Jamshid Piruz, 35, lashed out at constables Jessica Chick and Stuart Young with a claw hammer during a West Sussex break-in on 7 January 2016.
He pleaded guilty at Hove Crown Court to burglary and two counts of attempting to cause GBH with intent and affray.
Piruz was previously jailed in the Netherlands for killing a woman.
PC Chick told the court: "I have never been so scared in my life."
PC Young, who was hit in the neck in the Crawley attack, described it as "akin to a horror film".
The court heard that after arriving in Britain in December 2015 to visit relatives, Afghan-born Dutch citizen Piruz missed his return flight home from Gatwick Airport on 4 January, 2016.
He went on to be arrested and prosecuted for assault after he spat at a member of EasyJet staff who told him he would need to buy a new ticket.
After appearing in court and being ordered to pay compensation, he went on to burgle garages in Crawley, where he stole tools including a hammer.
On 7 January police were called after a member of the public saw Piruz attempting a further break-in, which led to the attack on the officers.
Francesca Lewington, prosecuting, said Piruz was granted asylum in the Netherlands at the age of 16.
She said he was jailed for 12 years, of which he served six, for killing his female tenant in 2006. He locked her in a room before slitting her throat.
Simon Blackford, defending, said his client was remorseful and "suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder" after witnessing the murder of his parents by the Taliban when he was 11.
Jailing Piruz for a minimum of six years, Judge Jeremy Gold QC said: "This was an incident of truly terrifying violence, the officers were in fear of their lives."
He said Piruz suffered "acute psychotic episodes" and told him: "You are potentially a very dangerous man."
A convicted murderer has been jailed for life for a "horror film" hammer attack on two police officers.