Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has co-written the horror film Chemical Wedding, which will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Chemical Wedding was directed by Julian Doyle, who also helmed an Iron Maiden video, Can I Play with Madness, in 1988.

A scene from an Iron Maiden concert in Brazil, where a TV special was made on their concert tour.
(EMI)

The film, about a shy professor who brings back to life occultist Aleister Crowley, once described as Britain's most evil man, will be released in commercial cinemas in Britain this summer.

Dickinson, who wrote the film with Doyle, is also a commercial pilot who flies the band's own 757 Boeing, named Ed Force One.

Iron Maiden is in South America in the midst of a world tour that includes a show Sunday in Toronto.

The band plans to offer a free download in May of its compilation album, Somewhere Back in Time, featuring tracks from its first decade, between 1980-89.

Fans will be able to download the album from the band's website and listen to it three times before being given the option to buy it.

The album features tracks from Iron Maiden's first seven studio albums and one live album.

Manager Rod Smallwood said the free taste is being offered so younger fans hear, understand and appreciate the quality of these recordings.

"We recognize that our ever-increasing fan base is very young and can't be expected to know all the earlier albums, which is why we have put this collection together for them," he said in a statement released by EMI.

"Many of our fans weren't even born when the original albums were first released, although amazingly they seem to know all the lyrics when they sing along with the band at our concerts!"