I remember this was a huge phenomenon when it came out and people were recording it on their home VCR’s and playing it back frame by blurry frame. News programs reported on it. Serious people discussed the reasons why they thought it was fake, as though it wasn’t just grainy footage of a plaster dummy stuffed with spiced meats.
It sparked a genuine debate about whether we were alone in the universe, and what that would mean for human beings. It’s really amazing how easy it was to pull off such an obvious hoax and full a lot of people.
The first time I watched Spinal Tap, I wasn’t sure if it was fake or not… until I recognized Fran Drescher.