Mary Cherry Chua

Mary Cherry Chua is a 2023 Philippine supernatural horror thriller written and directed by Roni Benaid. The film draws on a popular urban legend about a pretty high school girl named Mary Cherry Chua, who was reportedly raped and killed by the school janitor. The story centers on Karen (Ashley Diaz in her first lead role), a high school student who enjoys reading campus horror tales and urban legends. The cast also includes Joko Diaz, Lyca Gairanod, Kokoy De Santos, and Alma Moreno.

Set in the 1960s, Mary Cherry Chua was a student at the prestigious Regina Caeli Academy. She was a cheerful girl with long black hair, beautiful, rich, and smart—the school’s Miss Popular, admired and envied by many. Her seemingly perfect life ends when she is found dead on campus, raped and murdered. In 1995, Karen becomes fascinated by Mary Cherry’s story and decides to reopen the case, investigating to gather more evidence. With help from her friends and classmates, she uncovers new information. But as she digs deeper, she may be putting her own life in danger.

The cast includes Ashley Diaz as Karen Dimaranan, Joko Diaz as Mr. Manzano, Abby Bautista as Mary Cherry Chua, Lyca Gairanod as Faith, Kokoy De Santos as Paco Martinez, Alma Moreno as Ms. Estrella, Krissha Viaje as Lena Dimaranan, Migo Valid as Oca, Rolando Inocencio as Emilio Baldonado, Cherrylyn David as Mrs. Wong, Maria Riya Miranda as Mrs. Liwanag, and Elia Ilano as a student.

The film was released in the Philippines on July 19, 2023, by Viva Films, on the same day as *Oppenheimer* and *Barbie*. Filming ran from October 1 to October 29, 2022. The school Regina Caeli Academy, the main setting, was filmed at Sacred Heart Academy of Novaliches in Quezon City.

Reception was mixed. Fred Hawson of ABS-CBNnews.com gave the film a 5/10, noting that with only one ghost, the film tried different ways for Mary Cherry to haunt Karen, with varying success. He pointed out plot holes, such as why the ghost would haunt someone trying to help instead of the perpetrator, and unresolved scenes like what happened after an induced heart attack. Mario Bautista of Journal News praised the acting, calling the film commercial and unpretentious, with effective jump scares that made the premiere audience gasp and scream. Sandy Cagurangan of Random Republika gave a positive review, saying the film’s heart-pounding jump scares keep viewers on edge, and highlighting Ashley Diaz’s exceptional debut performance and the cast’s depth.