About: Larry Fessenden

From 18 Best shows on You Tube from Collider

By Katie Campione

EXCLUSIVE: Shudder has acquired the distribution rights to the supernatural thriller Good Boy in the U.S,, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand following the film’s premiere at SXSW in March.

Good Boy, which redefines the haunted house genre by telling its horror tale through the eyes of a family dog, is co-written and directed by Ben Leonberg. Alex Cannon also co-writes. 

Leonberg’s directorial debut stars his dog, Indy, who finds himself on a new adventure with his human owner — and best friend — Todd, leaving city life for a long-vacant family home in the country. From the start, two things are abundantly clear: Indy is wary of the creepy old house, and his affection for Todd is unwavering.

Indy’s new world is immediately filled with unease: he senses invisible presences, follows phantom tracks, receives chilling warnings from a ghostly dog, and is haunted by glimpses of the previous resident’s gruesome demise. When a dark influence begins to grip Todd, Indy must fight a malevolence intent on pulling him into the afterlife.

“We immediately recognized the immense potential of Leonberg’s debut and are thrilled to strike this deal with Shudder, ” said Amy Beecroft, Head of Verve Ventures, who negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. 

Emily Gotto, SVP of Acquisitions and Production for Shudder, represented the AMC Networks’ horror streamer in the deal. In a statement of her own, she adds: “Ben Leonberg’s debut is a singular experience in perspective-driven horror. Told entirely through the eyes of Indy, a devoted dog whose terror and determination to save his human become our own, the film delivers a haunting and emotional experience that introduces a surprising standout performance from Indy and a strikingly assured first feature from Leonberg.”

Additionally, Leonberg has signed with Altitude, which is expected to launch international sales for the film in Cannes.

After a sold-out premiere at SXSW (and the “Howl of Fame” award for Best Canine Performance for Indy), Good Boy received a warm welcome at Overlook Film festival in New Orleans, where it expanded from one to three theaters to satisfy audience demand, and earned an honorable mention for Scariest Feature Film. The film was also screened at Calgary Underground Film Festival.

In a relatively quiet start to the year for festival film sales, Good Boy‘s acquisition speaks to its originality, as Leonberg and his wife Kari Fischer, who also produced the film, adapted their own home and acted as stand ins for three years to accommodate Indy’s production schedule. In all, production with Indy took 400 days and a whole lot of patience, as he is not a trained animal actor. The result, however taxing it may have been to achieve, is an incredibly realistic and haunting portrayal of a dog’s reaction to his house taking on a life of its own.

Good Boy also features horror legends Larry Fessenden (Blackout, Depraved, The Last Winter, Wendigo, and Habit) and Stuart Rudin (Silence of the Lambs).

RIGO GARAY, ELLA RAE PECK, LORRAINE FARRIS and JOHN SPEREDAKOS
in CHRIS SKOTCHDOPOLE’S CRUMB CATCHER
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY

High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original 5.1 surround sound audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new commentary by writer-director Chris Skotchdopole
recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2025
Catching Crumbs: The Making of Crumb Catcher, a 38-minute behind-the-scenes,
featuring interviews with the film’s cast and crew, created exclusively for Arrow Video
The Egg and the Hatchet (2016), a short film by Chris Skotchdopole
starring Taylor Zaudtke and Jeremy Gardner (21 mins)
Camp Out (2010), a short film by Chris Skotchdopole (13 mins)
Original trailer
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring
an introduction by producer Larry Fessenden
and new writing on the film by Richard Newby and Tori Potenza
Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork by Tessa Price and Sister Hyde

Gizmodo: Cult Auteur Larry Fessenden on Until Dawn, True Detective, and His New Werewolf Movie

Fangoria: UNTIL DAWN Review: This Won’t Keep You Up At Night

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Graham Reznick and Fessenden, the writers of the Award Winning video game UNTIL DAWN are sourced in reviews across the web.

From Fangoria: There are two names conspicuously missing from the credits of Until Dawn: Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, who wrote the PlayStation hit the film is based on. By the time those end titles roll, though, you’ll understand why: This adaptation has little to do with the game. Those familiar with Fessenden’s filmography will also get this idea from the way the movie retcons/bollixes up (choose one) the origins of Fessenden’s favorite creature, the Wendigo.

UNTIL DAWN hits theaters TODAY!