Audiences around the country showed up to movie theaters in grand fashion looking for a scare.

During a weekend that is traditionally stocked with Hollywood’s latest attempts at horror movies, “Paranormal Activity 3” won the weekend with a screaming total of $54 million.

The total, which set a record for any movie opened during the month of October, outperformed early expectations. The third installment was aided by good word of mouth, critical acclaim and of course, the Halloween season.

Coming in second behind the home-video horror franchise was last week’s champion “Real Steel.”

Fox Searchlight’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” opened in only four theaters but managed to garner an impressive $37,000 from each screen.

Disappointing results came from two other movies “The Three Musketeers” and “Johnny English Reborn.” Both movies were big budget films that failed to live up to their high production values.

However, “Paranormal Activity 3” proved to studios across the country that a big budget and a star-studded cast isn’t always the correct formula for a blockbuster hit.

With Halloween weekend coming up, expect next weekend’s box office to be dominated by “Paranormal Activty 3” once more.