Good Boy (2025) is an American supernatural horror film told from a dog’s perspective, a bold and unsettling concept. For this unusual FearScale session, we selected a test subject who was emotionally vulnerable to animals and deeply affected by any hint of cruelty. She had no idea if the dog would survive, and that uncertainty terrified her from the start. The question was simple: would Good Boy’s bark be worse than its bite?

SYNOPSIS:

A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.

Where We Monitored: Watch it on Amazon Home Video

Test Subject: Heather

Age: 44

Gender: Female

Fears: Zoophobia or Specifically relating to a fear of animals being hurt

Resting HR: 60-65bpm

Walking HR: 80-85bpm

ANALYSIS:

Being a lifelong animal lover, our subject’s stress level started higher than her usual baseline of 63 bpm. The mere combination of “dog” and “horror movie” was enough to set her on edge. Her empathy for the canine protagonist surpassed anything we’ve seen when a film asks viewers to care about a human character. Everyday moments became charged with anxiety through the dog’s eyes.

About twenty minutes in, like Indy, the main character, our subject grew restless, worrying about the animal’s safety. Long tracking shots and eerie sound design gnawed at her nerves, keeping her in sync with the dog’s constant fear of what lurked beyond each corner. At the 35-minute mark, a particularly haunting scene sent her pulse surging to 89 bpm, and the tension held steady through much of the film. Each new threat to the dog kept her heart rate elevated, proving that empathy can be just as terrifying as gore.

CONCLUSION:

Good Boy (2025) is a bleak, anxiety-driven experience that frightens not with monsters, but with perspective. By immersing the audience in the dog’s fearful world, and leveraging long, dread-filled shots, the film sustains a steady level of tension that keeps pulses pounding. It may not be traditionally scary, but its suspense-driven empathy makes it doggone effective.

Good Boy (2025) : Burns an average of 162 Calories

Milk Bone Dog Treats : 10 Calories

How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Good Boy (2025) ?  Let us know in the comments below or on Instagram, and Facebook