I was nine when I first saw it. Can't say it ever scared me. It was always my favorite from the very first time, but I've always loved narratives that really amp up the danger for the characters, and I felt that Empire always pushed the series in the right direction for that. Unfortunately, it did seem to scare a lot of children back in 1980, which was reflected in a drop in popularity from the first film, which prompted Lucas to go in a more "kid-friendly" direction with the successive films.