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.

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.

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.

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.

Made by the same company as 'Sex Education' this is a very different beast and no comedy. Yes its a bunch of teens at odds with the world and themselves - but this is a coming of age horror story set in Bolton. For once its not a bunch of rich kids at a posh Academy down south.

Made for BBC3 its now also going out on BBC1 which shows its well thought of. The budget is obviously tight but it was well made and it was generally well cast. Best friends and principals Wren and Rochelle played by Amelia Clarkson and Isis Hainsworth are both excellent actors.

The storyline is interesting and grabbed me. Rochelle downloads the 'red rose app' hoping to boost her confidence with it, but it soon begins to become controlling and events start to take a much darker turn.

This is one to enjoy and safely roll with if you like the first episode. I'm in.