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Good Boy (2025) :: By Mickster
A special note to animal lovers: take tissues because if you are like me, you are going to need them. I made the mistake of not bringing tissues, and my poor t-shirt and jeans paid the price for that rookie mistake.
This movie is difficult to talk about without spoiling it, so I will be as careful as possible. Indy is the faithful and loving dog to Todd (Shane Jensen-voice), his human. Indy would do anything to protect Todd from whatever forces threatening him. Indy is the main character, and the audience sees things from his perspective. The dialogue is kept to a minimum in Good Boy because our protagonist is a dog. The dialogue the audience does receive is to the side; many conversations are on the phone between Todd and his sister, Vera (Arielle Friedman-voice). The movie begins with a sweet montage of Indy as a pup, and Indy’s blooming relationship with Todd. Early on, Todd decides to take Indy to his deceased grandpa’s home out in the middle of nowhere, where it seems to be perpetually raining. Indy, even before they get to the house, notices a dark, shadowy figure outside the car; this is when Todd is opening the gate to the property. This is just the beginning of Indy’s experiences with strange shadows, noises, and unease. As the audience is experiencing everything through Indy’s eyes, the logic in what he sees comes from his canine instincts. At times, Indy’s perspective seems like “dream logic,” where things don’t quite make sense. The only other characters in the movie are Todd’s grandpa (genre favorite-Larry Fessenden-seen on VHS tapes), Grandpa’s faithful dog, Bandit (also seen on VHS), and a neighbor (Stuart Rudin) who lives relatively nearby (the neighbor provides some exposition about his grandpa and the surrounding area). Indy senses Todd is in some kind of danger, and he doesn’t know how to help him. At the same time, Todd’s personality changes; he becomes harsh towards Indy, which Indy doesn’t understand. No matter what happens, be it scary apparition or an unusually aggressive Todd, Indy stops at nothing to try to help Todd.
Indy is indeed a good boy who deserves all the praise he is getting for his extraordinary performance. The writer/director, Ben Leonberg, also deserves quite a bit of praise for painstakingly working on this unusual film for three years. The experimental nature of the film reminded me of Skinamarink (2022) in that it was shot from the perspective of the dog, whereas Skinamarink was shot from the perspective of small children. However, Good Boy differs by recognizing that the film shouldn’t “overstay” its welcome. The 73-minute runtime makes way more sense than Skinamarink’s hour and forty minutes.
I give Good Boy two paws up!
Five Underrated: Made For TV True Crime Edition By Mickster
Deadly Intentions (1985)-Michael Biehn is absolutely terrifying as sadist Dr. Charles Raynor who physically and mentally torments his new wife Katherine, played by Madolyn Smith. When I originally saw this film, I had already watched The Terminator (1984) and viewed Michael Biehn as a good guy, so I was astounded by how creepy and unhinged he was. Here are the most vivid moments in this two-part true crime movie: Dr. Raynor’s sick obsession with photographing his wife in terrifying/upsetting situations is disturbing—inadvertently swimming with an alligator, accidentally encountering a spider while on a ladder, and violent morning sickness…To make it worse, he enjoys looking at these photos on a projector in his makeshift attic “office.” After the baby is born and Katherine figures out he tried to poison the newborn, her escape from Raynor is a master class in building tension. Unfortunately, you can only find this one on YouTube, and it looks like it was ripped from a VHS copy. Even with the low quality print, it is definitely worth checking out.
Helter Skelter (1976)-Steve Railsback is Charles Manson in this unsettling adaptation of Vincent Bugliosi’s true crime classic, Helter Skelter. I discovered the true crime novel the summer before my sophomore year of high school (1986). My best friend’s mom had a paperback copy. I became obsessed with the story. It both fascinated and horrified me. I remember having nightmares about it and being nauseated by the descriptions of the crime scenes, but I couldn’t stop reading it. My favorite hometown video store had the two-part TV movie on VHS. It was like reliving the experience of reading the book for the first time, but it felt like I was watching the real Charles Manson thanks to Railsback’s phenomenal performance. Nancy Wolfe is equally effective as Manson’s minion, Susan Atkins. Her nonchalant description of the Tate murders sent chills down my spine! It is ridiculous that this film is not available to stream anywhere. There are a few clips over on YouTube, but that is it. It is still available on DVD at Amazon.
The Deliberate Stranger (1986)-Mark Harmon is so effective as the “sadistic sociopath” Ted Bundy that it took me years not to be utterly repulsed by him no matter what role he was playing. I vividly remember watching this two-part film when it originally aired on NBC, May 4-5, 1986. The depiction of the abduction of two different women in broad daylight at Lake Sammamish State Park really emphasizes Bundy’s overconfidence and compulsion to kill. As with Helter Skelter, this one is only available on DVD & VHS. There are some clips on YouTube, but it is not streaming anywhere.
Hotline (1982)-Okay, this one isn’t based on a real serial killer, but I’m including it because I think this movie fueled my fascination with serial killers. I was eleven years old when I watched this on CBS—October of 1982. I’m quite certain I wanted to watch primarily because I loved Wonder Woman when I was little. The killer’s reveal in this movie stuck with me, so when I recently watched it on Tubi (Yay, Tubi!), I wanted to see if it was obvious to me early on who the “Barber” was (the killer is dubbed “The Barber” because he cuts his victim’s hair before killing them). While there are several “red herrings” throughout the movie, the real “Barber” was a shocker. Lynda Carter’s character, Brianne, starts receiving creepy calls at a crisis hotline giving clues to unsolved murders. The calls become more invasive as she deciphers the clues. The Barber whispers to Brianne, “Barber, barber, shave a pig. Lovely hairs will make a wig!" This movie held up years later, and I highly recommend going over to Tubi to check it out.
5 Post-Childhood Kindertraumas By Mickster
28 Days Later (2002) When I first saw this on the big screen, it was like having a dose of adrenaline. I kept thinking that I had too many windows in my house (that usually comes to mind with zombies of any kind). Another thing that struck me was how much I cared about the main group of four characters (Jim, Selena, Hannah, and Frank-I remembered their names without looking it up). I was anxious about their safety, and when one of them (if you know you know) was infected by a drop of blood in the eye, I wept because I was so invested in the survival of this, created by circumstances, family. It did give me nightmares about rage infected people chasing me down for several weeks after watching it.
The Orphanage (2007) I do not think this movie ever came to a theater close by, so I saw it on DVD back in the olden times when Netflix sent physical DVDs to your house. This one stayed in my head for a long time after viewing it mainly because of the crushing sadness when Laura (Belén Rueda) discovers what actually happened to her adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep), who went missing early in the movie. I cried and cried over that particular reveal. But overall, this one has a great creepy atmosphere that sticks with you. I’m also a sucker for creepy sack masks like the one Tomás wears. If you like haunted house flicks, give this one a try, but be sure to have a box of tissues handy for the ending.
The Strangers (2008) This one I also watched at home and not in the theater. This one really got under my skin. Home invasion flicks really freak me out because it is something that could actually happen. In fact, I wrote a post about The Strangers about ten years ago (HERE). I still have not rewatched this one, and I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do it.
Sinister (2012) I went to a late showing of this creepy flick opening weekend, and then I went home to my empty house. This was not the best idea. I ended up turning on all the lights in the house. Professor and Princess, my two cats, thought I was nuts. I don’t know why I was so freaked out. I don’t have kids, and the big baddy in the flick was using kids; however, my logic doesn’t work very well in a dark, empty house. I vowed never to go to a late scary movie again. In fact, if I’m watching something scary, I usually chase it with something funny and light hearted. It makes for a more restful night’s sleep.
Skinamarink (2022) After all the buzz surrounding this one, I had to see it. So the weekend it hit Shudder, I watched it with my husband. This experimental horror movie had me on edge the entire time. I cannot quite pinpoint why. My husband got bored and wanted to go to bed, but I made him keep watching because I was too unnerved to watch the rest alone. Perhaps it brought back the time in my life when I was about Kevin’s age (Lucas Paul), and I was too scared to be alone in the house. My mom would go outside to hang up the laundry, and I would wedge myself between the screen door and the main door into the house to avoid being in the empty house. So, the thought of being trapped in the house with my parents missing took me back to being a frightened four-year-old. After watching the movie, I spent weeks pouring over reaction and analysis videos on YouTube about Skinamarink. I don’t know if I can ever watch it again. Oh yeah, f#%k that Fisher Price phone!
The Amusement Park (1973) By Mickster
George Romero's long lost educational film commissioned by the Lutheran Society in 1973 has been found and restored. Upon viewing the finished product in 1973, the Lutheran Society found it too disturbing to be seen. I guess the truth of how the elderly are treated was too much to bear. Luckily for us, the George A. Romeo Foundation restored this lost film, so it can be viewed by the public, if you dare to watch it. Don't get me wrong, this is not a horror film per se, but it is a highly upsetting and depressing depiction of the mistreatment of the elderly. This depiction comes in the form of a surreal, dreamlike (nightmare) experience Lincoln Maazel's unnamed character has at "The Amusement Park." Many will remember Maazel's performance in another Romero film, Martin (1977). He is the only "real" actor in the movie. All the other "actors" were volunteers, which makes this all the more impressive.
Maazel introduces the film and speaks again at the end. He implores viewers to have empathy and also be cognizant of the fact that they too will be old one day. What happens in between is something everyone should watch and consider. It is quite powerful, and I wish the Lutheran Society had been brave enough to use it back in the day.
Maazel starts his day in the park by encountering himself in a room of white. The beaten down version of himself warns that there is nothing out there, but the freshly dressed and hopeful version wants to see for himself. And boy, does he ever see! Each portion of The Amusement Park has vignettes illustrating how the elderly are systematically degraded. The only exception to this rule comes in the form of a wealthy older man who is treated with great respect because of his wealth. Sound like real life? Yeah, I thought so too. There is even a sequence where a young couple goes to the fortune teller's tent to see if they will be together forever…the vision is NOT what they were expecting! Elders losing the right to drive, check! See the bummer car sequence! There is even a part with two carnival barkers that made me think of "reverse" mortgages! Romero was ahead of his time! Throughout, a masked "grim reaper" can be seen lurking in the background. For the most part, all the the elderly people in this film are ignored and at worst, pushed around by the younger people at the park, but there is one exception. This exception is the breaking point for Maazel's character. A young girl is kind to him and wants him to read to her (she even shares a piece of fried chicken with him), but as this sweet exchange is taking place, viewers can see the cruel action that is about to befall Maazel. After this, he is utterly defeated, and as a viewer, I was too.
At 54 minutes, this educational film is a heartbreaking critique on aging in America. The Lutheran Society picked the right person to critique society, but they just didn't have to guts to let this scathing examination see the light of day. It is sad to me that this film remained lost until Romero, who has a cameo in the bumper car sequence, was deceased. I wonder what he would think of his "lost" educational film finally seeing the light of day?
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