Was anyone else scared by that evil book?

For an otherwise cheery kids' film, that evil book sure was scary. The ending where they're trying to close the book and her evil head is being squished is particularly creepy.

What was going on with mid-80s kids' films? There was some serious nightmare fodder during that era in stuff like Return to Oz, Young Sherlock Holmes, Legend, The Black Cauldron, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Explorers, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, and even this. Kids' animated shows like Dungeons & Dragons, and Thundercats, also had their moments.