Shudder’s upcoming supernatural horror film Good Boy has generated a flurry of online reactions following the release of its first trailer, with one question standing out above all others.

According to US media reports, searches for “does the dog die in ‘Good Boy’” spiked by 2000 per cent in the hours after the trailer dropped.

Co-written by Ben Leonberg and Alex Cannon, the film marks Leonberg’s feature directorial debut and is scheduled to open in theatres on October 3. Set in a haunted house, the story is told entirely through the eyes of a dog, who finds itself confronting supernatural forces alongside its human master.

The trailer, unveiled on Tuesday, plays up this canine viewpoint to unsettling effect. By limiting the audience’s knowledge to what the dog can see and sense, the film creates tension, making viewers worry for both the animal and the humans around it.

Soon X users started commenting on the links of the trailer, wishing that the dog does not die in the end. “100% the dog dies in the end. Therefore… can’t watch this,” one X user wrote. “they better not kill or harm Indy the Dog in the upcoming horror movie Good Boy or we’re not watching,” another X user posted.

“My eldest fur baby Lexapro is now 14 & going blind. She keeps going under my mom’s bed where neither of us can reach & barking her head off. Ever since I learned the plot of this film, we’ve been joking that Lexie’s fighting demons under there. This dog in Good Boy MUST live,” another X user quipped.

Good Boy had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival in March, where it earned a warm reception. Indy, the dog who plays the title role, was honoured with the first-ever Howl of Fame Award at the festival.