that takes an ugly turn. The end product is a sort of Beach Blanket Bingo in hell. Panoramic Endless Summer -type shots of Mel and the boys hanging 10 and scenes of teens bopping at a rock & roll hop frame a plot involving statutory rape and murder. Gibson plays Scollop, the carefree, sweet one in the group. He's a genuine beach boy: blond and tan and obsessed with surfing. Sandy (John Jarratt), a dour fellow on a last fling before marriage, asks Scollop what he's going to be doing in 10 years' time. Scollop replies: "I'll be doing something in 10 years' time. So I guess in 10 years' time that's what I'll be doing." It's logic worthy of Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High , Scollop's twin in spirit. Gibson's ease in front of the camera and natural acting talen...  (less)

the top mama of The Rebels by manipulating the guys and eliminating the dolls with a non-stop barrage of biker rumbles, catfights, knife duels, and murder. A rare, gritty, touch-as-nails j.d. gem, Teenage Gang Debs is best described as sleaze noir. Plus, on the same double bill: It's the Fuzz vs. The Fastbacks (a gang of high school hotrodders) as everyone tries to figure out the identity of the Teen-Age Strangler, a psycho who leaves a stocking wrapped around his victim's necks. And there's nothing like guessing who done it in a film packed with Father Knows Best -type nuclear families, malt shops, tailfins, and the show-stopping musical number Yipe Stripes! A delirious slice of colorful sixties Americana.  (less)