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Adapted from a novel by Nigel Slater, the British miniseries The Mad Death managed to induce quite a few nightmares when it originally aired in 1983. The story was set in motion when a rabid cat was smuggled into England, sparking an appalling epidemic which spread to animals and humans alike. The scenes in which pet owners died frothing at the mouth were matched in horror only by the notorious sequences wherein a pack of dogs was slaughtered to prevent further spreading of the disease. Initially broadcast in three 50-minute episodes by the BBC's Scotland service, The Mad Death was later released to video in a truncated feature-film version.