A: Every child is different, and only you know what's right for yours. Not all kids can distinguish between fantasy and reality -- even if you tell them "it's not real" -- as Joanne Cantor points out in her book, Mommy, I’m Scared: How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them.

For so many parents, figuring out what's too scary for their kids is a frighteningly daunting task. Yes, frightening movies can be fun -- and sometimes, movie monsters can even impart good lessons. But for younger and more sensitive viewers, movies with scary images, intense peril, loud noises, and, above all, blood and gore, can create all sorts of disturbances including anxiety, sleep disruption, and fears about certain situations.

So before you take your kids to the latest release or the latest spookfest thinking they just might be able to handle it, ask yourself if the film is age-appropriate. Our movie reviews can definitely provide you with some guidance. Getting scared can be fun -- if kids are truly mature enough to handle what's scaring them.

Check out a few additional tips below:

Ages 2-4: Nothing scarier than “boo” for this age unless you want nightmares. A Very Brave Witch and more Great Halloween Stories for Kids is a good choice for 4-year-olds.

Ages 5-7: Spooky cartoon situations with haunted houses and friendly ghosts are fine, but peril involving parents, siblings, or similar-aged kids is not. Kids at this age still can’t easily recognize situations as fantasy, so they will respond as if what they are seeing is real. Be very careful with monsters, skeletons, aliens, and zombies. For this age, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian offers suspense, mystery, and humor.

Ages 8-10: Some psychological suspense with happy endings is OK, as is physical jeopardy, ghoulish faces, and phantoms, as long as there's no blood or gore. You might consider Coraline or Corpse Bride, both of which offer creeps but not frights.

Ages 11-12: Kids can handle some dramatic suspense as long as the resolution is clear and positive. Skeletons, monsters, aliens ... bring it on! (Just not with blood or gore.) Hocus Pocus is fun, but not too scary. Some kids this age might be ready for Little Shop of Horrors.

Ages 13-15: Dramatic or psychological suspense and horror are OK (although be careful with the supernatural, and no graphic gore). Think Sixth Sense, but not The Hills Have Eyes.

Ages 16+: It all depends on your stomach. It can be hard to imagine when a movie like Paranormal Activity would be appropriate, but Zombieland offers lots of scary twists and turns that some teens can tolerate.