Spoilers: Comparing the town of Salem's Lot to Santa Mira

Do any of you get reminded of Salem's Lot when watching the events in Santa Mira? They both have this central location (old dilapidated buildings) which give off negative vibes that can be felt in all parts of the town.

Some in Salem's Lot left (in the mini series) before the bad events took place. Do you think several did that in Santa Mira right when the atmosphere in Santa Mira became too unbearable? Do you think Cochran killed many of the residents and then replaced them with lookalikes to fool travellers? There only seemed to be a handful of people in Santa Mira so I was wondering if many split when they began noticing strange things like people acting 'soulless' or feeling as if they were watched. Wonder if the factory had a macabre past before Cochran took up residence, which would be similar to the Marston House. Santa Mira certainly seemed to have a reputation and I got that vibe from from watching the expression of the farmer which Dan and Ellie passed a couple of miles before entering Santa Mira.