BY KIERAN FISHER
“Good Boy” is a haunted house movie told from the perspective of a dog, and Indy, the adorable pup at the heart of the story, steals the show. Most viewers will spend the entirety of “Good Boy” worrying about the dog dying, and some scenes are so distressing for our adorable furry friend that canine lovers won’t give much thought to the human characters. That said, if you can overcome those worries and concerns, you will probably appreciate the cameo from a bona fide horror legend in Ben Leonberg and Alex Cannon’s chiller.
The cameo features none other than Larry Fessenden, who plays the deceased grandfather of the protagonist, Todd (Shane Jensen), and his sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman), in “Good Boy.” After gracing some family home videos early on in the movie, his spooky moments comes halfway through, with Indy finding an apparition of gramps coughing up blood in the upstairs of the house. It’s a horrifying scene, and Fessenden is in no mood to sugarcoat it with his performance.
Of course, seasoned horror fans have come to expect disturbing performances from Fessenden. He has portrayed creepy, sinister, and troubled characters in plenty of cinematic scare fare, becoming a frequent collaborator of genre masters like Ti West (“MaXXXine”) and Jim Mickle (“Stake Land”). Martin Scorsese (you might have heard of him) also tapped Fessenden for “Bringing Out the Dead” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” so know that his work isn’t exclusive to the horror genre. What’s more, Fessenden is an acclaimed writer and director in his own right — one whose work is admired by some of your favorite filmmakers.
Your favorite filmmakers love Larry Fessenden’s work
Larry Fessenden’s directorial works aren’t widely known, but some notable filmmakers rank them among the best horror films ever made. His cult classic 1997 movie “Habit” — a vampire tale that serves as a metaphor for addiction — is a favorite of “Jennifer’s Body” director Karyn Kusama, who praised it for its ability to juggle so many ideas seamlessly. To an extent, you can see the influence of “Habit” in “Jennifer’s Body,” as Kusama’s horror-comedy uses monster tropes as an allegory for overcoming abuse.
Guillermo del Toro is also a Fessenden fan, describing him as a master of his craft. Like Kusama, del Toro is a fan of the “Habit,” and his appreciation of that movie — and Fessenden’s work as a whole — led to the “Frankenstein” filmmaker tapping the indie auteur to direct a remake of “The Orphanage.” The project never materialized in the end, but del Toro considering Fessenden for a project of that magnitude shows that he holds the filmmaker in high regard.
From “Habit” to “Wendigo” to “Blackout,” Fessenden’s directorial oeuvre is littered with gems just waiting to be discovered by the masses. His cameo in “Good Boy” shows how terrifying he can be as an on-screen presence, but he is just as capable of scaring viewers from behind the camera.
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