The Three Rules of Vampire Hunting are helpfully provided in
Bloody Bones, the fifth book in the
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by
Laurell K. Hamilton. They are:
- Never, ever look them in the eyes.
- Never, ever give up your cross.
- Aim for the head and heart. Even with silver ammo, it won't be a killing blow anywhere else.
Anita further says:
"Don't panic if you get bitten. The bite can be cleansed. As long as they don't mesmerise you with their eyes, you can still fight."
...which would make it four rules, but nobody in the book bothers to point this out. I imagine that when one is heading into the woods in the dead of night to try and kill something supernaturally strong and fast, one is happy to take whatever useful advice is offered with a minimum of nitpicking.