Coalition Takes on Warner Bros Horror Movie, ORPHAN

Today, a coalition of more than fifty Christian organizations that serve and advocate for orphans launches a national grassroots campaign titled “Orphans Deserve Better” to counter Warner Bros’ summer horror movie, Orphan.

“The movie Orphan does no favors for the boys and girls who share its name,” said Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans. “Organizations, advocates and ordinary citizens have every reason to raise a respectful but firm counter voice–orphans deserve better than the messages this film conveys.”

Orphan advocates are concerned Orphan will feed perceptions that children who’ve lost their parents are oddities or worse, while also reducing chances they will be received into permanent families through adoption. Meanwhile, movie reviews describe Orphan as the “anti-adoption horror film of the year”–sure to “scare prospective parents from ever adopting.” The controversy has prompted Warner Bros to remove its most inflammatory line from the trailer, but the movie is sure to stir more debate when it is released on July 24.

The website serves as a hub for the campaign, which supporters explain is intended not to “bash” Warner Bros but to educate and stir response to the needs of orphans.

Individuals are invited to join the campaign in a range of ways. The site enables families and individuals to post their own stories, pictures, blogs and videos that “tell a truer story” than the movie Orphan. The personal accounts show with real-life color that, although sometimes requiring sacrifices, serving orphans brings the kind of joy not found anywhere else.

The site also offers practical steps ordinary people can take to help orphans. In addition, individuals can sign a letter to Warner Bros, urging that a portion of profits from the movie be used to help orphans.

“This campaign is just one small way to answer the prophet Isaiah’s call to ‘Defend the cause of the fatherless,’” said Scott Hasenbalg of Show Hope, which supports orphan care and adoptions worldwide. “We do want to stand up to the distortions portrayed in Orphan, but even more important is to harness this opportunity to enable Christians to live out their mandate to care for orphans in both word and deed.”

↓ 4 comments

#1 John Wofford on June 30th, 2009 at 4:47 pm

As a journalist, I have to cover this stuff.

As a private person, I’d say this is the dumbest cause I’ve ever heard of.

This movie’s getting a lot of press because of the “twist ending,” which (if my sources are correct) is just a brilliant horror movie plot point – totally ridiculous, and yet completely shocking at the same time.

Why anyone would have trouble separating truth from fiction is beyond me, especially when this whole “creepy kid in a new family” idea has been done so many times it’s practically a genre of its own:

– The Omen
– Joshua
– The Good Son
– Hide and Seek
– Village of the Damned
– Birth
– Rosemary’s Baby
– The Bad Seed
– The Exorcist
– Silent Hill
– Sleepaway Camp

Why people are suddenly getting upset NOW is one of those unanswered questions that I personally don’t want to have explained to me.

If this coalition doesn’t keep quiet, they’ll end up giving this movie MORE press than it would’ve had otherwise.

Not that that’s a bad thing (I could care less), but it seems counterproductive.

#2 Andrew Greenhalgh on July 2nd, 2009 at 2:55 pm

John, this is one time when I’ve definitely got to agree with you. While I might not say it’s the “dumbest” thing I’ve heard of, it certainly doesn’t seem to be the best idea for getting a message across. The Christian community alone is a great example of “how not to protest” with it’s boycotts of certain movies like “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “The DaVinci Code” or the infamous boycott of Disney World some years ago. As you’ve pointed out, all these serve to do is to draw more publicity to these vehicles and, as we all know, any and all publicity is good publicity…

#3 John Wofford on July 3rd, 2009 at 12:00 am

Having said that, since I know the ending to the film, I’ve got to say… please go see this movie. I mean, if you enjoy suspense at all – or a decent twist ending: this will blow you away. That’s all I’m saying.

#4 Mara on July 6th, 2009 at 1:36 am

A lot of adoptive parents are angry about one line in this film: It must be hard to love an adopted child like your own.

They are angry about this movie line but are perfectly content that their adopted child has a birth certificate that was permanently sealed from him/her and a falsified “amended” one issued.

Adoptees have to live their lives carrying around amended birth certificates and are NEVER allowed to see their original birth certificates containing their true names and the names of his/her true biological parents. Adopting parents get to have their names placed on the amended certificates as the birth parents! What lies!!!! These violations of a childs rights does not concern the protestors because it works for them! It is not their ethnicities, their heritages that are sealed. No, their newly purchased child will be forced to accept these lies are his/her truth. These self-righteous people own the copyrights to their adopted child’s identity and could care less that it’s FICTION that is on their child’s birth certificate.

It is downright disgraceful and pathetic what people choose to protest.

I will be wearing my Orphan movie t-shirt http://www.cafepress.com/orphanesther to the movie on opening day because getting angry over one-liners and not giving a hoot about our (adoptees) civil rights is laughable.

Esther just wants her OBC.

If you agree with me, here’s a petition you might be interested in signing: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/orphan-movie-t-shirts-for-open-records

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