Good Boy (2022) Review

Written and directed by Viljar Bøethe Scandinavian horror Good Boy generated quite a bit of buzz before its screening at FrightFest so my expectations were high when I watched the film myself.

The set up is simple as we meet Christian (Gard Løkke from Netflix’s Troll) a handsome millionaire who loves cooking in his huge mansion and long walks in the woods by his holiday home alongside his faithful companion Frank who is a grown man in a extremely unnerving full body dog suit.

Looking for love online as so many do Christian matches with carefree student Sigrid (Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredrikse) who is blown away by the charming bachelor unaware of his money or his freaky furry friend. Meeting Frank that night she is shocked and uncomfortable making excuses to leave as quickly as possible.

Discussing things openly with her gal pal Aurora (Amalie Willoch Njaastad) who informs Sigrid of her hook ups immense wealth, the pair look into the world of ‘puppy play’ deciding that as long as no one is being hurt there is no harm in it.

Returning to Christians home with an open mind and nonjudgmental attitude she attempts to treat Frank the same way she would anyone else’s pet because as Christian explains Frank is not acting like a dog, he is a dog and must be seen as such at all times.

Christian is over joyed that Sigrid can accept his best friend where other women have failed and the relationship continues to get serious at speed however when the trio trek out to the rich man’s remote cabin discoveries are made that change a seemingly innocent game into something disgusting and deadly.

With great performances from the main players Good Boy feels extremely pertinent with its exploration of what is acceptable in modern society. Sigrid’s first instinct is that both Frank and Christian are weird and creepy especially when Frank starts jumping up on her and sniffing her crotch. Added to this we see him watching the couple have sex on numerous occasions something that yes most dogs probably do but we know this dog is different.

As mentioned Sigrid and her house mate debate Christian’s kink deciding there is nothing wrong with it and later on Christian himself compares the unconventional relationship he has with Frank to how homosexuality was and still is seen as vile and criminal in some countries and cultures.

What is interesting in Good Boy is when it pushes the viewer to see what they would tolerate and what the tipping point is that slides this set up from sweet to sinister. How far would you go to keep the perfect romantic match and can someone truly push their prejudices aside when inside they are screaming something is wrong?

All that said although feeling highly original and well made the main issue with the movie is that many of the interesting themes, chilling scenes and taught twists are not properly explored with Good Boy ultimately feeling like its racing through to get to the final horrible climax.

Several scary or menacing moments which could have been stretched out are skimmed over and although I hate a horror that milks a twist till its dry, Good Boy seems to waste some wonderfully warped opportunities to toy with its audience before it reveals the truth behind the co-dependent canine and his master.

This leaves the viewer unsatisfied and disappointed especially when reflecting on the film and it is made worse considering the tiny run time of only 1 hour 16 minutes which is in this humble reviewers opinion, not feature length.

Bøethe could have easily added in an extra 15 minutes allowing the entire story space to breath and much more tension to build. For once I am actually hoping this foreign frightener gets a Hollywood remake so in the same way Michael Haneke’s Funny Games was reimagined by the same director rather than repeated, this dog can truly have its day and Good Boy can fulfil its horrifying potential.

UK premiere at FrightFest on 28 August and Blue Finch Film Releasing presents Good Boy on digital platforms 11 September

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Good Boy Trailer: