Cirque du Freak The Vampire's Assistant

Talk about a shocker! The low-budget underdog Paranormal Activity has been riding its growing popularity all the way to the top — even upsetting the reigning king of horror, the Saw franchise. Paranormal took in $22 million in its first weekend with a wide release, which has execs talking about a possible sequel. Saw VI trailed at No. 2 with only $14.8 million — the worst opening ever for a Saw film.

Completing the rest of the top five was last week's biggest moneymaker, Where the Wild Things Are, which dropped to No. 3 with $14.4 million, followed by Law Abiding Citizen at No. 4 with $12.7 million, and Couples Retreat at No. 5 with $11 million. (The box office newcomers Cirque du Freak and Amelia placed No. 8 and No. 11, respectively.)

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen — but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do — that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more