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The 20 Best Mockumentaries: From Spinal Tap to Lake Mungo

A mockumentary is a fake documentary: interviews, archive clips and a crew that keeps filming, all made up. The format works for almost anything - a heavy metal band falling apart, a dog show, a family's grief or a curse that spreads from one tape to the next.

We picked these 20 by comparing audience ratings on Letterboxd with critics' mockumentary rankings from Rotten Tomatoes, /Film, Paste, GamesRadar+ and Stacker, and kept a mix of comedy, horror and satire. They are listed in release order.

  1. 01

    The War Game (1966)

    Directed by Peter Watkins · 45m

    Peter Watkins' BBC faux documentary about a nuclear attack on Britain. The BBC kept it off television for 20 years, yet it won the Oscar for Best Documentary.

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  2. 02

    Punishment Park (1971)

    Directed by Peter Watkins · 1h 31m

    Peter Watkins again: a European TV crew follows political dissidents forced through a desert "punishment park" in a near-future America. Still furious and unsettling.

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  3. 03

    The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978)

    Directed by Eric Idle, Gary Weis · 1h 10m

    Eric Idle and Neil Innes tell the rise and fall of the "Pre-Fab Four" - a loving Beatles parody with a cameo by George Harrison himself.

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  4. 04

    Zelig (1983)

    Directed by Woody Allen · 1h 19m

    Woody Allen plays a human chameleon of the 1920s, edited so well into real newsreels and photos that the fake history feels completely real.

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  5. 05

    This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

    Directed by Rob Reiner · 1h 22m

    The film that made "mockumentary" a household word: a British metal band's disastrous American tour, amps that go to eleven and a very small Stonehenge.

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  6. 06

    Man Bites Dog (1992)

    Directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde · 1h 35m

    A Belgian film crew follows a charming serial killer around and slowly becomes his accomplice. Pitch-black satire in black and white.

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  7. 07

    Ghostwatch (1992)

    Directed by Lesley Manning · 1h 31m

    The fake live BBC broadcast from a haunted house on Halloween 1992. So convincing that the BBC never showed it again.

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  8. 08

    Forgotten Silver (1995)

    Directed by Peter Jackson, Costa Botes · 53m

    Peter Jackson and Costa Botes "discover" a forgotten New Zealand film pioneer. Shown on TV as a real documentary, it fooled a lot of viewers.

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  9. 09

    Waiting for Guffman (1996)

    Directed by Christopher Guest · 1h 24m

    A small Missouri town puts on a musical for its 150th anniversary, and its director hopes Broadway is watching. Christopher Guest's first ensemble mockumentary.

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  10. 10

    Best in Show (2000)

    Directed by Christopher Guest · 1h 30m

    Five owners and their dogs on the way to a big dog show. Christopher Guest's most loved film, with Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy and Fred Willard.

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  11. 11

    A Mighty Wind (2003)

    Directed by Christopher Guest · 1h 31m

    Three never-quite-famous folk acts reunite for one memorial concert. Gentle, funny and surprisingly touching.

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  12. 12

    Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

    Directed by Zak Penn · 1h 34m

    Werner Herzog plays himself, making a documentary about the Loch Ness monster - while a second crew films the making of his film.

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  13. 13

    Noroi: The Curse (2005)

    Directed by Koji Shiraishi · 1h 55m

    A missing journalist's last documentary slowly connects strange incidents to an ancient curse. The benchmark for Japanese horror mockumentaries.

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  14. 14

    Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

    Directed by Scott Glosserman · 1h 32m

    A documentary crew follows a cheerful young man who is preparing to become the next great slasher icon. A clever love letter to slasher movies.

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  15. 15

    Lake Mungo (2008)

    Directed by Joel Anderson · 1h 27m

    A quiet Australian ghost story told as a documentary about a family's grief. It never shouts, and it stays with you for days.

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  16. 16

    The Dirties (2013)

    Directed by Matt Johnson · 1h 23m

    Two film-obsessed high school friends make a comedy about getting revenge on their bullies - until one of them stops treating it as a movie.

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  17. 17

    What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

    Directed by Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi · 1h 26m

    A documentary crew follows four vampire flatmates in Wellington, New Zealand, as they argue about chores and try to get into nightclubs.

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  18. 18

    Operation Avalanche (2016)

    Directed by Matt Johnson · 1h 34m

    In 1967, CIA agents posing as a documentary crew go undercover at NASA - and end up planning to fake the Moon landing.

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  19. 19

    The Medium (2021)

    Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun · 2h 11m

    A documentary crew follows a shaman in rural Thailand as something darker takes hold of her niece. Produced by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing).

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  20. 20

    Late Night with the Devil (2023)

    Directed by Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes · 1h 33m

    A 1977 talk show host puts a possessed girl on live TV on Halloween night. Presented as the recovered master tape, with behind-the-scenes footage.

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