I can't remember if I saw the original, but the remake was fair on its own.

You know the story, right?

We follow a few wanna-be drug dealing (two pounds of marijuana?), wanna-be hippies as they trek from an apparent vacation (er, pot pit-stop) in Mexico to Dallas to catch a Skynyrd concert.

While driving stoned and distracted with some front-seat making out, they nearly hit a girl stumbling down the middle of the street. Well-intentioned, they retrieve her and try to return her somewhere for more adequate attention. She wants nothing of it, so she shoots herself in the head, leaving them with a new adventure; to turn her over to the Sheriff and return to their journey.

Of course, they encounter a house full of wackos, one of whom kills most of the members of the troupe, some with the chainsaw for which the movie is named. In the end, one of 'em makes it out, presumably to be the witness necessary for the state authorities to find the mess, giving the reason for the film.

The movie is full of wonderful foreshadowing and wicked twists. It's surprisingly "un-gory" for a horror film, pleasantly implying most of the violence and gore, instead of showing it directly to you.

The one scene I know I've seen from the original, the sledgehammer to the head, was fairly well remade, and obviously not an attempt at a copy. It was either direct homage to the original that they didn't try to recreate it, or I'm missing the mark and reading more into it. The original "smack" was certainly more spine-chilling than this film's version.