Refresh for updates: Filmmakers from the horror movie world and others from Hollywood took to social media to remember Tobe Hooper, a trailblazing director who helmed iconic horror pics such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist. He died on Saturday at the age of 74 in Sherman Oaks.

Hostel director Eli Roth remembered him as “generous, kind and encouraging” on Twitter. Roth also sent a statement to Deadline recalling the first time he met Hooper and how he influenced his own career:

It’s hard to sum up what Tobe meant to me. I met him at a Masters of Horror dinner thrown by Mick Garris shortly after Cabin Fever had been sold at the Toronto film Festival in 2002. Tobe could not have been nicer – he was so incredibly generous. I remember sitting there with Lucky McKee and Rich Kelly just absorbing his stories about making The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. At the time we flirted with the idea of turning that into a film, what he told us was just beyond belief, involving Texas senators and “marshmallow” of burning dead animals from a neighboring farm that filled the house they were shooting in and made everyone sick. He referred to the film as a “$60,000 flare” shot up from Texas, and in 90 minutes he changed cinema and pop culture forever with one title. He told me that the new all American family was the Manson family, which is what inspired him to make this masterpiece, which plays today in the Museum of Modern Art. But as brutal and relentless as that film was is as nice and warm as Tobe was. He was that “burning marshmallow” he described to me, but one of pure love, support and friendship. I was just honored to sit at the table with him, and I’ll never forget when he showed up at the Cabin Fever premiere to support me. The premiere was a month before the release, no one had seen the film or really knew who I was, it had just sold at a festival, but there he was on the red carpet for the photographers endorsing me with his mere presence. The whole cast and crew were just amazed that Tobe Hooper – THE Tobe Hooper – was there for us, and that was just the beginning. Tobe was an artist, a wonderful warm person, and as much as his films gave you nightmares the man Tobe Hooper just made you smile. I will miss him deeply for the rest of my life and feel lucky I got to know him for the time I did. Even at 74 this feels far too soon.

John Carpenter, another cinematic master of horror, praised his work in film and remembered him as a “kind, decent man” and friend. Conjuring director James Wan also took to Twitter saying, “A sweet, gentle soul of a man. Your legacy lives on.” Child’s Play and Fright Night director Tom Holland posted a photo of him with Hooper with the caption “One of the kindest souls I’ve ever known and a wicked sense of humor.” Stephen King, who wrote the novel Salem’s Lot which was adapted into a TV movie directed by Hooper, expressed his condolences while Caroline Williams, who starred in Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 shared pics of her and the director on Instagram.

Read more posts from filmmakers and actors below.

Tobe Hooper directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, a seminal work in horror cinema. He was a kind, decent man and my friend. A sad day. — John Carpenter (@TheHorrorMaster) August 27, 2017

Sorry to hear Tobe Hooper passed. He did a terrific job directing the 'SALEM'S LOT miniseries, back in the day. He will be missed. — Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 27, 2017

Very few people were as generous, kind and encouraging as Tobe Hooper. I will miss him deeply and feel lucky for the time I had with him. pic.twitter.com/8dOGHGvdK4 — Eli Roth (@eliroth) August 27, 2017

Sad to hear the passing of Tobe Hooper. One of the nicest people. A sweet, gentle soul of a man. Your legacy lives on. #RIP — James Wan (@creepypuppet) August 27, 2017

One of the kindest souls I've ever known and a wicked sense of humor pic.twitter.com/wr60mfo0np — Tom Holland (@RealTomHolland) August 27, 2017

Goodbye Tobe Hooper, the king of transgressive horror. pic.twitter.com/JtkwqntxUs — Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) August 27, 2017

Very sad to hear of the passing of Tobe Hooper, another master of horror. He conjured some truly shattering, unforgettable moments in film. pic.twitter.com/6Kxw0gURzF — edgarwright (@edgarwright) August 27, 2017

The chainsaw is now quiet, but it will forever be heard. RIP Tobe Hooper. — Clive Barker (@RealCliveBarker) August 27, 2017

Tobe Hooper, a kind, warm-hearted man

Who made the most terrifying film ever.

A good friend I will never forget — William Friedkin (@WilliamFriedkin) August 27, 2017

THANK YOU, TOBE HOOPER, FOR THOROUGHLY TRAUMATIZING ME AS A CHILD – I OWE SO MUCH TO THE HORROR YOU GAVE US ALL pic.twitter.com/WwssgQQiJa — Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) August 27, 2017

Oh no. R.I.P. Tobe Hooper. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the coolest & most terrifying movies ever made. It crawls inside & stays. — Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) August 27, 2017

So sad to say goodbye to TOBE Hooper, the man who took a chance on me and gave me my career in film's greatest genre. — Bill Moseley (@choptopmoseley) August 27, 2017