Christina's confusion propels "Point Pleasant," a slick drama that is two shows in one.

It's a racy serial about sophisticated, model-attractive teens and their miserable parents in the New Jersey town of the title.

"Point Pleasant" also is a supernatural thriller about a young woman who doesn't know about her twisted family tree or the source of her combustible anger. Christina (Elisabeth Harnois) hasn't a clue about her father or her good-hearted human mother.

The thriller easily casts a stronger spell than the sexual turmoil. The show's influences range from "Rosemary's Baby" to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ("Buffy" veteran Marti Noxon serves as an executive producer). A supernatural serial could appeal to fans of the old daytime drama "Dark Shadows."

Fox is giving "Point Pleasant" a major launch tonight after "American Idol," then will ship the drama to the rough Thursday slot where "CSI" and "The Apprentice" do battle.

Several tantalizing scenes feature Satan's henchman Thomas Boyd (Grant Show), who puts no stock in Christina's humanity. Show has dropped his "Melrose Place" blandness for vigorous villainy, and he establishes the series' central theme: Will Christina follow her father's style or her mother's?

Another promising character is Judy Kramer (Aubrey Dollar), a clever, cynical teen tired of Point Pleasant's gossipy ways. Her frustration is understandable — the other characters have one-track minds, and the subject isn't gourmet cooking.

The sexual behavior takes many forms, from skinny-dipping to confessions in the doctor's office. Through it all, the restless teens act more knowing than their frustrated parents.

Christina raises the fever of Jesse Parker (Sam Page), the lifeguard who rescues her from the ocean and becomes smitten with her. Jesse starts ignoring Paula (Cameron Richardson), his pouty and unfaithful girlfriend.

Paula excuses her two-timing succinctly. "I'm in a mood," she says.

The run-of-the-mill tawdriness detracts from the eerie appeal of "Point Pleasant," with its unusual battle between good and evil in one person. As the devil's daughter, Harnois keeps the viewer guessing by casting bewildered, otherworldly glances.