Red Rose Review: Netflix Series Tells the World of Teenagers With Great Honesty And Realism
Cast: Amelia Clarkson, Isis Hainsworth, Natalie Blaira
Creator: The Clarkson Twins
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Created by Michael and Paul Clarkson, Red Rose is a British series that originally aired on BBC Three and is available on Netflix from February 15, 2023. The 2022 horror drama follows a group of teenagers who, after downloading a strange app, must comply with its demands or face deadly consequences. The fiction begins with Alyssa, a teenager who is tormented by a mysterious presence. When her mother comes home, the young woman throws herself off the roof. The story then turns to Rochelle, Wren, Ashley, Anthony, Noah, and Taz, who celebrate the end of the semester and prepare for the most popular student’s party.
If there is one element that, especially in recent years, has been the starting point for numerous successful horror products (from Unfriended to the recent cult M3gan) it is the idea of a mad technology that invades everyday life, transforming instruments designed to ease our daily lives into a source of unexpected terror. The duo of authors made up of the Clarkson twins (who were previously among the producers of The Haunting of Bly Manor) exploit a rather abused idea, that of an evil entity that uses technology to insinuate itself between us, to tell the world of teenagers: as we will see in this review of Red Rose, the new series distributed by Netflix is not among the scariest examples of this kind of story, so it could disappoint those looking for another type of thrill, however, it has the advantage of telling adolescence with great truth and realism. If the thriller/horror side of this series is not particularly engaging, the stories of the protagonists manage to touch the viewer’s heart, who is thus drawn into the story.
Red Rose Review: The Story Plot
At the center of this story, we find a group of friends from a small village near Manchester, in Northern England. The six boys have just finished their high school exams and are preparing to dive into their last summer before starting university. Among them are best friends Rochelle (Isis Hainsworth) and Wren (Amelia Clarkson), both with a rather difficult family situation behind them: the first has recently lost her mother, who took her own life, the second has a father former prisoner with whom he is – secretly – rebuilding a relationship. Things haven’t been going well between Wren and Roch lately, since the first started a relationship with their friend Noah (Harry Redding), the other feels excluded and set aside.
It will be in a moment of great despair that Rochelle downloads a mysterious application, Red Rose. Initially, the strange app seems like a gift sent from heaven it helps her get small victories and revenge in everyday life. Over time, however, he shows a decidedly more sinister side, putting her in contact with what appears to be the spirit of her deceased mother and insinuating herself into her daily life: through her smartphone, Red Rose has access to all her contacts, social media, her memories, and can destroy all his certainties from within. Her friends, after an initial estrangement, will intervene to help her, but it could be too late by now…
Red Rose Review and Analysis
As we initially anticipated, Red Rose, although belonging to the horror genre, never really manages to scare the viewer, even the youngest and most “on target”, who may be looking for another type of emotion. Having said that, however, he can tell the world of his protagonists with great honesty and realism, touching the heart of the beholder. If the accelerator could have been pushed much further in terms of the dose of thrills administered, the narrative is well structured and reserves a certain number of twists. The change of perspective that takes place at the end of the second episode is unexpected, and in our opinion makes the vision even more intriguing.
We cannot underline how the young cast is perfectly chosen to bring the protagonists to life, in particular the charismatic Isis Hainsworth and Amelia Clarkson, always capable of stealing the show. Clarkson, above all, demonstrates a great talent in representing a very wide range of emotions, making the situations – sometimes completely absurd – in which you find yourself credible. Red Rose is a series that one follows with great pleasure thanks to the performances of its protagonists and how the world of difficulties and turmoil in which they live is represented. An extra dose of fear would have made the Clarkson twins’ show a small TV pearl intended for young adults (but also appreciable by those who are a few years older…), a pity however that it can’t find the right rhythm and build the right tension to hit the mark as horror.
Red Rose Review: The Last Words
Although Red Rose fails to frighten and strike the viewer looking for horror with strong emotions, it tells the world of teenagers with great honesty and realism. For this and the talent of her protagonists, Amelia Clarkson, and Isis Hainsworth, she is quite engaging. Red Rose ends with the protagonists visiting the grave of Roch, who, by the way, did not commit suicide and was killed by one of the members of the twisted group. In addition, another group of teenagers in Tokyo, Japan is shown receiving a link to a new version of the app. Does it mean there will be a second season?
