The eighth season of "The Vampire Diaries" will be the supernatural series' final entry.

The cast and crew of the CW show announced Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con International that the forthcoming season will be its last.

"The Vampire Diaries" executive producer Julie Plec called the ending "bittersweet and emotional."

Plec was joined at the pop-culture convention by executive producer Kevin Williamson and cast members Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Kat Graham, Candice King, Zach Roerig, Matt Davis and Michael Malarkey.

The adaptation of the book series debuted in 2009 and centered on the spooky happenings in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia.

The eighth and final season will premiere Oct. 21.

-AP