Halloween-set horror 31 AFM-bound with Protagonist.

Ahead of the AFM Protagonist Pictures has boarded sales on the latest film from cult horror icon Rob Zombie.

Halloween-set 31, which recently completed a 90-day crowd-funding campaign, follows five carnival workers who are kidnapped the night before Halloween and held hostage in a large secret compound known as Murder World.

Once there, they have 12 hours to survive a terrifying game called 31 in which ‘The Heads’- murderous maniacs dressed as clowns - are released to hunt them down and kill them.

Production is scheduled to begin in February 2015 with Protagonist also on board to produce alongside writer-director Zombie, Andy Gould of Spectacle Entertainment Group, and Michael Sherman and Matthew Perniciaro of Bow + Arrow. Eddie Vaisman is producer for Protagonist.

UTA Independent Film Group packaged the film and represents North American rights.

“I love movies about Halloween, in fact my first film House Of 1000 Corpses is set on Halloween,”said Zombie. “In looking for a new angle I found that more people go missing and are never found this day than any other in the year. I thought that’s a good premise for a film. Add in the fact that everyone I know seems to really hate clowns and now you got a film.

“Without the fans raising funds and helping to build buzz, a crazy film like this would have been almost impossible to get off the ground,” he added. “I owe the fans big time on this one”

Zombie is represented by UTA, manager Andy Gould and attorney David Fox.