Yes! It reminds me of all those old Stephen King paperbacks, some of which I still have.

And the show itself? All the Stephen King movies I watched when I was probably too young. And E.T. and the Goonies, and of course, Eerie...

It could have easily devolved into pure cheesiness at any point, and I think the force of the nostalgia would have made me keep watching, but it's really good! I wound up believing in every single one of the characters.