I am not writing a Horror story but I want my character to be familiar with some of the lore. Do I have this right? Vampires can't see their reflection in the mirror. Vampires can only be killed with a wooden stake through the heart. Werewolfs can only be killed by a Silver Bullet. Vampires die if exposed to Sunlight Werewolfs only transform during a full moon. If bitten by a Vampire you become one. If bitten by a Werewolf you become one. Not sure of this one, but Vampires only want the blood of virgins. Leaving anything out?
Vampires can only be killed by removing their heads. The stake is to hold them down during the decapitation. The metal the werewolf bullet is made from doesn't matter as long as it was fashioned from a melted-down religious artifact, like a cross.
Interesting. Not what I remembered. But the last one I ever watched was "Lost Boys". I guess I am telling my age.
There are several different versions, and no official canon. What you've described is basically the common pop culture version. Original vampires had less issue with sunlight, often required more elaborate methods of killing, but also often had more odd weaknesses like not crossing running water, only allowed to enter through invitation, or having a compulsion to count dropped coins or grains of rice. You could also become a vampire through other ways, such as some kind of 'sinful' practice would curse you in death. You could also become a werewolf through other methods, drinking from the footprints of wolves, curses and child abuse among others. The silver bullet thing is a more modern invention, and the original folklore focuses more on ways to cure them than kill them- through potions, surgical procedures or exorcism. Odd traits such as hair on the underside of the tongue or under the skin, or curved fingernails were also said to distinguish werewolves in human form. There's quite a lot of different traits to both vampires and werewolves across the range of folklore. Especially the broader you define the terms.
First of all, vampires and werewolves are not real, so you can do pretty much whatever you want with them. But sticking to what I know, there are some common things about each: Vampires: 1. Vampires can be killed by being exosed to sunlight, drive a stake through their heart, decapitation or being burned. However, there are a lot of variations of these. For instance, in some cases, the stake through the heart doesn't "kill" the vampire, only "shuts it down", in lack of a better term. It's two in the morning, give me a break here. In the Universal Studio's version of Dracula, he had a stake through the heart, and was reduced to a lifeless skeleton. But when the stake was removed, he quickly regenerated back to full health.According to Anne Rice, a vampire needs blood to survive, but if they drain a human completely, it will backfire and kill them. No idea why, though. Rather weird concept. 2. Vampires can be driven away with a crucifix or garlic. Simply hang some garlic on your door, and they can't enter. Or don't bother. They can't enter unless they are invited. 3. If you are bitten by a vampire, the vampire can choose whether to turn you into a vampire or not. Would be awkward if everything you eat came alive, I guess. Maybe every trip to McDonalds results in a zombie cow? (again... two in the morning... sorry...) But anyway, in many cases, killing the vampire that turned you will cure you, and everyone else he or she has turned. 4. The series Vampire: The Masquerade has plenty of different vampire species. Most are a lot like humans, though with some supernatural powers, but the nosferatu are nothing more than hideous, ugly monsters. Werewolves: 1. Like vampires, if you kill the "source werewolf", you will cure everyone he or she has turned into a werewolf. 2. Werewolves can only be killed by a silver bullet, decapitation or being burned. However, there are cases where a werewolf can be temporarily killed by other means. In the movie The Wolf Man from 1941, the werewolf was killed in the end by being beaten with a silver cane, only to come alive in the sequel. No idea why the original werewolf didn't come back to life, though. Never really thought about that. 3. Most werewolves turn when the moon is full, but some can turn at will, or during strong emotional situations. Fear, anger, even just getting horny. 4. In the movie An American Werewolf In London, the victims of the werewolf remained and haunted him as ghosts, as long as he was alive. Not actual ghosts, but ghosts only he could see and talk to. "Doctor, my memory is fine. It's my sanity I'm starting to worry about." 5. Some lose control when they become werewolves, and don't remember anything when they wake up as human again. Some are in full control the whole time, and a few can even turn at will. Others don't even know they are werewolves.
