Hollywood loves its tropes, but there’s one of them that we thought we’d moved past by now. As it turns out, we haven’t, and it made a full-blown ugly comeback in 2026. Seriously, what is Hollywood’s obsession with the dog dying?
Everybody remembers watching horrors where the dog would inevitably fall victim to the killer on the loose or spooky supernatural entity. Poor Buttons would be sacrificed to get the audience saying, “Oh, no… not the dog.” From a storytelling perspective, it elicited a powerful reaction from the viewer, because so many of us have strong bonds with our own fluffy pals. John Wick took it further by establishing the dog as the catalyst for a revenge quest. The problem is that it became a lazy shorthand for screenwriters and directors to abuse for shock reaction. Instead of thinking of new and clever ways to rattle the emotions, the dog continued to be sacrificed on screen.
Realistically, this trope should have been retired, especially after 2025’s Good Boy. Told from the perspective of a dog, it’s one of the smartest horror movies in years. In the end, the dog Indy survives the film, while there are other events that both horrify and sadden the viewer. You walk away from that movie genuinely moved, wanting to hug your own barking buddy for being a special creature and appreciating life a little more.
Well, we have gone backwards in 2026. Not just that, but there are also movies that insist on being barbaric to these creatures. Let me cite a few examples without going into too much graphic detail:
Evil Dead Burn. Look, this franchise has always been nasty – albeit with a sense of humor when Ash Williams was a part of it – but this new film takes it to another level, especially when Edgar Price (Erroll Shand) straight-up murders the family dog. Personally, I walked out of the movie after this scene. Everything about this screams edgelord, because there’s horror, and then there’s cruelty. This falls into the latter category.
Remember The Last House, the Netflix movie viewers accused of being AI-written? The dog dies – and becomes food. How does this further the narrative arc? I don’t know. Do the same thing the filmmakers likely did: ask ChatGPT.
Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars is another culprit. Yeah, it’s based on the source material, but I don’t care – it’s not like Jacob Elordi showed any emotional range to the supposed tragic incident. Not only is this film guilty of boring you to tears, but the most charismatic actor in the whole damn thing, the dog, has to die too. The Dog Stars? More like The Dogsh*t Stars.
Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil isn’t going to get a free pass either. Everybody knows that in the video games there are mutated dogs that need to be put down, but it’s not like Cregger cared about anything else that’s canon in Resident Evil in this film – it’s the truth – so why have to kill the dog here? Cheap shock value, that’s why.
Jason Statham’s Shelter wasn’t safe from falling into the trope either. Statham is a genre of movies by himself, so there’s no need for any of his films to do this. Just let the Stat mow through all the bad guys and leave the dog alone.
Also, I need to question the DC Universe’s obsession with hurting Krypto in its two movies released to date: Superman and Supergirl. While the dog survives, there’s a common trend of having to hurt Krypto in each film. Is this necessary?
RELATED: The 8 Best Superhero Dogs of All Time (Yes, Krypto’s on the List)
Honestly, I don’t think I have used the “Does the Dog Die” website as much as I have in 2026. It’s almost like the moment I see a dog on screen, I already know which direction the movie is about to go. That said, one film that deserves credit is Heart of the Beast. Before its release, the people behind it assured the viewers that the dog survives.
Hollywood is truly living in its weirdest era. On the one hand, more films are being made with the care of being socially conscious and mindful. There’s a rightful concern about the messages sent out about its portrayal of sensitive situations, people, and sociopolitical topics. Then we have every second film where the dog dies like it’s nothing more than a plot device. If that isn’t bad enough, it’s the cruelty with which it’s done.
I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: If you cannot create a story that connects with the audience without the dog dying, you are creatively bankrupt and have no business being a creator. Do better.
Animal abuse continues to be a serious issue in our society, and we have a responsibility to encourage love and respect for them rather than violence. Right now, Hollywood is failing these beloved creatures by using them as nothing more than cannon fodder in their below-average storytelling. It’s enough.
Movies where the dog dies (2025–2026)
| Film | Release | Name of the Dog Who Died |
|---|---|---|
| Die My Love | November 7, 2025 | Unnamed |
| Shelter | January 30, 2026 | Jack |
| Evil Dead Burn | July 10, 2026 | Max |
| The Last House | August 7, 2026 | Cassidy |
| The Dog Stars | August 28, 2026 | Jasper |
| Resident Evil | September 18, 2026 | Unnamed |
David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast, starring Brad Pitt, opened in theaters on September 25, 2026. And, thankfully, Odin the German Shepherd survives.
