The horror genre has forever played with format and structure in how it presents its point of view. A horror flick from the perspective of the murderer. How about in the eyes of the monster? The ghost? Now, we have a new concept: a horror film from the perspective of a faithful dog. It's certainly a terrific pitch on paper to up the stakes—no one wants to see the pooch harmed in any way—but does it work in practice?

Good Boy, directed and co-written by Ben Leonberg, follows Indy (Indy, who belongs to the film's director and producer), a wonderfully endearing dog who provides company to human Todd (Shane Jensen). Todd has health issues that allude to some kind of cancer, and so the pair relocate to Todd's granddad's old cabin. Being a horror film, all sorts of unsavoury sights and sounds plague our furry hero, but that's where the genius of the concept comes in. Leonberg plays on the moment when dogs start barking at seemingly nothing. What if it wasn't nothing, but a terrifying supernatural force?

Wasting not a single moment in the 70-minute runtime, Good Boy dives straight into the uneasy atmosphere and horror set pieces that last the entire film. Whilst this seems like a good thing, Good Boy quickly runs out of steam. The frights are predictable and repetitive, and the scares don't carry any narrative weight until the very end. What also doesn't help is the amateurish acting and dialogue, clumsily spelling out character backstories with cringeworthy delivery. It's a shame the horror sequences themselves are lacklustre, as Leonberg masterfully creates a sense of dread outside of the set pieces through an eerie roaming camera and shots that last just a little longer than usual.

Thank god then for Indy the dog. Indy delivers, without a doubt, the best animal performance in the history of cinema. He has such an expressive face for a dog, letting you know exactly what Indy is thinking and feeling without so much as a growl or bark. This poor pooch always looks concerned or terrified, making the tense atmosphere all the more unnerving. Bolstering Indy's incredible performance is clever editing and smart direction that puts us in his shoes (paws?).

In the end, Good Boy does wrap up a bittersweet story about letting go of a dear friend—but it's a bumpy road getting there. It feels like a short film with a great concept stretched out into a subpar feature, but the sheer star power of Indy carries the entire film. When your dog gives a standout, emotive performance that is far better than any human performance, that's when you know you've got a win as well as a problem.

Good Boy releases in UK cinemas on 10 October.