on October 10 in the UK. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or keep up with the upcoming horror movies heading your way.

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.