Deadline: Shudder Acquires Supernatural Thriller ‘Good Boy’ From Director Ben Leonberg After SXSW Premiere

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).
Word is Out: Chris Skotchdopole’s CRUMB CATCHER invading homes on Arrow Video in July!
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
Not in the credits but in the press: Reznick and Fessenden cited in multiple UNTIL DAWN reviews

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
Dread Central: The 5 Best Horror Video Game Adaptations According To Rotten Tomatoes
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!
Fangoria: UNTIL DAWN Movie Adaptation – Here’s What We Know So Far
Fangoria has the skinny on the UNTIL DAWN movie adaptation.
Based off of the Award Winning PS4 video game penned by
Graham Reznick and Fessenden.
Now, the acclaimed game is coming to the big screen as a feature film from horror maestro David F. Sandberg. Until Dawn fans had been somewhat skeptical as to how its unique concept and gameplay could translate to the big screen, but it seems as if the terror we’ve come to know and love will still be injected into every scene. Ahead of Until Dawn’s release later this month, we have all the details you need to know to survive the night – from the film’s release date to cast, plot, and whether it will follow the games.
Blair Butler, who wrote the script, spoke to Dread Central about the difficulties in tackling Until Dawn: “To be totally honest, when I came on to this project, I loved the game. I feel like Supermassive and Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, the writers of the game, created this perfect playable horror movie that literally starred an Academy Award-winning actor. So that was going to be totally impossible to top. And we knew that the remaster would be coming out around the same time. And that was another reason that everyone felt like, wow, we don’t want to try to remake the original storyline beat for Beat because that feels a little blasphemous.”
On this day in 2011: Jim Mickle’s STAKE LAND released
Martin was a normal teenage boy before the country collapsed in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nation’s abandoned towns and cities, and it’s up to Mister, a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter,
to get Martin safely north to Canada, the continent’s New Eden.
“The Mayhem is beautifully composed. The Performances are terrific.”
– The New Yorker
“…highly satisfying low-budget horror-thriller from helmer/co-writer Jim Mickle.
Taking on a larger canvas than that of “Mulberry Street,” Mickle rises to the challenge, confirming his reputation as an emerging horror auteur.”
–Variety
New York Times critics’ pick
–NEW YORK TIMES
Ramping up to GEP’s 40th Anniversary,
we celebrate 40+ projects
that have come from our shop
Come see Fessenden’s THE LAST WINTER at Crystal Lake Brooklyn, TONIGHT!
THE LAST WINTER unspools at Crystal Lake Brookyln TONIGHT, 7:30pm!
Q&A with Fessenden after the screening. Tix are still available!
All proceeds go to the Society of Environmental Journalists.
On this day in 2017: Mickey Keating’s PSYCHOPATHS released
Over the course of one excessively blood-soaked night, multiple serial killers’ paths cross,
leaving a trail of bodies and begging the question:
Which psychopath will live to see morning?
“an overall environment of insanity, a kaleidoscope of bizarre behavior and shocking bloodshed.”
–Rue Morgue
“Psychopaths” is a dog whistle for midnight movie fans,
who are likely to cringe and laugh in equal measures.”
–The Cinemaholic
“With a hallucinatory visual and aural sense, and interspersed with nice nods to movies like
Taxi Driver and Audition, the film creates a nightmarish landscape of madness and murder.”
–PAPER MAGAZINE
Ramping up to GEP’s 40th Anniversary,
we celebrate 40+ projects
that have come from our shop