Kate Love’s Moody 2015 Shoot Could’ve Been Plucked Right Out of Our Fave Spooky Movies

Dark weather during her third brand feature made for a cinematic shoot—with Love starring as the final girl, of course.

Kate Love was photographed by Ben Watts in Tennessee. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

It’s officially Halloween, and—while we prefer more treats than tricks at SI Swimsuit—certain unintentionally festive moments bring out our own spooky sides.

One such moment is this archival feature from 2015 featuring brand staple Kate Love. The Canadian model—who made her debut with the magazine in Easter Island, Chile, for the 2013 issue—rang in her third consecutive photo shoot in the Smoky Mountains of rural Tennessee. Still, her gorgeous 2015 appearance in the fold also harnessed a unique energy, reminding us of the set of our favorite spooky movies—with Love starring as the final girl, of course.

Kate Love was photographed by Ben Watts in Tennessee. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“When I woke up in the morning, it was raining and pitch black,” Love explained while on set. “And then, as it got a little bit later, it was raining harder and harder, and the lightning started kind of coming down.”

Her debut campaign in South America and sophomore shoot in Montreux, Switzerland, each featured countryside elements of their own; however, her introduction to this shoot day was met with some challenges due to the southern state’s dark weather.

Kate Love was photographed by Ben Watts in Tennessee. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

If you think about it, perhaps the unforeseen circumstances of her morning actually set the stage for her third feature. In comparison to her former shoots, its images radiated a moodier aesthetic. In Chile, pastel blue skies framed the model’s figure. In Switzerland, she took a sunshine-filled stroll through the city.

Photographer Ben Watts’s images, however, channeled a rustic feeling during the countryside shoot, as Love posed in front of wooden walls and endless woods. She also shared the set with first-timers, Solveig and Hannah Jeter, who notched her first cover image on location.

Kate Love was photographed by Ben Watts in Tennessee. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

As for Love, her debut cover image came a half-decade after the Tennessee shoot. It also showcased an entirely different energy when she embarked on an international flight to Bali and modeled in front of monstrous waterfalls and tranquil seas.

“It doesn’t even feel real yet! I can’t believe it. It’s an absolute dream come true. I’m still in shock!” Love gushed about the monumental feat. She’d score her second cover four years later on the front page of the magazine’s 60th anniversary issue in 2024.

Kate Love was photographed by Ben Watts in Tennessee. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

However, we’ll always come back to this delightfully darker shoot, before the brand “Legend” envisioned exactly what was in store for her illustrious career in the fold, as it literally turned a cozy, slightly spooky setting into a display of high fashion greatness.

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