When grief meets superstition, terror follows in Rosario, the latest horror film from writer-director Roni S. Benaid, opening in cinemas April 22.
Produced by Viva Films, Rosario draws on Filipino customs surrounding death. In tradition, a rosary is placed inside a coffin to guide the departed toward heaven, but it must be cut before burial. Forgetting this step unleashes a chain of death—a curse that soon haunts Beth and her family.
Beth, portrayed by Aubrey Caraan, is a loving sibling forced to confront loss and buried family truths after her mother dies. She reaches out to her estranged sister, Ave (Yumi Garcia), and together they must face the deadly consequences of a forgotten ritual.
The family’s deeply religious and superstitious aunt, Anne (Suzette Ranillo), places the rosary in the deceased’s hands, unknowingly setting off a series of unexplainable tragedies. Beth races against time with her siblings to stop the curse before it claims them all.
Other cast members include Lance Carr as Caleb, Beth’s past lover who returns to help break the chain; Meg Imperial as Magda, the strong-willed eldest sibling; Jairus Aquino as James, the caring brother trying to keep everyone grounded; and Bernadette Allyson and Rose Van Ginkel in key supporting roles.
Benaid, known for Poon, Mary Cherry Chua, Marita, and Nanay, Tatay, said engaging Filipino audiences poses its own challenge.
“Mahirap takutin ang mga Pinoy,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘Huh, daya lang ‘yan. Hindi naman totoo.’”
In a genre that depends on immersion, local viewers often question what they see before tension has time to settle. And for Benaid, the solution isn’t to push harder but to ask audiences to let go.
“When you enter the cinema, just switch that off, even for a while,” he said. “Let yourself be pulled into the story. Hayaan n’yo lang mag-simmer. Hopefully, you bring the fear with you after.”
With Rosario, Benaid leans into a narrative rooted in Filipino superstition and ritual. A grieving family forgets a crucial burial tradition—cutting the rosary placed inside the coffin—which sets off a chain of unexplainable and deadly events.
