GOOD BOY: Movie Review By Matt Boiselle

Starring: Gard Lokke, Katrine Lovise Opstad Frederikson, Amalie Willoch Njaastad

Directed by: Viljar Boe

You know, it’s funny how over the course of a horror-film viewing lifetime you’ll cross paths with certain films that will simply have you scratching your head as if to think “what kind of pharmaceutical enhancement was someone under the influence of when THIS film was put together?” I’ll admit that I’ve seen some pretty interesting stuff over my time – shudder-worthy…giving you that creepy-over-the-shoulder hair-rise on the back of your neck – stuff that makes your stomach do flip-flops in terms of extreme gore & violence…then we have a film like GOOD BOY.

Directed by Viljar Boe, this mentally-shredding exhibition centers around Christian (Lokke), a good-looking fellow who is understated, slightly recluse and on the prowl for some affection from the opposite sex. For all intents & purposes, the second this guy drops his profile on a dating site he should be avalanched with requests, correct? Well, lemme give you a little insight into this highly-available soul – once you see what he’s got behind closed doors, you might think twice about a committed relationship…especially when one-half of the relationship SHOULD be committed. Sigrid (Frederikson) is a lovely little lass who meets Christian on a dating app and the two immediately hit it off – ah, a budding romance for sure. After Sigrid meets Frank, things get a little bit dicey – you see, Frank is a man dressed up as a dog, acting like a dog, and has generally taken on the life of a dog.

Initially, Sigrid appears to be put off, but after doing a little bit of research, she accepts the dynamic between Christian & Frank, especially since Christian swears that he MUST take care of him due to no one else wanting him…to say this is bizarre would be an understatement. Bizarre takes a distant back seat as the movie rolls on and we get the gist behind all of this odd behavior, and how Sigrid has to deal with all of it. Upon first glances the majority of viewers would probably have chalked this one up as a ridiculous premise, never giving it a chance, but trust me when I tell you to stick with it – it all pays off in the end. Performances are simplistic yet powerful, from the calm demeanor of Christian to the wide-eyed distressing gaze of Sigrid, right on down to the doggone good job of Frank…well, acting like a dog.

When the credits rolled on this one, I had to make sure my mouth was closed as to not catch ANY MORE flies in it – GOOD BOY has that kind of grasp. It’s a slow-moving, methodical approach, but packs a wallop in the latter stages. The film is available now on streaming services, so do yourself a favor and check it out, unless your concerned about shedding & the occasional “accident” inside your house.

Author

Matt Boiselle

At the tender age of 6, Matt was indoctrinated into the horror genre by his mother, who asked him to sit down and watch "The Exorcist" with her - ever since then, it's been a blood-soaked, neon-lit, fever dream of an existence. "You don't make horror...horror makes you."

(Can't remember who came up with this quote, but he was probably off-kilter like I am).