Female "vampire" with protruding tooth and a sickle across her neck.Mirosław Blicharski Vampires have haunted nightmares for centuries, even dictating how people buried their dead. Archeological digs in recent years have unearthed remains of several so-called vampire burials. Here are nine unusual burial techniques researchers believe were motivated by a fear of the dead. They didn't resemble the blood-sucking cinematic creations of "Twilight" or "Dracula," but vampires — or at least the mythology surrounding them — have haunted people's nightmares for centuries, even dictating how villagers long ago buried their dead.Archeological digs over the past decades have unearthed remains of several so-called vampire burials, which researchers believe showcase ancient techniques people once used to stop the dead from returning from the grave.This practice, seen across the world, was most notable between the 14th century and the 17th century in Europe, Matteo Borrini, a forensic anthropologist at Liverpool John Moores University, told Insider last year.