Back in folklore, vampires were fearsome demons, until Bram Stoker turned them into fanservice. So here is a picture of how a vampire would look like in old Balkan folklore (anime style) Looks somewhat like a zombie? It does, because a vampire had no mind and no memory of the time when he/she was alive. It was a stalking lone predator with a thirst for blood... and not a shiny pretty-boy in fancy clothes. As for the crosses, they were ineffective against the original vampire, and so were silver and other "well-known" means and methods.