Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
This Is Spinal Tap
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
This Is Spinal Tap Anjelica Huston and Tony Hendra sit indoors beside a small Stonehenge model, with Huston looking concerned and Hendra gesturing animatedly in a scene from This Is Spinal Tap. Rob Reiner, wearing a cap and jacket, interviews Christopher Guest, dressed in black, seated among guitars in a scene from the film This Is Spinal Tap.
Quizzes
Illustration of movie theater popcorn bucket, cinema ticket, clapboard, and film reel. (movies, hollywood, pop culture, 3D render)
Hollywood What If Quiz
Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies)
Classic Closing Lines
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap (From left) Harry Shearer (as Derek Smalls), Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel), and Michael McKean (as David St. Hubbins) in character for a promotional photo from the documentary-film parody This Is Spinal Tap (1984).

This Is Spinal Tap

film by Reiner [1984]
Also known as: “This Is Spinal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi”(Show More)
Written by
Don Vaughan
Don Vaughan is a freelance writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Don Vaughan
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
‱History

This Is Spinal Tap, American film comedy released in 1984 that parodies the “rockumentary” film genre via the exploits of the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap. Directed by American filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner, the film was largely improvised by Reiner and the core cast members—American actors Michael McKean and Harry Shearer and British-American actor and director Christopher Guest. Its success led to a series of documentary parodies directed by Guest, including Waiting for...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile