Saw Actor Tobin Bell Is 'One of the Nicest People' Despite Dark Role, Says Producer (Exclusive)

Tobin Bell, the face of the shocking Saw franchise, is nothing like his sinister villain, according to filmmakers.

The actor, 81, reprises his role as John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, in Saw X, the tenth installment that takes place between the events of the first and second films.

Bell is front and center this time in what's billed as Kramer's "most personal game" yet. After traveling to Mexico for a risky experimental medical procedure to cure his cancer, Kramer learns it's all a scam and tries to teach the con artists a lesson via his disturbing traps.

Between takes, Bell, who's been part of the franchise since the 2004 original, is "intense, great [and] one of the nicest people you'll ever meet," producer Oren Koules tells PEOPLE.

Producer Mark Burg adds, "Tobin, this is his movie, this is his dialogue. I mean, the writers write Tobin's dialogue and then Tobin's like, 'But John Kramer wouldn't say it this way. And Jigsaw wouldn't say these lines this way.' "

"You look at Tobin's script, it is the most marked-up script you've ever seen with his notes. It's staggering," he says.

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Actress Shawnee Smith also returns for Saw X, bringing her character Amanda, one of Kramer's loyal apprentices, back to the big screen. (See them in a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE above.)

Director Kevin Greutert, who began with the franchise as an editor for the first entry, says of seeing Bell and Smith, 54, working together again, "Everybody was really thrilled to be back together. Tobin, Shawnee — and maybe others — it was really special for everyone. It was a reunion, and everybody loved being back."

After almost 20 years of Saw movies, what is it that keeps fans coming back for more?

Says Koules, "For the fans, we try to be consistent. We try to give them a two-hour escape to whatever they get out of the movies. ... There's gotta be a little nervous humor. We tried not to take it so seriously."

"Shawnee has a bunch of great one-liners that kind of just eke out," adds Burg. "And at the end of the movie we have a great twist that the audience last night was cheering when they saw who we brought back. It was fun."

And Bell "finally" gets his due here, says Burg: "He was thrilled. He deserves it."

Saw X is in theaters Friday.