Vampires are perhaps the scariest and most lethal of spooks, but where did the word come from?

The word vampire originated in Yugoslavia, Romania or Transylvania. Vampires share common characteristics. They were once people, they have no reflection because they have no soul, they can’t stand sunlight and they spend their days in coffins. Vampires can also turn into bats or other animals at will, they drink the blood of others, they cannot enter a house without being invited, and they are very hard to kill.

A document from the 18th Century, found in England, describes perceptions of vampires from this period: “These Vampyres are supposed to be the Bodies of deceased Persons, animated by evil Spirits, which come out of the Graves, in the Night-time, suck the Blood of many of the Living, and thereby destroy them.”

Vampires differ from other corpses because they look relatively healthy, despite being pale. They commonly have long nails and hair, but are not at all decomposed. Vampires are usually killed by driving a stake into their heart, or through decapitation or complete incineration.

Several objects are classified as apotropaics (that is, they have the ability to ward off vampires or other supernatural creatures.) These include: holy water, a crucifix, a rosary, and garlic. In European folklore, the vampire casts no shadow and has no reflection.