Red Rose

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.

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.

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.

Really loved this.

Can't beat a British, gritty drama. And even better when it's like real life. Real houses, real attitudes, real areas us Brits live in.

The actors were all great. Never heard of most of them, but they seemed pros. I bet they are!

Storylines were good, realistic between the characters.

Main story of the phone app, good idea. It's not like it couldn't happen either. Not out of the world thriller.

And the soundtrack, so brilliant.

This definitely has me on the edge a lot. Felt sorry for the kids so much. I'm glad this was a series, they had so much to say and explain. This didn't feel like it was longed out.

Enjoyable.

What sets this thriller apart is its genuinely likable and believable group of young freinds. It takes its time to really build up their relationships and I loved its use of trademark northern big hearted insulting banter. When the story starts taking dark twists you really care about what happens to them and the bonds and rifts feel real. Red Rose is a sophisticated cyber thriller, but also a wonderfully portrayed warm hearted, realistic drama. Make sure you give it the time it deserves as it is more considered and less showy than a lot of dramas we are used to today, but the pay off is worth it and it stays with you. There are some really powerful uses of music for key moments. I'm sure we will be seeing more of its talented young cast and I look forward to more from the writers too with their totally believable gritty writing.