I recently watched the American remake of One Missed Call, and it was terrible. There is absolutely no suspense in the film at all. I don't know, i just don't think anyone else can get the grasp of horror anymore, other than Asian horror. Newer, American (and british) films, rely way too much on gore rather than suspense.
Well, Chakushin Ari was a stupid concept to begin with, so what do you expect from a remake? The only portion of that movie that managed to scare me was when the little girl's mother was all zombie like and walking towards the camera and her skin was all falling off and <img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" /><img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" /><img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" /><img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" />. Damn that was scary.
I also like to make a distinction between true horror films and gore porn. Real horror movies actually build atmosphere and some sort of sense of dread, rather than pushing everything right up front (at least in my opinion). Ero-guro films (Hostel, for example) aim to depict violence in a glamorized manner (often sexualizing it) and I think can often be lumped into a genre of their own (distinct from classic horror).
And being American / British / Asian has nothing to do with it. Japan has a loooooooooooong long list of ero-guro films that put anything on the American market to shame (Guinea Pig series :barf:). Although I prefer 'classic' horror, I think ero-guro has it's own merits when it's done properly (Strange Circus by Shion Sono is a good example).
I think for consistent quality Asian horror beats American horror. In my opinion American horror has some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. These highs include The Shining, Dawn of the Dead (1978 version), Blair Witch and The Thing. So I prefer American horror overall.
Audition is a terrific Asian horror movie though. One of the best. There is also an independent movie called Tetsuo the Iron Man which must be one of the most unintentionally terrifying things I've ever witnessed.
Blair Witch Project is fucking maaaaaad scary, yo. I don't really dig the Shining or Dawn of the Dead (in fact, I like the recent remake better), and I've never seen the Thing. However, Tetsuo the Iron Man is fucking SCARY <img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" /><img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" /><img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" /><img src="http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/rpg_009.gif" alt="skull" />. And Audition ... that movie changed my perspective on film altogether. That is one fucked. up. movie.
In all, I think Japanese horror and American horror are fundamentally different - Japanese movies are often more "abstract" in their subject matter (when they aren't rehashing the stark white little girl with long black hair over her face plot) while American horror films usually are easier to follow and have a more traditional antagonist (monsters, zombies, what have you). I like both.
My favorite Japanese films of all time are horror films. Audition tops the my list of all time best horror, followed closely by Suicide Club / Noriko's Dinner Table (which aren't really horror per se, but they're damn scary).