Sarah Michelle Gellar

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Buffy’s still got it. Sarah Michelle Gellar continues her horror reign as the little blonde who’ll take on the supernatural spooks as her latest thriller "The Grudge" tops the box office for the second weekend in a row with an estimated $22.4 million. Although the film, which is the English-language remake of the Japanese scarefest "Ju-on," dropped the requisite 43 percent in its sophomore run, the Halloween festivities kept moviegoers in the mood for thrills and chills. "Grudge" barely squeaked by the critically acclaimed Ray Charles biopic "Ray," which has earned Oscar buzz for the uncanny performance by Jamie Foxx. "Ray" took in an impressive $20.1 million, with the highest per-theater average of $10,020 of the Top 12 films this weekend.

Another freshman offering for the eerie weekend was Lions Gate’s "Saw," which earned $17.4 million. Although its R rating probably couldn’t compete completely with "The Grudge’s" audience-accessible PG-13 rating, the film’s reputation for bloodcurdling gore and unnerving psychological twists brought in curious folks who wanted a bit more edge to their terror.

As the only true family offering out, DreamWorks’ "Shark Tale" continues to rule the box-office briny in fourth place with $8 million. Contenders for children and families are fast approaching, however, with Pixar’s highly anticipated "The Incredibles" being released this coming weekend and the intriguing "Polar Express" pulling up close behind.

The debut of the mysterious "Birth" starring Nicole Kidman came in at No. 11 with $1.7 million for its 550 theaters, while "The Forgotten" and "I (Heart) Huckabees" tied with $1.65 million to round out the Top 12.

In its second week out, the introspective and moving "Sideways" continues to draw in audiences after expanding to 16 screens, earning $435,731, which is a whopping $27,233 average per screen.

Overall, the Top 12 films this weekend earned $92.8 million, just a slight 2.89 percent higher than those from last year, which earned $90.2 mil.