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Daniel Waters

Daniel Waters

Writer and director · Born November 30, 1962 (63) · Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Daniel "Dan" Waters (born November 10, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is the older brother of director Mark Waters. Description above from the Wikipedia article Daniel Waters, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 30, 1962 (63)
From
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Works as
Writer and director
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 4% in 30 days

What are Daniel Waters' films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.

Genres

Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Power
23%
Bonds
19%
Morality
15%
Ideas
9%
Survival
3%
Society
2%
Identity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 5 · Wry 1 · Earnest 2

Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

Whiplash: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their whiplash movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 0 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
7
Tense
5
Joyful
2
Romantic
2
Thrilling
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Daniel Waters' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Daniel Waters' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

11 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Heathers(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows

  • Whiskey Fist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Producer · as Anti-Abortion Protester

  • Kiss Kiss Fingerbang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Producer

  • Vampire Academy(2014)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Sex and Death 101(2007)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Happy Campers(2001)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Demolition Man(1993)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Batman Returns(1992)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Hudson Hawk(1991)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Ford Fairlane(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Heathers(1989)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles from 1989 to 2018.

Biggest box office

Batman Returns (1992)

$267M worldwide

Highest rated

Heathers (1989)

Midcredits 88th

Most popular right now

Demolition Man (1993)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 11: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting2 of 11: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting9 of 11: 6 only writing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score35thProducing3 of 11: 1 only producing, 2 with another role

11 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s4 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Daniel Waters' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 40th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 9 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

Heathers (2018)

91st percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Heathers (1989)

Midcredits 88th · 75% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 59/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Daniel Waters' work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles52–70 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles30–60 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles40–77 · median 74 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles22–57 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Daniel Waters work with?

People who share at least 2 of Daniel Waters' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rolfe Kent shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers