PLOT: This American version of the 2001 Japanese horror film Kairo has a university student (Kristen Bell) investigating an Internet webcam that gives visitors the chance to interact with ghosts.

Remakes of Japanese horror flicks are nothing new. See: The Ring, The Grudge, and Dark Water.

This unoriginal trend continues with the new film Pulse, based on the 2001 Japanese horror film Kairo, said to be a masterpiece -- although I have not seen it.

Sadly, Hollywood's slick-looking but dumbed-down remake, directed by first-time feature filmmaker and commercial veteran Jim Sonzero, hits a new low.

Fresh-faced Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame plays Mattie, a university psychology student who has recently witnessed her boyfriend (Jonathan Tucker) commit suicide after he interacted with a mysterious Internet webcam that promises visitors the chance to see ghosts.

As she and her friends (Christina Milian, Rick Gonzalez and Sam Levine) investigate his death, they also lose their will to live, one by one, as they appear to get "infected" by the deadly computer virus.

Soon, the whole city, country and world are caught up in the silly, supernatural phenomenon, and Mattie's only saviour turns out to be an incredibly attractive computer geek (Ian Somerhalder, who played Boone on Lost) who bought her boyfriend's computer.

Red duct tape also proves useful (don't ask).

Along the way, the two good-looking leads deal with lots of dark shadows, flickering lights, creepy noises and terrifying-looking creatures, as Sonzero provides eyecatching visuals and sounds.

The problem is, none of it is very scary, and when the audience is supposed to be screaming and covering their eyes, they are mostly laughing out loud.

A cameo by horror-film veteran Brad Dourif as a whacked-out alarmist in a coffee shop had my promo-screening audience in complete stitches.

Even more remarkable is that horror master Wes Craven co-wrote the awful screenplay. Perhaps had Craven decided to spend a little more time on script rewrites and maybe actually got to direct this embarrassing flick, Pulse would not have been so dead on arrival.

BOTTOM LINE: Don't bother with this awful Japanese horror film remake. It's not scary, and the dialogue, acting and overall message are laughable. The only thing it has going for it are good-looking leads and a slick visual style.

(This film is rated 14-A)
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