Five college-age co-eds set out in a van to a secluded cabin in the woods. Along the way, they stop for gas at a dilapidated shack off a dirt road, where a creepy redneck warns them not to go to the cabin. So they ignore him and go anyway.

Sound familiar? This is the premise of every B-movie horror film that production companies shovel out in the summer. However, “The Cabin in the Woods” isn’t your typical B-movie summer horror flick.

Written by Joss Whedon, the man behind such cult classics as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” the film’s dialogue is witty and sharp. Characters aren’t mindless stereotypes, they are creative and their banter is intelligent and amusing. This is a huge step forward in the horror genre as it is, but the script isn’t the only place this movie shines.

“The Cabin in the Woods” takes the simplest of horror concepts and blows it up to something much bigger.

Much the same way that the “Scream” franchise did, the movie plays with horror conventions. The promiscuous girl dies first, then the jock and so on until finally the brainy virgin reveals the killer and the motive.

But “The Cabin in the Woods” goes so much deeper than that. Rather than being an everyday slasher flick, it incorporates plot twists and an underlying concept that is so unsettling it will make you reconsider that summer trip to the family lake house with your buddies.

It’s hard to define “The Cabin in the Woods” without detailing the finer plot points, but it can best be described as “The Evil Dead” with the humor of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the innovation of “Saw” and the reality show gone bad aspect of “The Hunger Games.”

“The Cabin in the Woods” has the perfect balance of agonizing suspense and jump-out-of-your-seat scares that audiences expect from modern horror, but it also has a substance that is completely unexpected and, frankly, much appreciated in a genre that is traditionally quantity (of gore) over quality.

Horror fans cannot miss this film. Even moviegoers who don’t love the horror genre can appreciate it for its wit and creativity. This is one film that will not disappoint audiences looking for an entertaining and thought-provoking thriller.