Los Angeles - Fear has taken hold at the box office with a $41.5m début for scary movie Paranormal Activity 2.
The follow-up to last year's micro-budgeted hit Paranormal Activity got a jump on Halloween as fans packed theatres for another documentary-style thriller about a household plagued by a menacing spirit.
Paranormal Activity 2 bumped the previous weekend's No 1 movie, the stunt comedy Jackass 3D, down to second place. Jackass 3D pulled in $21.6m, raising its 10-day total to $87.1m, more than either of the earlier two Jackass movies took in during their entire runs.
Clint Eastwood's supernatural drama Hereafter expanded into nationwide release and came in at No 4 with $12m.