diff --git a/modules/backend/classes/Controller.php b/modules/backend/classes/Controller.php
index 2dfab7f8d..cef030bcc 100644
--- a/modules/backend/classes/Controller.php
+++ b/modules/backend/classes/Controller.php
@@ -90,6 +90,11 @@ class Controller extends Extendable
      */
     protected $guarded = [];
 
+    /**
+     * @var int Response status code
+     */
+    protected $statusCode = 200;
+
     /**
      * Constructor.
      */
@@ -173,7 +178,12 @@ class Controller extends Extendable
         /*
          * Execute page action
          */
-        return $this->execPageAction($action, $params);
+        $result = $this->execPageAction($action, $params);
+
+        if (!is_string($result))
+            return $result;
+
+        return Response::make($result, $this->statusCode);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -425,6 +435,16 @@ class Controller extends Extendable
         return $id;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Sets the status code for the current web response.
+     * @param int $code Status code
+     */
+    public function setStatusCode($code)
+    {
+        $this->statusCode = (int) $code;
+        return $this;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Sets standard page variables in the case of a controller error.
      */
diff --git a/modules/cms/classes/Controller.php b/modules/cms/classes/Controller.php
index b8c741057..188900578 100644
--- a/modules/cms/classes/Controller.php
+++ b/modules/cms/classes/Controller.php
@@ -209,6 +209,9 @@ class Controller extends BaseController
         if ($event = $this->fireEvent('page.display', [$this, $url, $page], true))
             return $event;
 
+        if (!is_string($result))
+            return $result;
+
         return Response::make($result, $this->statusCode);
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/cms/classes/ControllerTest.php b/tests/unit/cms/classes/ControllerTest.php
index 51c1de4ca..e34646b30 100644
--- a/tests/unit/cms/classes/ControllerTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/cms/classes/ControllerTest.php
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
         $response = $controller->run('/some-page-that-doesnt-exist');
-        $this->assertInternalType('string', $response);
-        $page404Content = file_get_contents($theme->getPath().'/pages/404.htm');
-        $this->assertEquals('<p>Page not found</p>', $response);
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response', $response);
+        $content = $response->getContent();
+        $this->assertInternalType('string', $content);
+        $this->assertEquals('<p>Page not found</p>', $content);
     }
 
     public function testRoot()
@@ -49,9 +50,10 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
         $response = $controller->run('/');
-        $this->assertInternalType('string', $response);
-        $content = file_get_contents($theme->getPath().'/pages/index.htm');
-        $this->assertEquals('<h1>My Webpage</h1>', trim($response));
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response', $response);
+        $content = $response->getContent();
+        $this->assertInternalType('string', $content);
+        $this->assertEquals('<h1>My Webpage</h1>', trim($content));
     }
 
     /**
@@ -75,7 +77,9 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
         $response = $controller->run('/with-layout');
-        $this->assertEquals('<div><p>Hey</p></div>', $response);
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response', $response);
+        $content = $response->getContent();
+        $this->assertEquals('<div><p>Hey</p></div>', $content);
     }
 
     public function testPartials()
@@ -86,7 +90,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/with-partials');
+        $response = $controller->run('/with-partials')->getContent();
         $this->assertEquals('<div>LAYOUT PARTIAL<p>Hey PAGE PARTIAL Homer Simpson A partial</p></div>', $response);
     }
 
@@ -95,7 +99,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/with-content');
+        $response = $controller->run('/with-content')->getContent();
         $this->assertEquals('<div>LAYOUT CONTENT<p>Hey PAGE CONTENT A content</p></div>', $response);
     }
 
@@ -104,7 +108,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/with-placeholder');
+        $response = $controller->run('/with-placeholder')->getContent();
         $this->assertEquals("<div>LAYOUT CONTENT <span>BLOCK\n  DEFAULT</span> <p>Hey PAGE CONTENT</p></div>SECOND BLOCK", $response);
     }
 
@@ -113,7 +117,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/apage');
+        $response = $controller->run('/apage')->getContent();
         $this->assertEquals("<div>LAYOUT CONTENT <h1>This page is a subdirectory</h1></div>", $response);
     }
 
@@ -126,7 +130,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/no-partial');
+        $response = $controller->run('/no-partial')->getContent();
     }
 
     public function testPageLifeCycle()
@@ -134,7 +138,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/cycle-test');
+        $response = $controller->run('/cycle-test')->getContent();
         $this->assertEquals('12345', $response);
     }
 
@@ -277,10 +281,10 @@ class ControllerTest extends TestCase
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/with-component');
+        $response = $controller->run('/with-component')->getContent();
         $page = PHPUnit_Framework_Assert::readAttribute($controller, 'page');
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('testArchive', $page->components);
-        
+
         $component = $page->components['testArchive'];
         $details = $component->componentDetails();
 
@@ -306,7 +310,7 @@ ESC;
         $theme = new Theme();
         $theme->load('test');
         $controller = new Controller($theme);
-        $response = $controller->run('/with-components');
+        $response = $controller->run('/with-components')->getContent();
         $page = PHPUnit_Framework_Assert::readAttribute($controller, 'page');
 
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('firstAlias', $page->components);