Tyler Perry had history on the mind when he started shooting "Boo! A Madea Halloween," which opens in theaters today.

It's his first movie filmed on the old parade grounds at Fort McPherson, an active Army base for more than a century.

"The whole movie is shot on the grounds," Perry told 11Alive's Jennifer Leslie. "That has been tremendously moving and a blessing, and I feel like I've been given guardianship over sacred land. We're trying to do our best to honor that."

Last year, he bought 330 acres of Fort McPherson in Atlanta to base his growing entertainment empire, Tyler Perry Studios.

He turned soldiers quarters into sets for "Boo!"

"The frat house is Pershing Hall and Brian's house was actually House 10, where President Roosevelt would stay on his way to Warm Springs," Perry said.

Perry made history himself as the first to earn a film tax credit in Georgia 10 years ago.

Since then, he's led the way as the production industry around him took off.

His new studios will keep him out in front.

"We're in the main building," Perry said. "The stages haven't been built, but we have broken ground on it. We're grading and getting ready for all 14 stages. In the next 18 months, we're there."

Perry attended an advance screening of "Boo!" in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago.

"The audience was rolling," he said. "It's the funniest one I've done."