Pratik Handore
‘Red Rose’ is a horror drama series created by Michael and Paul Clarkson (‘The Haunting of Bly Manor‘). The British drama follows a group of teenagers whose lives are turned upside down after being introduced to a mobile app called Red Rose. After the app seemingly claims their friend’s life, the group decides to investigate the matter and uncover the truth. However, they must also survive the app’s deadly functions. As a result, viewers must have questions about the app’s creations and functionality. If you are wondering who created Red Rose and how it works, here is everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Red Rose’s Creator: Jacob Taylor
In ‘Red Rose,’ the titular app’s creation remains a major plot point until the very end. It is introduced in the series premiere episode, titled ‘It’s Grim Up North,’ and claims the life of a teenage girl named Alyssa. Later, the app resurfaces in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on the phone of another teenage girl Rochelle “Roch” Mason. After the app leads to Roch’s death, her friends, the Dickhead led by Wren, investigate the sinister app. As the narrative progresses, the group uncovers clues that lead them to discover the truth about Red Rose’s creation.
In the finale, titled ‘The Gardener,’ Jaya Mahajan learns that Jacob Taylor was responsible for creating the deadly app. Jacob was a classmate of Alyssa and had a crush on her. However, Jacob was shy and could not share his feelings with Alyssa. As a result, Jacob used his coding skills to develop Red Rose, an app that will allow him to learn more about Alyssa and get close to her. Jacob builds the app with some help from his friends on the dark net, notably The Gardener.
Jacob’s online friends force him to confess his feelings to Alyssa despite his reluctance. Alyssa rejects Jacob, and he is devastated. The Gardener uses the opportunity to take the app’s master control from Jacob. The mysterious person remodels the app and uses it to spy on Alyssa and torment her. Eventually, the torture leads to Alyssa’s death. The Gardener and his friends then cause Jacob’s death before restarting their cruel game in Bolton with Roch and her friends. While Jacob Taylor created Red Rose, The Gardener turned it into a deadly app that torments teenagers and causes their deaths.
How Does Red Rose App Work?
Although the Red Rose is important to the show’s overall narrative, not much is explained about the app’s functionality. It appears that the app is only available to downland through invites as we see Roch, Wren, and others receiving a text message that provides them the download link. After the app is downloaded, it clicks the user’s selfie and applies a rose filter to it. At first, Red Rose shows generosity to its users only to start tormenting them slowly. In reality, the app is being operated by The Gardner and his group via the dark net.
The app uses morphed video footage of the user’s loved ones to torture them mentally. For example, Roch sees and hears her deceased mother, Gloria Mason. However, the app also forces the users to undertake increasingly deadly tasks that dent their mental stability and cause an emotional downfall. As a result, the users are driven over the edge. The app can also hide from the user’s phone, cannot be deleted, and gains complete control of the phone’s calls and messaging apps. It relays footage of the users to a group of viewers who enjoy watching the teenagers getting tormented.
Ultimately, Red Rose appears to be less of an app and more of a system designed to take advantage of the users’ plight. It is operated through the dark net, and its functions are controlled externally by a group of sadists such as The Gardener. Thus, the app does not have any predetermined features and can manipulate all sorts of technology around the users to create a sense of doom. The sadists behind the app seem to have only one goal: torture teenagers and force them to confront unsettling scenarios. Therefore, Red Rose examines the pitfalls of modern technology and the impact of social media and the internet on teenagers.
Read More: Is Netflix’s Red Rose Based on a True Story?
