History Main / ItWontTurnOff

* In "The House That Haunted Franchise/{{Batman}}", a classic Neal Adams story from the Franchise/{{Batman}} comics, there is a phonograph playing a recording of a scream. It continues screaming even after Batman lifts the needle off the record.

* In the ''{{Film/Apocalypse}}'' film series movie ''Revelation'', One Nation Earth converts Willy Spino and Cindy Bolton try to stop the anti-Day Of Wonders virus program from uploading onto the computers by pulling out the disk and destroying it, and even trying to destroy the computer it was uploading on itself, all to no avail. And it's all being done to [[IncessantMusicMadness "Amazing Grace" being sung in the background.]]

** In ''Film/WesCravensNewNightmare'', Heather's son keeps watching the original ''´Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'', even after Heather pulls the plug on the TV.

* In the climax of ''Film/{{Stargate}}'' Jack decides to deactivate the nuke he brought in secret on the other side of the gate [[CrazyPrepared just in case]]. The timer doesn't stop. He takes out the arming device... and the clock is still ticking down. Ra, tempering prior with the nuke to send it back to Earth, rigged in such a way it ''can't'' be disarmed, or at least not within the 6 minutes they have left. [[spoiler: The bomb is ultimately [[RelocatingTheExplosion send via the ring teleporter to Ra's ship]], as he's flying away from Abydos]].

* In ''Series/{{Bones}}'', Booth goes to a [[spoiler:sperm donation facility]], where the television shows a [[spoiler:''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' animation]] and won't turn off no matter what Booth does. Later, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Booth was having a hallucination due to a brain tumor]].

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]]: The Daleks fire an energy beam at UsefulNotes/{{London}}, turning on every light in the city just before a German air-raid. Attempts to turn the lights off prove futile.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E4TheTimeOfAngels "The Time of Angels"]]: Creeped out after believing she saw a captive Weeping Angel on a looped 4-second recording change its position while her back was turned, Amy tries using the remote to switch off the monitor, to no avail. As it turns out, [[spoiler:the Angels can project themselves through any image of them, something Amy learns as her attacker [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou projects itself out of the monitor to get her.]] She can still pause it, however, and does so just as the loop repeats and the screen turns to static, "destroying" the image.]]

* ''Series/GetSmart''. In a parody of ThisPageWillSelfDestruct trope, the SelfDestructMechanism destroys everything ''except'' the tape. After various unsuccessful attempts to destroy it, Max tucks the bulky tape player under his coat and walks off.
* ''Series/TheGoodies''. A RuleOfFunny version happens in "Lighthouse Loonies", with a foghorn which won't stop blaring even after Tim and Graeme have switched it off, pulled the plug, jumped up and down on it and [[ISophagus swallowed the pieces]].

* In ''Videogame/{{Doom 3}}'' there's an [[ApocalypticLog audio log]] that mentions a technician getting his hand torn off by a machine which had somehow activated despite being disconnected from the power grid. The log also states that the machine is still running and they're unable to turn it off. Presumably the work of the [[LegionsOfHell demons]], who were already messing with the Martian colonists before they invaded.

* In ''Videogame/HalfLife2'' there's a blink-and-you-miss-it secret in the "Anticitizen One" chapter: a TV set briefly shows an image of the G-man, despite not being plugged in.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* After visiting the Miroku Mansion in ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'', Akira is haunted by the Screaming Author. It keeps calling him via his mobile, and then via his home phone, the latter even after he's unplugged it. It's not until he [[PercussiveShutdown smashes it to pieces]] that he's finally relieved from the calling.
[[/folder]]

* In Chapter Two of ''Literature/{{Antlers Colorado}}'', the antagonist is [[spoiler:an evil entity bound to a lake that often uses TV, radio, and books (via rearranging the text) to get its messages across. It's confirmed by the characters who have been dealing with it that the only way to get the medium that's being hijacked back to normal is to follow the entity's instructions.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLng80h9W1U This]] sketch on Youtube.

* Parodied in the ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' short "Me Musical Nephews", where Popeye gets kept awake by loud music and believes it to be coming from a radio, unaware that it's really his nephews playing their instruments. He tries turning off the radio, but when it still "plays", he smashes the radio to pieces and then tries to stomp on the bulbs.

** Also happens in "Dial 'N' for Nerder", leading to a confession from Lisa.

* In the horrifying dystopia that is ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', one of the most iconic objects were the telescreens, which could never be switched off or silenced; and were also used by the government for keeping watch on people everywhere, including in their homes.

* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' has a scene that centers around this trope. As the title character and his team of family/friends are hiding in a bar from zombies, the jukebox automatically turns on due to being on random. SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome occurs. Oh, and the kicker: The movie is set in England, and the song that plays - [[Music/{{Queen}} Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now."]] It takes an axe or something to stop Freddie Mercury.

Compare SorcerersApprenticePlot. See also AIIsACrapshoot for a sci-fi equivalent, and if it's a character struggling to shut off a superpower they may have, then that's PowerIncontinence. Has nothing to do with IDidntMeanToTurnYouOn.

* In the ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' episode [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E40AThingAboutMachines "A Thing About Machines"]] an AssholeVictim discovers that the clock ringing is the one that he destroyed the innards of yesterday.

* In the fairy tale ''Literature/TheMagicPorridgePot'', the pot can only be stopped from making porridge by the words "stop little pot, stop". When the girl's mother forgets these words, the whole town becomes submerged in porridge. A similar plot is used in the tale ''Literature/WhyTheSeaIsSalt'', in which a sea captain commands a magic hand mill to grind salt, but nobody knows how to stop it.
--> "It went on grinding with never a halt,
--> and that is the reason why the sea is salt."