Red Rose

Before I begin my review I just want to reiterate this new idea from IMDb whereby all reviews must contain 600 characters this to me is ridiculous as there are certain shows series that are so bad it is very difficult to write that much in a review without listing individual plot holes etc which is something I do not like to do! So I end up waffling inherently just to fulfill the required characters.

This show had a good start dark mysterious humour I found the characters as end of school kids good and the acting was good, story wise it was a bit strange and there were many flaws in its production and writing mainly due to the strange story and how the kids reacted which on many occasion was bizzare and not what you would expect any level headed teen to do or act! Due to that you can not expect a good ending so I wasn't surprised at the lameness of the ending either! If you don't expect much and don't look to much into the story it is passable entertainment only. Seems the BBC is hit an£ miss with its drama sadly this is one of its misses ! For a Hit BBC drama I would opt for the Capture imo.

After she downloads an app called Red Rose, life spirals out of control for teenage girl Rochelle, who's phone seems to have a life of its own, others download it, and have to discover who's behind it to stay alive.

It's an enjoyable, fast moving psychedelic horror series, I was impressed by the tone of it, the acting and the pacing. It really does get darker and more twisted as it develops, the final trio of episodes were the best patch for me.

What was interesting, was the anonymity of the villains, nameless, faceless, and lacking any degree of morality.

Initially I just saw it as The BBC doing a Netflix type series, similar to Eden or Scream, but it has its own identity, it's twisted and macabre at times, it had me gripped.

Well written, well crafted, I liked the mix of horror, humour drama and action, it surprised me how good it actually was, so much so that I binge watched it in a day.

7/10.

Because this is a horror series. If they did all the smart things, there would be two episodes, not eight. And people in horror movies rarely do the smart thing. That's how horror works. Ignore things like the group not paying attention to warnings, going out alone, walking in the dark, defying parents at every turn and never bothering to involve police. Just enjoy the ride. Great acting by young folks, believable characters, exciting plot, and dynamite music.. It isn't perfect but it is fun and certainly entertaining. Like any other series, some episodes are better than others. Episode 4 dragged a bit, 5 revived things. Satisfying ending. No need for a sequel.

Red Rose: Another Killer APP, is a well worn trope but Red Rose takes a fresh approach, always surprising in its twists and turns. I was really impressed at the way the plot developed. Some good scenes of horror but it's mostly psychological. A group of teen friends in a grim northern UK town, Bolton, finish school and await their exam results. It's really grim and I don't just mean the Horror APP, which is effective. It's the grinding poverty and hard lives of some of the characters. It's as if Ken Loach is directing/writing it. There are the usual teen traumas, some bullying, heartbreak over romances, family problems, but this feeds into the narrative rather than providing a sideshow, We;ve already seen a girl die due to the APP Red Rose, and now it turns up on the phone of one of the teens. Strange events follow, there is apparent communication with dead people, phones send disturbing/troublemaking messages seemingly at will. Red Rose knows what everyone is doing, where they are. The death toll mounts as the series veers between Fantasy and Science Fiction (but always Horror) as the APP manipulates more people. Great acting from an ensemble cast. Created and written by Michael and Paul Clarkson. Eight episodes on Netflix. 8/10.

Really good teen drama with a tragic twist. It has got a feel of Black Mirror combined with a ghost story so if that's up your street you might like it.

Reviewed at 2 episodes in.