diff --git a/lib/modules/http.js b/lib/modules/http.js
index 5cbb5b8..d5fa572 100644
--- a/lib/modules/http.js
+++ b/lib/modules/http.js
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@
 
 module.exports.create = function (deps, conf, greenlockMiddleware) {
   var PromiseA = require('bluebird');
-  var express = require('express');
-  var app = express();
+  var statAsync = PromiseA.promisify(require('fs').stat);
   var domainMatches = require('../domain-utils').match;
   var separatePort = require('../domain-utils').separatePort;
 
@@ -119,51 +118,6 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps, conf, greenlockMiddleware) {
     redirecters[host.port](req, res);
   }
 
-  function respond404(req, res) {
-    res.writeHead(404);
-    res.end('Not Found');
-  }
-
-  function createStaticRoute(mod) {
-    var getStaticApp, staticApp;
-    if (/:hostname/.test(mod.root)) {
-      staticApp = {};
-      getStaticApp = function (hostname) {
-        if (!staticApp[hostname]) {
-          staticApp[hostname] = express.static(mod.root.replace(':hostname', hostname));
-        }
-        return staticApp[hostname];
-      };
-    }
-    else {
-      staticApp = express.static(mod.root);
-      getStaticApp = function () {
-        return staticApp;
-      };
-    }
-
-    return function (req, res, next) {
-      if (moduleMatchesHost(req, mod)) {
-        getStaticApp(separatePort(req.headers.host).host)(req, res, next);
-      } else {
-        next();
-      }
-    };
-  }
-
-  (conf.http.modules || []).forEach(function (mod) {
-    if (mod.name === 'static') {
-      app.use(createStaticRoute(mod));
-    }
-    else if (mod.name !== 'proxy' && mod.name !== 'redirect') {
-      console.warn('unknown HTTP module', mod);
-    }
-  });
-
-  app.use(respond404);
-
-  var server = require('http').createServer(app);
-
   function emitConnection(server, conn, opts) {
     server.emit('connection', conn);
 
@@ -190,7 +144,6 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps, conf, greenlockMiddleware) {
     return emitConnection(acmeServer, conn, opts);
   }
 
-
   var httpsRedirectServer;
   function checkHttps(conn, opts, headers) {
     if (conf.http.allowInsecure || conn.encrypted) {
@@ -297,6 +250,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps, conf, greenlockMiddleware) {
       'HTTP/1.1 ' + status + ' ' + code
     , 'Date: ' + (new Date()).toUTCString()
     , 'Location: ' + to
+    , 'Connection: close'
     , 'Content-Length: 0'
     , ''
     , ''
@@ -304,6 +258,57 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps, conf, greenlockMiddleware) {
     return true;
   }
 
+  var staticServer;
+  var staticHandlers = {};
+  function serveStatic(req, res) {
+    var rootDir = req.connection.rootDir;
+
+    if (!staticHandlers[rootDir]) {
+      staticHandlers[rootDir] = require('express').static(rootDir, { fallthrough: false });
+    }
+
+    staticHandlers[rootDir](req, res, function (err) {
+      if (err) {
+        res.statusCode = err.statusCode;
+      } else {
+        res.statusCode = 404;
+      }
+      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html');
+
+      if (res.statusCode === 404) {
+        res.end('File Not Found');
+      } else {
+        res.end(require('http').STATUS_CODES[res.statusCode]);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+  function checkStatic(mod, conn, opts, headers) {
+    if (!moduleMatchesHost(headers, mod)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    var rootDir = mod.root.replace(':hostname', separatePort(headers.host).host);
+    return statAsync(rootDir)
+      .then(function (stats) {
+        if (!stats || !stats.isDirectory()) {
+          return false;
+        }
+
+        if (!staticServer) {
+          staticServer = require('http').createServer(serveStatic);
+        }
+        conn.rootDir = rootDir;
+        return emitConnection(staticServer, conn, opts);
+      })
+      .catch(function (err) {
+        if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
+          console.warn('errored stating', rootDir, 'for serving static files', err);
+        }
+        return false;
+      })
+      ;
+  }
+
   function handleConnection(conn) {
     var opts = conn.__opts;
     parseHeaders(conn, opts)
@@ -312,19 +317,38 @@ module.exports.create = function (deps, conf, greenlockMiddleware) {
         if (checkHttps(conn, opts, headers)) { return; }
         if (checkAdmin(conn, opts, headers)) { return; }
 
-        var handled = (conf.http.modules || []).some(function (mod) {
-          if (mod.name === 'proxy') {
-            return checkProxy(mod, conn, opts, headers);
-          }
-          else if (mod.name === 'redirect') {
-            return checkRedirect(mod, conn, opts, headers);
+        var prom = PromiseA.resolve(false);
+        (conf.http.modules || []).forEach(function (mod) {
+          prom = prom.then(function (handled) {
+            if (handled) {
+              return handled;
+            }
+            if (mod.name === 'proxy') {
+              return checkProxy(mod, conn, opts, headers);
+            }
+            if (mod.name === 'redirect') {
+              return checkRedirect(mod, conn, opts, headers);
+            }
+            if (mod.name === 'static') {
+              return checkStatic(mod, conn, opts, headers);
+            }
+            console.warn('unknown HTTP module found', mod);
+          });
+        });
+
+        prom.then(function (handled) {
+          if (!handled) {
+            conn.end([
+              'HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found'
+            , 'Date: ' + (new Date()).toUTCString()
+            , 'Content-Type: text/html'
+            , 'Content-Length: 9'
+            , 'Connection: close'
+            , ''
+            , 'Not Found'
+            ].join('\r\n'));
           }
         });
-        if (handled) {
-          return;
-        }
-
-        emitConnection(server, conn, opts);
       })
       ;
   }