Domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph, convicted of bombing the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, abortion clinic attacks, and gay nightclubs, also had ties to the racist, anti-government, 'Christian Identity' movement rooted in mountainous, Western North Carolina. Around the same time, militia leader Steve Anderson was also found holed up in the Appalachian area of Cherokee County, NC -- three years after shooting a Kentucky deputy. This provocative 30-minute documentary highlights African-American filmmaker and recent yankee-transplant Ken Wyatt's quest to understand why a section of his new home state of North Carolina seems to be so 'reactionary-extremist-friendly.' Popular belief is that Rudolph had assistance from local sympathizers for almost seven years. In fact, some locals expressed verbal support for him in local media and even sold T-shirts reading, 'Run Rudolph Run.' Considering that while in hiding in Western NC, Rudolph allegedly prayed for an apocalyptic race war. PRAY FOR ERIC explores the question -- Do some Western North Carolinians still consider Rudolph to be a 'folk hero/God's warrior' or has the media undeservedly given them a 'bad rap?' What obstacles does Wyatt confront in his pursuit to find out the truth about his new neighbors? Is Western North Carolina really a safe haven for reactionary extremists with like-thinking locals, or is it truly as warm and serene as the landscapes shown in their tourist brochures?
