Old British rabies paranoia films

I moved to England in 1982. Our cats had to be in quarantine for six months. Since rabies generally appears within 8 weeks, it seemed a bit excessive. At the same time, I think there are cases where the disease doesn’t manifest in cats for up to a year. So if you’re trying to keep rabies out at all costs, six months would also seem to be ineffective. In either case, saying that the British had a genuine fear of rabies does not mean they weren’t also paranoid.

Don’t worry. He’s likely to have parasites as well!

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And quality parasites at that. Picked them out because they go so nicely with your eyes.

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When the Channel Tunnel was built there were fears that rabid animals would be able to pass through it, and (at least initially) traps were installed at the entrances to stop them.

This article (PDF warning) has some interesting background on the whole thing.

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Scarfolk really has a thing for Rabies. Those ads must have made an impact.


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These ads remind me of The Prisoner, somehow. That weird early-80s institutional style and dry narration.

For the best (i.e., stupidest) rabies film, I suggest the classic I Drink Your Blood (in which no blood is drunk at any point), a movie where a kid gives some dirty hippies pie with rabies in it and they go nuts until someone discovers that rabies victims are horribly afraid of water (!?)

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I loved this film, and I’ll wager it was pretty topical in its day. Did you ever notice that Lynn Lowry (pictured below) was never caught, and is still apparently on the loose?

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I love it too for its utter goofiness and lurid silliness. The actors really have a ball being loony maniacs. I’ll be on the lookout for Lynn! You can bet I won’t sleep tonight, knowing a rabid hippie with an electric knife is on the lam!

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