 Further measures included pouring boiling water over the grave or complete incineration of the body . In the Balkans , a vampire could also be killed by being shot or drowned , by repeating the funeral service , by sprinkling holy water on the body , or by exorcism . In Romania , garlic could be placed in the mouth , and as recently as the 19th century , the precaution of shooting a bullet through the coffin was taken . For resistant cases , the body was dismembered and the pieces burned , mixed with water , and administered to family members as a cure . In Saxon regions of Germany , a lemon was placed in the mouth of suspected vampires . 
