The Post-Gazette reviews movies from a family perspective:

'Monster House'

Rated: PG.

Suitable for: Children roughly 8 and up, if they don't scare easily.

What you should know: This is a comic horror film that uses motion-capture animation, like in "The Polar Express." It pits youngsters against a house that can make toys and people disappear.

Language: Nothing.

Sexual situations and nudity: Tame stuff. A dad makes a wisecrack about spying on some girls when he was younger, and a baby sitter lectures her boyfriend about not having respect for women. Kids share a kiss.

Violence/scary situations: In addition to comic mishaps, an old man keels over after yelling at neighborhood boys and is taken away by ambulance. The front of the monster house can morph into a frightful face and, at its spookiest, rises up from its foundation and starts chasing children. A nearby tree comes alive, too. A flashback shows tomatoes being tossed at a circus fat lady. Also factoring into the story: a fatal construction accident, fire and explosion.

Drug and alcohol use: None.

'Lady in the Water'

Rated: PG-13.

Suitable for: Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, also the father of two young daughters, says it's suitable for children older than 8. Tweens, teens and older moviegoers might understand and enjoy it more, however.

What you should know: This is based on a bedtime story Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense," "The Village") invented for his girls. It's about a sea nymph who turns up in an apartment complex pool and how the residents must unite to help her. Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard lead the ensemble.

Language: Nothing notable.

Sexual situations and nudity: None. The nymph is covered with a man's shirt or towel.

Violence/scary situations: A howling creature with red eyes, wiry hair and fangs, lurks in the grass and makes for some scary jolts. A person is attacked and killed, off camera. A reference is made to the murder of a mother and children.

Drug and alcohol use: Some slackers might be smoking something stronger than regular cigarettes.