Ed Burns as Jack Andrews and Shannyn Sossamon as Beth Raymond in Alcon Entertainment and Kadokawa PicturesÕ supernatural thriller, ÒOne Missed Call.Ó (Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.)

Be afraid.

Be VERY afraid. Of your cell phone -- that is -- in "One Missed Call," a flaccid remake of a Japanese film that does more than evoke memories of "The Ring."

This film, along with the upcoming "The Eye," hopefully represents the last remnants of the craze that started when Naomi Watts and Gore Verbinski decided to actually put some thought and care into remaking a J-horror picture.

Their film represented the first and, to date, the last time a decent scary movie translated from Japanese to English (er, American).

Shannyn Sossamon ("Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang") plays Beth, a college student terrorized by ghosts who seek out their victims by cell phone, leaving an eerie voice-mail message that plays out the victim's last seconds of life. Do you think that will count against her anytime minutes?

Anyway, the ghosts' origin, the method of alerting their victims of their upcoming demise, and the visions that are a precursor to their death are all strikingly similar to that other movie.

The problem is Sossamon is hardly Naomi Watts, and director Eric Vallette isn't Gore Verbinski. Heck, co-star Ed Burns ("The Holiday") isn't even Martin Henderson, though he's a much better actor. The charisma and chops just aren't there.

As horror films go, it's not that this movie is particularly bad.

There are few gaping holes in logic (except one, which I'll get into in a moment), the acting isn't that bad, and the effects aren't terrible.

There's just nothing particularly effective about the film. The scares are halfhearted (only one or two jump-worthy moments), and the ghosts, while creepy to look at, do little more than stand around gawking at people.

And that hole in logic is a big one: A major part of the story is that the authorities don't believe Beth. Anyone can view or listen to the offending cell-phone messages, but the heroes repeatedly destroy the evidence when they could have easily handed the phone to someone and say, "Listen to this."

Plus, we know to the minute when someone is going to die. So there is no surprise when the moment arrives.

The clock turns, the person keels (or is pushed, impaled, or what have you).

It takes a certain touch to pull off a gimmick like that without coming off as boring.

It was done well recently in the "Final Destination" films. Here, we lack the proper setup, the payoff is insufficiently gross or darkly funny, and it's certainly not scary.

If you're a horror fan, there's not really a whole lot to hate about "One Missed Call," especially in comparison to many other recent horror offerings. But that doesn't mean there's much to like either.

Movie details:

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, frightening images, some sexual material and thematic elements.
Running time: 87 minutes.
Starring: Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns.
Director: Eric Valette.