Red Rose finally hit our screens last night and this eerie horror-thriller will have you questioning next time you receive an unsolicited phone notification.
The Clarkson twins’ have explored relationships in their latest show, both those between young adolescents and with technology.
The opening scene is a nod towards some of the classics of the horror genre with a fresh modern twist. The twins have previously cited films such as Scream and The Ring as huge influences on Red Rose.
Eerie figures lurking in the background and a frantically frightened teenage girl who is seemingly terrified of the mobile phone she is clasping in her hand.
As with any good horror it all starts so innocently for our protagonists, who have just finished their GCSE exams and are ready for a summer of fun, starting off with a schools-out party on the moors.
BBC Red Rose puts Bolton on international stage
Set and filmed in the twins’ birthplace of Bolton, all the expected complications that arise from teenage friendships and love-interests are readily apparent within in the first episode, as a rift between best friends Rochelle (Isis Hainsworth) and Wren (Amelia Clarkson) comes in the shape of a boy – Noah (Harry Redding).
Rochelle has been thrust into a parenting role to her twin siblings due to the death of her mother and their father having to work. She attends foodbanks with her sisters, hooded to avoid detection, as well as babysitting them, taking her away from her friendship group.
When the Red Rose app that pretends to have been sent to her by another character appears on Rochelle’s phone, it begins to play on these vulnerabilities in order to manipulate her behaviour.
It rewards her – new clothes to wear to a party that she would not otherwise be able to afford – but also threatens to expose her.
Every second of the first episode is gripping. An undercurrent of northern, Boltonian humour runs parallel to chilling feeling of a lurking monster. Chaos is certainly to come.
Every episode of Red Rose is now available to watch on the iPlayer.
If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at lewis.finney@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @lewisfinney18
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