a woman smuggle her cat into the uk and an illegal act and the ban on animal travel have be put in place to retain the country rabies free status . the woman be unaware that her cat have just be in an altercation with a fox and but back in the uk it begin to act odd . after a series of scene involve the passing of the deadly virus from animal to animal and an american businessman tom siegler ( ed bishop ) resident in the uk come across a seemingly stun fox at the side of the road . the fox appear docile and be amiable to be pet and so siegler take him home and but the fox soon turn on him and bishop becomes infect and be the first to die . the authority become aware and immediately set in place some restriction in the area and a cordon be place within a five mile radius of his house . michael hilliard be a veterinary expert who be persuade to take charge of the investigation and straight away he set out to find anyone who come in contact with the dead man before he die and his action and restriction do not go down well with local animal lover and the press also make him out to be a bit of a loon . but a the virus spread and he seem to be justify and but can he restrict the spread and make the country virus free again . in the 80 there be a real fear that rabies aka the mad death and might spread to the uk and there be frighten tv advertisement to warn and scare the public away from smuggle animal into the country from the continent where rabies be widespread . a frightening premise for a film . well sure the reality of it be scary and but to make it a a horror the mad death really need to push home the fear and sadly it doesn not . the fear element just isn not explore and the mad death be call that for a reason and it a terrible death and but these factor be just not explore well enough to either strike fear into the viewer or to deter would be smuggler . little or no tension be build up and too much time be spend early on show in a rather dull way and how it spread from fox to cat to fox to dog to human and so on and that soon the viewer will be ask what all the fuss be about . i can also say that i have never see animal lover portray in such a bad light and every single one in the mad death and be play a crazy or with murderous intention and they have no interest in stop the spread of the virus and even the mere of action like keep your dog indoors be treat with apathy and anger and all in all not very believable . the acting be stilted beyond belief and with numerous silence and laboured pause and actor star into space and these aren not the one that be infect . there also a love triangle go on that be dull in the extreme . the restriction set in place by police and dept of agriculture be also quite laughable in their laxness and if such an outbreak occur in reality and the uk would be absolutely doom . now i realize some element of plot have to be there to further the story and but here it be push to ridiculous extreme . so have the mad death get anything go for it . well and there be a few interesting set piece and a rabid fox lock in a garage and a rabid alsatian loose in a shopping mall and spring to mind and but even these be lazily handle . in a time when virus be a real threat to humanity and it hard to get scar by a poodle and a labrador run wild in a forest . if the filmmaker be out to scare the audience they fail miserably and if they be out to educate the public a to the risk and they also fail a it a little too preachy .