The basic outline of “The Cabin in the Woods” is exactly what you think it is: five ditzy teenagers spend a weekend in a cabin in the woods. Said weekend does not end well. Roll credits.

It’s also not what you think it is. Only about half of the film takes place at the titular cabin—the rest is set in a small control room run by two middle-aged employees on a mission.

Revealing much more of the film’s premise would ruin the experience. Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, the collective brains behind “Buffy,” “Alias” and “Cloverfield,” “The Cabin in the Woods” is a spectacular horror tour de force, disguised as a run-of-the-mill slasher flick. It simultaneously celebrates and pokes fun at conventions of the genre as well as mankind’s strange obsession with being scared.

The cast, a collection of unknowns, character actors and Whedon alums, is superb, playing each and every stereotype to a tee. That being said, they also manage to give these seemingly one-dimensional characters some heart.

Kristin Connolly earns our sympathy as “virgin” Dana even though we know little about her. As stoner Marty, “Dollhouse” regular Fran Kranz gets most of the movie’s best lines and serves as the main conscience of the group when things get weird.

Playing the two aforementioned control room employees, Richard Jenkins (“Step Brothers,” “The Visitor”) and Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing,” “Billy Madison”) nearly steal the show. The task at hand is particularly crucial, yet they take time out to spar off, place bets and make hilarious phone calls.

Though it was filmed back in 2009 (and held back because of MGM’s financial difficulties), “The Cabin in the Woods” still feels like a breath of fresh air. It continually toys with our mind, throwing in out-of-left-field developments and unexpected visuals.

Comparisons could be made to Wes Craven’s “Scream” franchise; “Cabin,” however, goes above and beyond the satirical nature of “Scream.” In a mere 95 minutes, “Cabin” practically encapsulates the entire horror genre, including everything we love and hate about it.

The grand resolution comes as a bit of a letdown, perhaps because of the 15 minutes of mass chaos that precede it, but that’s one of the few problems with an otherwise astounding film. Anyone interested should experience “Cabin” in a crowded theater, if only to enhance the fun.

4.5 out of 5 Dolphins