Binx's Being Cursed: I will NEVER forget when the Sanderson Sisters curse Binx at the start of the film. Up until this moment the movie had made it clear that it was just going to be a goofy 90's film as even the bit of the Sisters sucking the life out of Binx's little sister was still mostly played for laughs. But then came the bit where Binx insults Winnie about her being ugly and then the whole scene starts to get pretty dark.
First the other two sisters suggest killing him in some rather gruesome (like Sarah asking to (shutters) put him on a hook and to let her play with him) but Winnie stops them both and calls her book over and finds a spell that will allow Binx to live forever with his guilt and then, they curse him. It's nothing graphic but the music and the camera angles along with the Winnie's cursing which includes her specifying to "Twist the Bones and Bend the Back" and Binx's transforming into a cat. Again, it's nothing gruesome but the way the whole scene plays gave me nightmares as a kid.
The First Two Deaths of the Sanderson Sisters: While their third death is shown in this, IMO, awesome and hilarious Explosive Way (literally) the first two Deaths of the Sisters are played mostly straight. Their first death is a straight up hanging and while there's a ton of ham and cheese at the start as soon as their dropped the film drops it's cheesyness for a moment and just... lingers... on the Sisters unmoving feet for a solid 30 seconds to show that Yes, their Dead.
Their second death is a played more for laughs but is still kinda F#(ked up when you think about it. Their BEING BURNED ALIVE!!! And while their back after 2 or 3 minutes it's still kinda F#(ked up way to go even if only briefly.
I Put a Spell On You: No, Really, Think about this scene for a minute. Yes, this is the single most iconic moment of the film and it's fun to watch and dance too... However, it's also rather terrifying when you realize that Winnie says at the end of the scene. "Dance! Dance! Dance Until You Die!"
She's forcing everyone in that place to basically dance until they die from exhaustion and while it's again played for laughs when we meet up with the parents at the end of the film they're clearly so exhausted and from all the dancing and if they had gone on any longer Max and Danny would have been orphaned.
When the Sanderson Sisters Retrieve the Book: Yes, this scene takes place right after the famous/infamous bit of the sisters using regular broom, and mop and a vacuum cleaner to fly to the heroes house, BUT! The shot of them arriving to the house and the build up to them getting the book back and capturing Danny and Binx is honestly very well done. It's no John Carpenter's Halloween but it's still pretty good.
You know their there and while their not the brightest candles in the house they're still a threat and the heroes have been spending most of the film running from them and here we're reminded why they need to avoid a direct confrontation at all cost.
Are these great scares? Not really I remember finding the Sanderson sisters rather scary as a kid and looking back on them and this film it may not be a horror classic some other films that are regular watched/shown this time of year but it still pretty solid in it's own right IMHO.
